Siena College | David Lombardo

Has anyone been down to Pearl Street in Albany lately? I was there last weekend and it resembled something out of an old-western style ghost town. This is quite sad, because I remember when this area used to be very, very busy. Pearl St. was sort of the commercial center of downtown, complete with bars, music venues, and good food. Recently, with the closing of Jillian’s, it appears that this entire block (the one where Jillian’s was located) is nearly completely vacant. There are many reasons for this; perhaps the biggest is that a lot of people simply don’t want to venture into downtown Albany. If you go into other places around the area, there is still some life. Uptown a little, towards Lark Street, things are still somewhat lively during Friday and Saturday night. Still, it seems a bit unusual that Pearl St., the area that has the higher priced real estate, the busier street corners, and the more beautified section, is becoming thinner and thinner with respect to business.

Ralph Spillenger, owner of Jillian’s recently said, “people are afraid to come to downtown Albany”.

By looking at these photos, that would almost appear to be true. A lot of young people are now commuting all the way up to Saratoga to experience the bar scene. What does the future of Albany’s nightlife hold?