Travel and Video by Sonja Stark

Water cannon salute for Airberlin

I flew airberlin from JFK to Germany last September and what a treat it was. Award-winning service, superior cuisine, slimmer back rests for maximum leg room and dozens of on-board entertainment options. And I sat in Economy class.

Yesterday was a big day for the second largest German airline. It launched it’s first transatlantic flight from Berlin to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). A water cannon salute greeted the Airbus A330-200 on its arrival.

Symbolically, this is especially exciting because the City of L.A. and Berlin are sister-cities and celebrating their 45th anniversary partnership this year. As a board member myself for Albany’s sister-city organization with Tula, Russia; Albany-Tula Alliance, I can’t help but think how wonderful it would be if we had our own non-stop flight route.

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Heads up for the goats munching grass on the side of the road before you get to the parking area for Holt Preserve, a public space protected through the efforts of the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy.

You’ll also pass a dilapidated farm house, barn and rolling fields of fertilized dirt on your way to the 148-acre preserve.

Only 20 minutes from downtown Albany, Holt Preserve has 2-miles of trails that can be explored in under an hour. It’s the perfect option for families with children wanting to see jumping frogs in a small pond or enjoy a view of the Helderberg Mountains.

The occasional wetland is an ideal breeding ground for tiny bluebell flowers and bright florescent-green foliage.

To see more photos check out this FLICKR SET.

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Slow Down Drivers and Yield to the Little People

There’s been a huge spike in the number of Capital Region towns allocating monies for pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure.

I’m no Mommie but it’s hopeful to see what my own town, Bethlehem, is doing to encourage residents to bike, especially children.

The town put up these “Bike Route” signs between the high, middle and elementary schools throughout Old Delmar just in time for National Bike Month. Signs also indicate where the library, the Town Hall and the parks are.

Since 2005, there’s been an initiative called “Pathways To Homes, Hamlets and Healthy Hearts” with an Advisory Committee brainstorming ways to enhance safety and mobility. Between fixing up the cracks in the sidewalks, adding CDTA/CDTC bike racks to the area and the recent May 5th Bike Expo, I wouldn’t be surprised if Bethlehem receives an official “Bicycle Friendly Community” status.

There is also the new Albany County Rail Trail which is an abandoned rail corridor running nine miles from the Port of Albany to the Village of Voorheesville. The only portion currently open is the 1.9 mile stone and gravel stretch shifting through Bethlehem. Sadly though, it’s not a shared-use path. But with more funding, maybe someday it will be.

After speaking to Bethlehem Town Planner, Rob Leslie, I learned that the path has not one but two extremely steep embankments. Once the proper posts and guardrails are in place this old D&H rail line will make mountain biking a fun alternative to fighting traffic.

If you too would like to volunteer, donate or ‘friend’ the cause on Facebook, go to FORT, Friends of the Rail Trail.

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My steps include paw prints

You can teach an old dog a new trick or, in this case, a new language.

Drum roll please.

Now, let me introduce my new favorite I-phone App; Coffee Break French from the Radio Lingua Network.

Thanks to Teacher Mark and Student Anna, I’m learning French again.

Every morning I drag my Golden into his golden years by chiming in with French lessons taught by my new Scottish friends. Ironically, the lessons are timed perfectly to end as soon as Rocco does.

I don’t mind struggling to repeat words and phrases but I draw the line when Mark and Anna sing numbers and holiday verses.

It’s been 8 weeks and, as expected, my progress is slow. I average two 15 minute lessons a day then I repeat them for the next two.

Still, the downloads are free and, unlike my Freshman high school teacher, my dog doesn’t bark when I make a mistake.

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Transportation of the Future

While on assignment Monday I learned some fascinating facts about this county 50 miles north of NYC:

~ Brotherhood Winery in Washingtonville is the oldest continuously operating winery in the U.S.
~ The Historic Track in Goshen is the oldest active trotting track in the world.
~ The Stewart International Airport was the optional landing location for the space shuttle should there had been an emergency.

But, most importantly, I learned that the modern environmental movement started here.

And so it came as no surprise when I was introduced to the world’s first electric school bus designed and manufactured by a company based in Warwick, Orange County.

Trans Tech Bus has been building traditional school buses for many years but this exciting zero-emissions electric Type-A school bus is one-of-a-kind.

It has an aerodynamic flat-nose feel minus a a traditional exhaust system since it’s not needed with an electric motor.

At no more than 60 mph the lithium-ion batteries get between 80-100 miles before needing a recharge. The heating and a/c systems are currently in development using what is called an APU or Auxiliary Power Unit.

Antique shop owners and restaurant patrons in Warwick stopped to stare as the bus paraded through town. Some residents pointed and shouted “Look, the future of Warwick is here. We’re seeing history in the making!”

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