Albany Needs Momentum

When I think of walkable area cities, I obviously think about Saratoga Springs, now joined by Troy and Schenectady.  If travelling to any of those cities, one thinks of parking the car, and walking amongst the stores, restaurants, theaters, etc.

When I think of Albany, and I am in a car, for the life of me, I cannot think of a single place that I would want to park my car, get out and walk, with a destination to eat, or shop.  Lark Street comes to mind, but the crime in that area after hours makes this not an option.   When thinking of quaint, Albany is never in the discussion.  Successful cities are walkable, with places to see and things to do.  If you want to walk around Albany on the weekends, you have the city to yourself downtown....it is a ghost town.....nothing to do.   Why doesn't Albany have a little Italy, or a Chinatown (trying to create on Central Avenue) or an Arts district, or shopping districts, or waterfront districts with places for people to live, with the ability to walk to restaurants or shops?    Planners in Albany have to think outside the box in how to get momentum for the city.  They need people living downtown, they need new ideas, they need to forget about cars, and plan for people on foot.   What in the landscape is conducive to a person walking the streets, vs catering to cars......a convention center is another big box development, cut off from the fabric of the city, encased and enclosed so that people from outside albany, can drive here, park in the parking garage, stay at the hotel, spend time in the convention center and then head home, overlooking the city they are visiting......Albany has a long way to go to be a destination or a place that outsiders would want to call home...