Native New Yorker - 518 Upstate

Native New Yorker - 518 Upstate Food, Travel & History Blog, Upstate New York, Everything NY, Niagara to Long Island, Dutch Settler

I'm a 13th Generation Descendant of an Original Dutch Settler (circa 1648 Beverwyck aka Albany) on one side, and 1st Generation Canadian tourist (circa 1964 Niagara Falls) on the other side! Born & Raised in the 518 (circa 1985, Schenectady)

Most Native New Yorkers are referring to NYC, even more specifically, Manhattan. I've spent my whole life over 3 Hours from NYC, yet my whole life has been i

nfluenced by this major city, I hardly ever visited at all until the last 10 years. I'm here to show off the rest of our beautiful state, we regularly rank at one of the most beautiful states in the country. Yes, NYC exists, but what about Long Island, the Hudson River Valley, the Capital District, Lake Champlain & Lake George, the Adirondacks, the Mohawk River Valley, the Finger Lakes, the Southern Tier, Niagara Falls, our biggest city Buffalo, and both of our Great Lakes? What about New Yorkers that are closer to Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio, Michigan & Canada than they are to NYC? I've lived in the 518 my whole life, and I've spent considerable time in the 716, the 315 & the 585 growing up also. Outside of the Capital District, and various trips to and through NYC, my first experiences visiting Downstate from Albany were this year, 2023, and Hudson Valley & Long Island are amazing!

07/12/2026

6/20 of our Welcome to New York Regions Series at Empire State Plaza in the State Capitol, Albany, NY 518

Welcome to

or ?



Walkway over Hudson is a unique state park similar to NYC’s High Line where an elevated train track was converted into a walking path, this one goes over the Hudson River rather than over land. The 1889 bridge burned the wooden track up in 1974.

The Mid-Hudson Bridge was the only Hudson River crossing (for cars) south of Albany before Bear Mountain & Holland Tunnel circa 1925.

The Castle Hotel in Tarrytown lies vacant as of 2024.

West Point has hosted the US Army since 1802 and was setup by Thaddeus Kosciuzsko of Poland back in 1778 after the Battle of Saratoga, and Washington was stationed nearby in Newburgh, NY, the HQ still stands overlooking the Hudson.

Woodbury Commons is the classic Outlet Mall for Downstate & Northern NJ. Last stop on the Thruway I-87/90 South before NYC.

07/08/2026

5/20 of our Welcome to New York Regions Series at Empire State Plaza in the State Capitol, Albany, NY 518

Welcome to

or ?



Tappan Zee is the 2nd widest part of the Hudson River, 3 Miles across from Tarrytown to Nyack. Haverstraw Bay just a few miles North is 3.5 Miles Wide. Zee is Dutch for Sea, Tappan is Lenape for “Cold Water”, like nearby Cold Spring.

Hyde Park, just north of Poughkeepsie, hosts FDR’s birth home, presidential library & resting places for himself and Eleanor Roosevelt.

We’ve all heard of Woodstock, the 1969 Music Festival which took place in a field here in Bethel. While Woodstock, NY is just north near Kingston, and is a little hipster town like Hudson, Ithaca or Beacon.

Taste NY can be found at Welcome Centers all over the state, including on the Taconic Parkway, a cars-only scenic highway on the East side of the Hudson near CT.

06/28/2026

4/20 of our Welcome to New York Regions Series at Empire State Plaza in the State Capitol, Albany, NY 518

Welcome to





Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty are both part of NYC despite being in NJ waters and built with NJ landfill.

Time Square, Midtown Manhattan is one of the most photographed places in the world, named after The NY Times, home of the biggest New Year’s Eve Party in the World, and the New York City yellow cab is one of the most iconic vehicles in America .

Flushing, Queens hosted two World’s Fairs, is home to the New York Mets, the US Open, and the largest Chinatown in the USA

The charging bull & the fearless girl are iconic representations of Wall Street in FiDi Lower Manhattan.

New York City was the capital of the USA in 1789 so we chose a different city for the state capital and Albany has been our state capital for 237 years.

06/27/2026

3/20 of our Welcome to New York Regions Series at Empire State Plaza in the State Capitol, Albany, NY 518

Welcome to





The 2nd Ave Subway was planned back in the 1920’s and has been under construction since 1972…

Brooklyn Bridge connected the separate cities of New York & Brooklyn in the 1880’s.

Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, Lower West Midtown, Genovese Family Mob Turf

is home to the

06/26/2026

2/20 of our Welcome to New York Regions Series at Empire State Plaza in the State Capitol, Albany, NY 518

Welcome to





Jones Beach is on the South Shore in Nassau County in the town of Wantagh
Dix Hills is Central LI in Huntington, Suffolk.
Called spring Harbor is just slightly north on the North Shore in Huntington .
My favorite pizza on Long Island was Umberto’s in Massapequa Park

Address

Albany, NY

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Native New Yorker - 518 Upstate posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Shortcuts

Share

Category