Not great way to start the week.

Long read for anyone interested. I pulled up two articles from the NY Times archives discussing "Albany beef". One from 1881, and the other from 1927.

From the NY Times, Aug. 19, 1881

THE SUPPLY OF "ALBANY BEEF."
New York Times, August 19, 1881

The smoked flesh of the sturgeon is a favorite article of food in the towns along the Hudson River, and when it is well prepared and has not become stale it is a very nutritious and palatable edible. In former years the catch of sturgeon in the Hudson River was amply sufficient to supply all demands for the beef at low prices. Within the past few years, however, the fish have become scarce and shy and have to be brought to Albany, where the principal smoking establishments are, from the Kennebec River, in Maine, from the St. John's in Florida, and from the great lakes. At Albany the fish cost from 5 to 8 cents a pound. It shrinks considerably before it is smoked, and therefore the beef is wholesaled at 15 cents per pound, at which price there is only a moderate profit made. The stores retail it for about 18 cents. The sales of one firm in Albany average over 1,000 pounds per week, and have reached as high as 4,500 pounds one week this season. In this city Phillip Kavanagh has an establishment for dressing and curing sturgeon. He is unable to meet the demand for the beef. Large numbers of sturgeon are received daily, coming principally from Hyde Park. The quantity of fish sold in this city alone is immense, the price being the same as at Albany. The trade is reported to be constantly on the increase in this city and along the upper Hudson, even at the prices named.

From the NY Times, Aug. 21, 1927

"ALBANY BEEF" TRADE WANES AS HUDSON STURGEON DWINDLE
Production of "Meat" From This Once Plentiful Fish Used to Be a Large Industry
New York Times, August 21, 1927

ONE of the romantic industries of the upper Hudson River, which flourished in the less hectic days of the last century and is now doomed to pass forever as a human occupation, is the trade in what is called "Albany beef." That "beef," as any old timer among the up-river men can tell wasn't beef at all, but rather that most famous of all Hudson River fish, the sturgeon.

What with the growth of manufacturing plants along the river and the development of large cities, the sturgeon has virtually disappeared from the Hudson. As late as 1900 one saw dozens of skiffs all along the river from Newburgh to as far north as Albany, each manned by an intent fisherman watching the bobbing floats on his seine nets. There are now not more than three or four sturgeon fishermen on the whole hundred-mile stretch, and even they work half-heartedly, because there are so few sturgeon left.

In the early days on the river sturgeon was so plentiful that the fishermen time and again glutted their markets. Albany was a vast clearing house in those days. The fish had not yet become known to epicures, nor was much attention paid to the preparation of caviar for the American palate. Sturgeon was so common that it served as the main article of diet in many a farmhouse and laborer's cottage along the river. It was a staple foodstuff for the denizens of most Albany boarding houses. There are even stories to the effect that sturgeon were so plentiful that tons of them were sold for fertilizer at Hudson and at other points along the stream.

Now the sole survivors of a once great industry are a few men who make their headquarters in the neighborhood of Rondout - where Esopus Creek empties into the Hudson-and in the city of Hudson itself. Within the last half dozen years the fishermen who worked the stream in the neighborhood of Fishkill, Milton and Poughkeepsie have disappeared and with them their skiffs and nets.

Only a Few Catches Needed.

Of late years sturgeon fishing has been extremely profitable for those who had luck. Sturgeon caught in the Hudson weigh from 200 to 400 pounds and are worth from $1.50 to $2 a pound, gross weight. Hence a catch of three or four fair-sized fish a season was often sufficient to guarantee a fisherman and his family a comfortable living through the long Winter. But to catch as many sturgeon as that in a season since the turn of the century has been more and more of a task. Often times weeks would go by without even a ''strike'' and in certain stretches of the river more than one season has passed without a single fish being caught.

