Featuring the Number 3

I love the Number 3 bus line. The Number 3 provides a glimpse of the cultural and economic diversity of Albany's neighborhoods; connecting Arbor Hill, Pine Hills, Park South, Center Square and Mansion Hill all for the price of a bus fare. This little loop of a bus line goes up Clinton Avenue from the Palace Theatre to Quail Street, across Quail Street to Madison Avenue, down Madison Avenue all the way to Grand Street for a mini tour of Grand Street, then across Pearl Street back to the Palace. The line also runs in the opposite direction, but on a slightly different route Monday through Friday until about 6 p.m.

Unfortunately, like so many CDTA lines, it does not operate on Sundays at all.

Catch a Number 3, and it will take you many places in the City of Albany -- some functional, some fun including financial institutions, museums, churches, laundromats, a whole bunch of restaurants, a huge art collection and quite a few performing arts venues.

For instance, the stretch along Clinton Avenue gets passengers within four blocks of:

• Federal Building
  
• Family Court
• Albany Heritage Area Visitors Center
  
• United Tenants Association
  
• Ten Broeck Mansion
  
• the building on Orange Street that houses Capital District Community Loan Fund Affordable Housing Partnership, and the Albany Community Land Trust
  
• Salvation Army
  
• SEFCU
  
• Way too many abandoned buildings.

While the stretch along Quail Street gets passengers to:

• The Linda
• Last Vestige Music
• Mr. Pio Pio
• Mild Wally's
• Mary Jane Books
• Pepper Jacks
• Many blocks in need of a neighborhood clean-up
  

And along Madison Avenue, passengers can easily get to:

• Washington Park
• Scratch
• Debbie's Kitchen
• Albany Art Room
• NYS Museum
• Tandoor Palace
• Price Chopper (a couple of blocks down Delaware)
  
• Empire State Plaza Art Collection
• Grand Street Community Arts
• Lincoln Park and Lincoln Park Pool (just behind the NYS Museum)
• The Governor's Mansion
  

Finally, the Grand Street and Pearl Street stretch connects folks to:

• Cafe Capriccio
• The TU Center
• A lot more restaurants
• Cap Rep
• Melville's Mug
  
• More banks than you ever thought were necessary
  

Unlike 14 other bus lines that stop at the Albany bus hub -- Washington Avenue and Lark Street, the Number 3 doesn't utilize Washington Avenue at all, yet you can still transfer to all of the lines that stop at the Washington-Lark hub down on Pearl or State Street.

I highly recommend buying a $3 Day Card on your next day off and spending the day hopping on and off the Number 3 line.