It’s time once again to celebrate Albany and all that is unique within our borders. Albany Local Week, http://albanyca.org/index.aspx?page=1044 begins on Sunday, September 22 and runs through Saturday, September 28. Having amassed the most points the last two years and winning the coveted Uber Albany Cup, I am not eligible to enter this year. However, since I still want to participate in this fun event, I have decided to become the Uber Albany Coach and share some tips to help you accrue the most points in the coming days.
Winning this event takes some advance planning and organization – you don’t want to miss any opportunities for points or most importantly combining activities or events to maximize points. An excel spread sheet is a superb way to keep track of your progress throughout the week. A separate column for the day of the week, the activity, and the points is critical to remember everything you do during the week. All of your bonus activities are recorded at the bottom of the sheet.
As you plan your week, be sure to consider all of the places you go on a regular basis. You know you need that cup of coffee, be sure to visit one of our extraordinary cafes. Do you have banking to do, need a haircut, how about getting your nails done? If you do it this week in Albany – points on your scorecard! Do you go to one of the local gyms? What about a snack in the afternoon? Need to do some grocery shopping? Does your car need gas? All of these are great opportunities for points. Having lunch or dinner in one of our restaurants is a great way to get points while enjoying great food. This is an excellent opportunity to discover one of the new restaurants in town or enjoy an old favorite.
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Many local businesses are offering specials during this week. Be sure to look for the Albany Local Week sign in their window or see your fall Activity Guide, page 36. You can download the guide from the City of Albany’s web site, http://albanyca.org/index.aspx?page=537
Now let’s get started: Sunday activities include the Run About Town, http://albanyca.org/?page=16&recordid=7393&returnURL=%2findex.aspx Meet in front of Suzette Crepes, 1126 Solano Ave at 8:00 a.m. After a good run and breakfast in a local restaurant or café (combo special, 30 points) you are off to the Fix It Clinic, http://albanyca.org/index.aspx?page=16&recordid=7385&returnURL=%2findex.aspx%3fpage%3d1. This is a unique instructional opportunity where guidance is provided to help you disassemble and troubleshoot your broken item. You are now easily 2/3 of the way to earning the “Get Out More Bonus” of 50 points. It’s time now for dinner in a local restaurant to complete a perfect Albany day. Yes, this can be another combo and an additional 30 points. Following this plan you have already earned 160 points, even more if you did some shopping.
Find out what's happening in Albanywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
These hints will continue throughout the week, but I want to give you a heads up for some largely unknown opportunities for gathering extra points. The City of Albany Charter Review Committee meets on Monday night at 7:30 in the Council Chambers, 1000 San Pablo Ave. and the Albany Board of Education meets on Tuesday at 7:00 in the Council Chambers. Attendance at these “good neighbor activities” is worth 100 points each.
Albany Local Week is designed to be fun for the participants and beneficial to our local businesses with the spirit continuing throughout the year. I hope you all have a great time exploring all of the exciting options provided in Albany this week. The Recreation and Community Services Department has done their usual outstanding work to make this event entertaining for the participants and valuable for the local merchants – ENJOY!