Directly across the Hudson from Poughkeepsie, at a hamlet called The Oakes, there lived until a few years ago a group of sturgeon fishermen who swept the river day after day, from the break-up of Winter until late in the following Autumn. Each year their catch was smaller and in the end they beached their skiffs and packed away their nets. This particular stretch used to be famous for its catches, probably because of the great depth of the stream as it cuts its way south through the cliff-like hills of the Ulster highlands. The average depth from Esopus Island, about ten miles above Poughkeepsie, to Chelsea, at the upper end of Newburgh Bay is about 75 feet and there are places where the depth is 130 and 150 feet. The water is fresh, despite a fourfoot rise and fall of tide and seems to offer ideal conditions for sturgeon.

The approved implements for the catching of sturgeon have come to be nets. These are from seventy-five to 150 feet in length and from six to ten feet deep. The lower edge is weighted with lead sinkers at twenty or thirty-foot intervals and the upper edge is fitted with a series of wooden or cork floats placed every six or eight feet, so that the top of the net is kept about ten feet beneath the surface. The net is neatly folded for carrying and placed on a wooden platform about five feet square in the stern of the fisherman's skiff.

Landing a Big Fish.

From the middle of the flood tide until full flood has proved to be the most propitious time for setting the net, which is paid out slowly across the stream. Calm water is the best for sturgeon fishing, but the fishermen go out in all kinds of weather, unless it be too rough. With the net stretched crosswise the river the fishermen follow it up stream as it is carried along by the tide, always keeping close enough so that they can pull the ends of the net together speedily when they observe the tell-tale commotion of the floats as one of the big fish is caught.

Getting the net together is an easy matter compared with landing the fish itself. If the catch should be a three hundred-pounder, which is the normal weight of a fair-sized sturgeon, they pull close to shore and drag the net to the rocks or the beach with the big fish thrashing the water into foam in his efforts to get free. There is usually a struggle before a club or an oar butt finds a vulnerable spot and puts an end to the battle. Then comes the work of packing the fish in ice and shipping it to the New York market.

It may be that the sturgeon will come back, but this is not the belief of the men who set their nets nowadays. They have seen their annual catch grow smaller and smaller each year and they think the end is close at hand for "Albany beef."

Hi! Looking for a hairstylist that still offers roller sets? Everyone seems to just use a flat iron now. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Anyone know of good ponds and lakes to skate on this winter?

Hello - I am writing today to see if I can get any leads on my lost/accidentally swapped luggage.

Took an ADK trailways bus yesterday (Sun 12/1) from Albany to Port Authority. Got my luggage from the bus and went home, just to discover it wasn’t my stuff ok the inside! Just looked the same on the outside 🥲 I’ve got lots of clothes and my childhood teddy bear of 20 years in the year. I really want her back - she means the world to me 😭❤️🧸🐼 If you or someone you know is a young man who is missing his suitcase and took a bus trip on Sunday, let me know :)

I have contacted ADK trailways already and will call the port authority too. I’m hoping he has done/will do the same so we can swap suitcases!

TIA for helping me reunite with my clothes and my beloved panda bear ❤️

EDIT: I noticed an Albany Law T-shirt in the suitcase btw! Albany Law ppl - tell your pals!!!! Thanks :)

Is there anyplace w/i driving distance to buy nice stuff for the house? Wife is looking to replace a few things and we'd really like to buy local. Vintage would be awesome but we'd settle for just being well-made. Went around to the usual places this weekend and it seems like everyone has the same plastic Santas and cheap garland.

My sister likes fruitcake. Where in the greater Albany area can I find the best fruitcake or the best panettone?

Or best online or cookbook recipe?

Could anyone give me a rough estimate on the cost of new tire mounting, balancing, and alignment and subsequent old tire disposal. Tires are CONTINENTAL CROSSCONTACT LX25 SL. Thanks!

I can admit this post might be quite hypocritical as I’m easily irritated, but maybe for the right reasons. I’ve been scrolling social media for the past hour and people seem to “pop off” at the most innocent things. I saw a local retail business owner post a sale for cyber monday, and the comments read as such: “your prices are too expensive anyway” “your location sucks”. I saw another business recently go through a renovation and the comments on those threads were: “lost a customer” “bet prices will increase because you spent money to renovate”. I understand those are all valid concerns, but is it not rude?

