I’m taking my son to visit RPI next week and we’ll also want to check out the local area. Where do students go to run errands that can’t be done on campus, go to a restaurant, etc?
I see that downtown Troy (Whistling Kettle, Dinosaur BBQ) is about a mile away. Is that area the place to go or are there things closer?
On-Campus: The student union has a lot. The school store sells pretty much any small items you’d need like batteries, notebooks, pens, paper, shampoo, etc. Father’s Marketplace sells various foods and drinks, but is a bit pricey for groceries. There’s also a burger place, sandwich place, and pizzeria. There’s also the McNeil room which serves like 10AM-2PM which has three or four different outside food vendors during weekdays (the food is very good there). There’s also Big Apple Pizzeria, Moe’s (Mexican Food), and a deli which are all located near Academy Hall. The dining halls offer take out as well plus you can eat there if you’re on meal plan, but there are still a lot of other options. Pretty much every big academic building (Library, DCC, Pittsburgh, etc.) also has a cafe where you can get coffee and Starbucks-like food.
Near Colonie Apartments: You walk up from freshman hill a few blocks and there’s a Rite Aid people go to for food, medicine, and other things.
Hoosick Street: If you are by the Quadrangle dormitories and the frat houses, you walk up a few blocks and they have hair cutting places, convenience stores, several restaurants, bars, pizza places, etc. as well as a lot of fast food joints. This is where students usually go since it’s closest to campus and there are a lot of options.
Downtown Troy: Self explanatory, there’s pretty much everything in Downtown Troy. Downtown Troy has everything from burgers to cafes to ethnic foods (Jamaican, Mexican, Greek, Asian, Italian, Indian, etc.) There’s also a pharmacy, the Farmer’s market on the weekends, etc. Anything you need is in Downtown, but students don’t usually go down there a lot their freshman year except for on the weekends. It’s just more convenient near campus, unless you’re going to get food. RPI operates a shuttle system and ‘safe rides’ so you can get downtown quickly and safely even at 4 in the morning.
Walmart Complex: The bus in front of Quad is two stops (10-15 minutes) away from Walmart and it’s free to get on with your RPI ID. People usually go there for groceries.
Mall: There are shuttles that go to the malls several times a semester - they’re like $10 round trip and are something to look out for.
There are also a lot of other places nearby, especially if you have a car, but if you don’t those are the big options. In terms of eating while in Troy though, go downtown there’s nothing better. I highly recommend Dinosaur BBQ - it’s really good. I’m a current student, if you have any other questions feel free to message me!
@Joedoe gave an excellent description.
Just to add, my DS and his roommates go to the movies, split the cost of tickets, Uber, and snacks. DS will order from grubhub from downtown restaurants on occasion. There is a train station near RPI in Troy, DS and I took a Megabus from there to NYC during admitted students weekend. Extremely low cost and great fun.The airport is in Albany.
There is bus service to get to the Walmart, there is Rite Aid within walking distance.