John Gray: Singing Troy's praises -- recent visit an eye-opener

John Gray

I did something the other day that I haven't done in over 30 years. I went to downtown Troy on a weekend just for the fun of it. Boy am I glad I did.

I'd heard good things about the farmers' market down on River Street, so I made the short drive from my home to check it out.

I've heard people saying that Troy is making a comeback, but it usually comes from people who have a vested interest in you living or shopping there; you know politicians or business owners. So I honestly didn't pay attention to the folks who told me that. I was stupid not to listen.

Let's start with the farmers' market. It's held on Saturday's in the summer and it offered up exactly what you'd expect, lots of unique and healthy food choices. If all Americans shopped and ate at these farmers' markets, we'd have no need for Weight Watchers.

My partner in crime is on a "gluten free" kick and was pleasantly surprised to find a little bakery table filled with yummy stuff she could eat. And, yes, I was forced to admit under oath that you can't really tell the difference between regular chocolate chip cookies and the gluten-free kind.

What made this market better than the rest, at least for me, was its location.

That stretch of River Street in Troy is lined with some truly amazing stores and shops. I wish I'd written down some of the names but I wasn't planning to write about them in the newspaper.

The problem is even though it's been almost two weeks since I visited on a whim, I keep thinking about those stores and I'm dying to go back. A couple offer amazing furniture like nothing you'd find at a normal store.

In one, the kind woman inside told me her daughter takes old dressers and hutches, things your grandmother might have owned, and rather than send them off to the landfill she fixes them -- refinishes them and makes them look amazing. I don't even need a bedroom set and I almost spent $1,000 I don't have to get one I discovered there.

The nicest surprise of all was a treasure called the Charles F. Lucas Confectionery and Wine Bar. This place on 2nd Street is right out of a magazine or, better yet, a history book.

It is impossible to accurately describe in words what it is like in there, only to say you have never, ever seen a restaurant/coffee shop/wine bar like this.

Vic Christopher and his wife Heather LaVine have literally taken pieces of Troy's past, many forgotten or abandoned, polished them up (or in some cases left them exactly as you'd remember them) and assembled them into this maze of fine art that is beautiful and functional.

Put another way, if Willy Wonka from "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory" decided to move to Troy and opened a restaurant that would dazzle the senses and give fun people a place to eat, drink and be themselves, this would be the spot.

I met Vic at, of all things, a charity stickball tournament in Troy maybe five years ago. He was working for the Valley Cats then, but all he could talk about was how special Troy was. I thought to myself, "This guy has a Brooklyn accent yet his heart beats for my Collar City."

He gushed with pride again the other day when I popped my head into his place and he had a chance to show me around. I think if you point to a single nail holding a single board in place, Vic can tell you where it came from and probably the day he hammered it. He also said that he and the other small businesses downtown are doing very well. I believe him because going there just once makes you want to come back.

When it comes to appreciating Troy, I really am late to the party. Twenty years ago I remember meeting actor John Astin (Gomez from the original "Addams Family") when he was here to perform "A Christmas Carol" at the Palace Theater and he asked me where I was from? When I told him Troy his eyes lit up with delight saying, "My wife spent days in Troy just taking pictures of the beautiful architecture, what an amazing place."

He was right, of course. As Americans fled downtowns to build houses in the suburbs and shop at The Gap, we lost sight of a beauty that can only be found in these majestic old neighborhoods in places like Troy. I'm just glad I found my way back home.

You'll think I'm being a cheerleader, telling you to give Troy a try, but the truth is I'm being your friend right now because I know if you go you'll thank me later.

Some Saturday, take a stroll in Troy and see what you've been missing. I'll bet you a bag of gluten-free cookies you run into me because this is one Troy boy who can't wait to go back.

John Gray is a news anchor on WXXA-Fox TV 23 and WTEN, Channel 10. His column is published Wednesdays in The Saratogian. Email

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