I’ll put down my wine glass now.

Hey all, I need a fresh haircut this week, whats your best recommendation?

Thanks

Instead of the Salvation Army. I want to give to someone who has people in-need waiting.

Thanks

I've been sick for a week and a half with cold-like symptoms-chest congestion, sinus pressure, and extreme exhaustion. I feel like I've been hit by a truck. I've been drinking lots of water, sleeping a lot, trying to get some fresh air, etc. and I can't get rid of this. Has anyone had this and found anything that helps? It's miserable.

It looks like we may have to replace our boiler. We don’t need anything fancy, we already have a separate hot water heater so we just need a gas boiler to heat our radiators. I’m looking for recommendations/costs if you have done something like this recently

Might as well check out!

Saw a post about best experience, but I'm wondering where everyone is getting decent trees that don't break the bank.

Would love to cut my own, but fine with pre cut as long as they won't lose every needle within 5 minutes

My fiancé and I are looking to get married September/October 2025, but we do not need a lot of traditional wedding things and are trying to cut unnecessary costs. Even the word wedding throws the prices up, and I feel like we are more so having a happily ever after celebration and not what you think of for a wedding. I basically want to get dressed up and eat, drink, laugh, maybe dance a bit, but mostly I just want to not be overly stressed and actually enjoy my day with my partner and our loved ones. It seems like I cannot find places that check all of our boxes, and that could be because they don't exist! Or because I am not actually from up here so I do not naturally know a lot of my surroundings? We are looking in the Capital Region, but open to expand the search to surrounding areas as well. It can also be a restaurant with event space. Do these places exist? LOL

We will have under 100 guests invited and are budgeted for $10K when everything is said and done (food, rental, attire, basic photography, etc.), while hoping for things below.

-A place with clean and easily accessible lodging nearby (renting shuttles/buses is very likely not in our capability). We went to a very expensive and pretty wedding a few years back, and they had neither shuttle/bus options, nor were there any hotels under 30 minutes or more away (with the exception of a few motels with horrifying reviews), and that was not ideal for us being out of town guests, so I do not want that for my own guests if possible.

-A place we can play our own music and are not required to hire a DJ or band (I was really leaning towards Brown's Revolution Hall or their Speakeasy room, but they recently changed their music requirements from they can plug and play your music for you to you are required to hire a licensed DJ or band).

-A place with its own aesthetic since we do not want to go crazy purchasing decorations that will never be used again.

-Something with a pretty outdoor area. Something with some type of water even better and/or a place with a lot of windows/good natural lighting. I just don't want to feel like I'm in a basement or dungeon. That's sad, LOL.

-A place that either buffers in extra time for you to setup/breakdown, or they help with it.

-A place with or without a place for the ceremony (we might have a small ceremony outside elsewhere earlier the same day).

-My fiancé's only real requirement - food must be delicious, LOL. However, we are also open to many types of food options! I know if we made the food ourselves it would save a ton of money, but we do not have a nearby support system so that is a no go.

Hello - i live off of Delaware avenue before Whitehall x Delaware intersection and Every F**** DAY there’s a dog barking outside. Does anyone know where the dog is from? What house? What can i do about this? Not on some Karen sh** but the dog barks from 5 AM to whenever they let the damn dog in. It’s ridiculous. I’m pretty sure the dog lives on Delaware ave - but seriously it’s soooooo annoying. It’s Sunday 5am shut the fuck up and stop leaving ur dog outside because ur a lazy POS who won’t walk them.

Something new to do in Albany which is exciting. A new pottery painting and plant store opened on computer drive near colonie center. Definitely worth checking out. Really cool inside too.

What are some good locations for a bridal shower, not too expensive and preferably relatively near Clifton park or Saratoga?

Felt like I was in a Stewart's commercial today. Went to a tree farm for a Christmas tree today and there were so many people wearing that yellow Stewart's hat. I thought the farm was giving them out as a promotion. Then went to a Christmas parade and even more Stewart's hats. What's the deal?

Any places left with trees available to “cut your own” for less then $80.00 for a 6 foot tree?