Albany

Five years ago this month, I happily wrote a column extolling the many charms of Albany's bus station.

Among other delights, I described the building's concrete exterior, the raffish characters who smoke outside its doors, and the dark and moody charisma of its vintage interior, which doesn't seem to have changed a bit since the Greyhound station was built in 1966.

I stumbled across that old column a few days ago and thought to myself, "Geesh, I had better check on the bus station, if only to make sure its appeal hasn't been diminished by some uncaring bureaucrat."

And so that's what I did, visiting a few times last week.

Good news, friends. While historic structures fall with distressing regularity all around Albany, this little civic heirloom remains exactly, precisely the same. The bus station is still ours to enjoy.

For those who haven't had the pleasure of a visit, I'll begin by describing the neighborhood.

The station on Hamilton Street sits on a broad savanna of parking lots, a welcome respite from the bustle of the city. In this neighborhood, you are free from the jostling crowds. In fact, you are unlikely to encounter any life whatsoever — not a single person, animal or tree.

"It's nice to have some space to myself," I thought as I approached the bus terminal. "Finally, I can breathe."

Still, the bus station drew me into its warm cocoon. How could anyone resist such delights?

The magic is evident right away. Just outside the station's front door, for example, I was charmed to find cute little buckets that were chained to posts and filled with cigarette butts. What a whimsical touch!

Once inside, I was elated to see the same water-stained ceilings that I remembered. If you squint a bit, they might remind you of the Sistine Chapel, so intricate are the designs.

I was also happy to see an unattended mop bucket that was filled with dirty water and left near where passengers-to-be awaited their rides. Good to know management is keeping the place tidy!

Oh, I could go on and on — about the antique water fountain with the crusty stuff around its drain, the rustic gray patina of once-white walls, the joyous faces of the customers waiting for Greyhound to whisk them away.

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Rest assured, when those travelers think about Albany, this bus station will loom in their memory. They will think of us fondly.

But don't rely on my opinion of the bus station's pleasures. Check out review sites like Yelp, where passengers are all too eager to tell the world all about the one-of-a-kind experience.

"The appearance of the terminal is dated and dirty; it looks like a converted bomb shelter." — William H. from Boston

(Note: Boston's bus terminal is located in an ostentatious, neoclassical train emporium that resembles the old Union Station, which Albany had the good sense to shutter. So Bostonians are especially inclined, I would think, to appreciate the proud simplicity of our Greyhound terminal.)

More reviews:

"Most outdated, disgusting bus station in the country. What an embarrassment." — Noe H. from Clifton Park

"This station is filthy, sketchy and pretty embarrassing as a travel hub to Albany, our state's capital." — Isabella S. from Brooklyn

See what I mean? People absolutely adore our little bus station!

During my visit, I stopped to see the building's manager, Jim Berardi. I asked him if travelers ever complain about the station, which is owned by Greyhound.

"You're always going to get complaints," said Berardi, who was not especially eager to chat.

Well, there's no accounting for taste. I bet people complain about the Sistine Chapel, too.

The column I wrote five years ago wasn't all roses and sunshine. In it, I mentioned that the bus station's existence was threatened by the possibility of a new "intermodal terminal" (whatever that means) being planned by the hard-hearted technocrats at the Capital District Transportation Authority.

The building would include offices, shops and a parking garage, and would be the place to catch buses operated by CDTA, Greyhound, Megabus and Trailways. It would force the region's bus riders to suffer through the same boring sterility that our plane and train passengers endure.

Is the terrible possibility still in the plans?

"It's something we've had on our plate of things to do for years," CDTA head Carm Basile said.

OH NO!

"But I don't have anything new to tell you in terms of progress," Basile said.

PHEW!

Like the bus station itself, CDTA's intermodal Taj Majal is in a kind of limbo, its future dependent on the planned redevelopment of the neighborhood's empty land.

Safe to say, then, that our lovely and precious little bus station isn't going anywhere anytime soon. It's a survivor, and we'll be enjoying its charms for years to come.

cchurchill@timesunion.com • 518-454-5442 • @chris_churchill