Central Avenue
Central Avenue. New York’s route 5 between Albany and Schenectady is the Capital District’s “Main Street”. From city line to city line it is a ten-mile petri dish of growing and dying American commerce and culture and it represents the best and worse of American society - the determined vitality that drives our society and the crass commercialism and ugly landscape that result. Even in these difficult economic times the energy of our capitalist society is obvious. A business closes and six months later it is remodeled and re-opened with a new name by an ambitious new owner. There are endless examples of this commercial Darwinism. For better or worse the process shapes our society, our lives and our landscape.
