Customer Reviews

Troy (Images of America: New York) (Images of America (Arcadia Publishing))

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It is somewhat strange for me to look at these photos of nineteenth century Troy. For they show and do not show the Troy I grew up in in the following century.
I can recognize buildings and even streets, but the whole look is different from the Troy I knew. There are places here of great importance( Market Street, for instance) which I did not know at all.
I knew a Troy which had already gone downhill somewhat. The Troy of the great steel mills and breweries was faded. There was still the Troy of Cluett- Peabody Collars but already there was the sense that the best days were behind.
Nonetheless it is a great pleasure to look at these photos.
It would be nice if there were a comparable album of Troy as it looked in the mid- twentieth century.

Some "Then and Now" books are well-researched and put together. However, this one is a disappointment.

Troy is a lovely city that, while it has seen better days, is not the blight that the book makes it appear to be. None of the "Now" photos are very compelling. Some of the "Then" photos are interesting, but some look very familiar to me. A greater variety of photos would have helped, such as more of the industrial complexes, factories, train tracks, roundhouses, etc. To me, the street views are not very interesting or informative.

I used to be a fan of "Then and Now" books, but they have lost favor with me after viewing some of the recent ones that feature the Capital District.

I understand and can empathize with the message this book is trying to convey. I also understand that very few cities can demonstrate this "wake up call" as well as Troy, but when I first flipped through this book (received as a holiday gift) I was appalled. In the author's hell bent attempt to show us all what happens when "fine old neighborhoods and sturdy buildings... fall to the wrecking ball" he has completely failed to acknowledge the beautiful places that still stand in Troy. Page after page is lined with pictures of parking lots instead of photos of the breathtaking historical buildings that still stand in Troy. Granted they are in the minority, but I feel embarrassed for the author who failed to include landmarks like Troy's Washington Square Park (a gated park surrounded by elegant row houses which dates back to the 1840's) and Berith Sholom (the oldest continuously used synagogue in New York State). It becomes very clear that not only did the author not do his research, but that this book's sole purpose was to use Troy to convey his message at any cost, when you come across pages like the one on Troy's marketplace. The old picture features a bustling market, the new one (surprise!) a parking lot. Well guess what, if the photographer had bothered to visit Troy on a Wednesday afternoon or a Saturday morning he would have had the opportunity to photograph one of the best rated farmer's markets in the capital district.

Yes, Troy has seen far, far better times, but it is trying to recover. Who would bother investing time and money in this city after reading a book like this? The last thing Troy needs is your pessimistic book Mr. Rittner. I'd give my copy away but I fear someone who was considering visiting Troy would get their hands on it. To anyone considering picking up this book, I urge you to come visit Troy instead. Stop by any Saturday morning year round and visit our famous farmers market, or come the last Friday of the month for Troy night out. You will be very pleasantly surprised.