Schenectady

General Electric Research Laboratory

Schenectady, once called the city that lights and hauls the world, is in the Hudson Valley region of New York. Approximately 20 minutes from New York's capital of Albany, Schenectady is best known as the birthplace of General Electric and for Proctor's Theater. Schenectady has also been working on a successful project to revitalize its downtown.

Get in

Statue in the Stockade historic district of the Mohawk, known as Lawrence the Indian, who saved the settlers in Schenectady during a cold winter

By car

Schenectady is approximately 24 km (15 miles) northwest of Albany, New York. It is accessed from the NYS Thruway (I-90) at exits 25 and 26 which are the two ends of Schenectady's connector interstate of I-890. It can also be accessed from I-87 via 4 lane surface routes of NY 7 (I-87 exit 6) and NY 5 (I-87 exit 2)

By bus

Greyhound Bus Lines 22 State St, +1-518-346-6113, The bus station is about a block from Schenectady County Community College. It is in a fairly safe area just a few blocks from the main downtown area.

Capital District Transportation Authority, +1 518 482-8822 . CDTA offers scheduled bus service 7 days a week. See CDTA's website for bus schedules.

By train

See also: Rail travel in the United States

• 1 Schenectady station, 332 Erie Blvd. Newly reconstructed in 2018, the centrally located station features a waiting room with basic amnestis and ticket offices. (updated Jan 2019)
  • Amtrak, ☏ +1 215-856-7924, toll-free: +1-800-872-7245. Operates trains throughout the United States of America. (updated Dec 2020) Travel time to reach Schenectady from New York City is 3.25 hours, from Buffalo is 5 hours, from Montreal is 7.5 hours, and from Toronto is 9.25 hours. Additional trains run between New York City and Albany (Rensselaer) station, 20 miles away. Routes stopping in Schenectady:
    • Adirondack operating daily between Montreal and New York City including stops along the way in Saint-Lambert, Rouses Point, Plattsburgh, Westport, Ticonderoga, Saratoga Springs, Schenectady, Albany (Rensselaer), Hudson, Rhinecliff, Poughkeepsie, Croton-on-Hudson, and Yonkers.
    • Ethan Allen Express operating daily between Burlington and New York City including in Middlebury, Rutland, Saratoga Springs, Schenectady, Albany (Rensselaer), Hudson, Rhinecliff, Poughkeepsie, Croton-on-Hudson, and Yonkers.
    • Empire Service operating twice daily between Niagara Falls (New York) and New York City including stops in Buffalo, Buffalo (Depew), Rochester, Syracuse, Rome, Utica, Schenectady, Albany (Rensselaer), Hudson, Rhinecliff, Poughkeepsie, Croton-on-Hudson, and Yonkers.
    • Maple Leaf operating daily between Toronto and New York City, in partnership with VIA Rail Canada. Stops between Toronto and Niagara Falls (New York) include in Oakville, Burlington, Grimsby, St. Catharines, and Niagara Falls (Ontario). Stops between Niagara Falls (New York) and New York City are the same as those made by the Empire Service. Border crossing processing takes place in Niagara Falls, where passengers must detrain with their baggage. Train crew members are staffed by VIA Rail within Canada, and by Amtrak within the United States.
    • Lake Shore Limited operating daily between Chicago and Boston or New York City. It makes stops at most stations along the route, though it does not stop at some of the smallest stations. Trains consist of train cars from both branches between Chicago and Albany (Rensselaer). The trains split into separate branches between Albany (Rensselaer) and both Boston and New York City. Stops between Chicago and Albany (Rensselaer) include South Bend, Elkhart, Waterloo, Bryan, Toledo, Sandusky, Elyria, Cleveland, Erie, Buffalo (Depew), Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, and Schenectady. Stops between Albany (Rensselaer) and Boston include Pittsfield, Springfield, Worcester, Framingham. Stops between Albany (Rensselaer) and New York City include Rhinecliff, Poughkeepsie, and Croton-on-Hudson.

Get around

Nott Memorial Hall, on campus of Union College

See

• 1 the Museum of Innovation and Science (miSci), 15 Nott Terrace Hts, ☏ +1 518-382-7890, fax: +1 518-382-7893. Tu - Su 10AM - 5PM. The Museum of Innovation and Science (formerly the Schenectady Museum) & Suits-Bueche Planetarium celebrate science, invention, and imagination. The museum explores the area’s rich technological heritage, with some of the region’s finest interactive exhibits. The museum also has an extensive General Electric collection. $7.50-10.50 (planetarium extra). (updated Jun 2018)
• The Stockade, north of Union St. downtown along and near the Mohawk River. The Stockade historic district is one of the older residential neighborhoods in the U.S., with about 40 structures dating back to the Revolutionary War era or even earlier. Strongly recommended for lovers of early American architecture. 
• 2 Nott Memorial Hall, Union College. (updated Oct 2020)

Do

• 1 Proctors Theatre, 432 State St, ☏ +1 518 346-6204. Proctors is the Capital Region's premier theater for Broadway shows and more. Large plays such as Phantom of the Opera have played here. Free garage parking and lower ticket prices make this an excellent alternative to NYC's Broadway. Proctors has been remodeled and has excellent reviews. (updated Oct 2020)
• ViaAquarium, 93 Campbell Rd, ☏ +1 518 280-5100. ViaAquarium is a for-profit aquarium built into what used to be known as Rotterdam Mall. It boasts 37 exhibits including over 2,000 creatures spanning 25,000 square feet. 

Buy

• Jay Street, Jay Street between State St and Franklin St. Jay St. is a collection of unusual shops and restaurants. If you're looking for places you wouldn't find in a mall this is a good, albeit unusual, place to shop. 

Eat

City Hall

• 1 Glen Sanders Mansion, 1 Glen Avenue, Scotia, ☏ +1 518 374-7262. M-F 11:30AM-2PM, M-Sa 5PM-10PM, Su 10:30AM-1PM and 4PM-9PM. Steeped in history dating back to 1658, the main dining room features double Dutch doors, with hand made hinges and original fireplaces. 
• 2 Tara Kitchen, 431 Liberty St, ☏ +1 518-708-3485. Moroccan restaurant. 

Sleep

• 1 Parker Inn, 434 State St # 1 (Next to Proctors), ☏ +1-518-688-1001. $149 - 325. 
• 2 The Stockade Inn, 1 N Church St, ☏ +1 518-346-3400. 

Go next

Albany

Routes through Schenectady

Montreal ← Saratoga Springs ←	N  S	→ Albany (Rensselaer) → New York City
Buffalo ← Utica ←	W  E	→ Albany (Rensselaer) → New York City
Buffalo (Depew) ← Utica ←	W  E	→ Albany (Rensselaer) → Boston/New York City
Buffalo ← Little Falls ←	W  E	→ Albany → Boston/New York City
END ← Binghamton ← Oneonta ←	W  E	→ END
Utica ← Little Falls ←	W  E	→ Albany → END
Rome ← Little Falls ←	W  E	→ Cohoes → Waterford