Retrace our Adventures
Druthers Brewing Company
The very first restaurant Emily went to when she visited Albany. Renowned for their Mac and Cheese. Nowadays, Vic gets lots of relationship advice from his married groomsmen while at the bar here.
Savoy Taproom
The very first restaurant Vic went to when he moved to Albany. Known for having live music weekly.
Lucas Confectionery Wine Bar
The site of our very first date.
Bacchus Wood-Fired
The restaurant where we had dinner on our second date.
Washington Park
The site of our third date, where we enjoyed a nice walk in the park. We met at the corner of Madison Ave and Willet Street and walked around the lake.
Riverfront Park in Troy, NY
Where we started our fourth date, with a romantic walk along the Hudson River.
Troy Savings Bank Music Hall
We went here on our fourth date to see the Albany Symphony Orchestra play Mozart.
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
Where we went to dinner on our fourth date. Includes a beautiful view of the Hudson River.
The Pine Hollow Arboretum
The place where we had our fifth date and the location where our Save the Date photo was taken. Vic loves arboretums and comes here often to walk, connect with nature, and clear his head.
Peebles Island State Park
The site of our sixth date and the place where we had our formal engagement photo session.
Howe Caverns
A large underground cave system with guided tours, including a romantic underground boat ride on the "Lake of Venus" with a final stop at the "Bridal Altar" rock formation. Family friendly and accessible. Tickets are only available online, and must be purchased ahead of time.
Proctors Theatre
We went here for a Valentine's Day classical music concert.
Carmen's Cafe
The restaurant where we went for our six-month dating anniversary. One of the best brunch spots in all of Troy!
The Saratoga Winery
The place where we celebrated our six-month relationship anniversary.
Woods Hollow Nature Preserve
The place where we had our one-year dating anniversary. Emily created an Easter Egg Scavenger hunt, with accompanying map, for Vic to find hidden eggs throughout the nature preserve with hidden love notes inside each one. There were a total of 12 eggs, for the 12 months we'd been dating.
Nicole's Restaurant
The restaurant where we went for our one-year relationship anniversary.
Grappa '72
The restaurant where we went for our two-year dating anniversary.
Landis Arboretum
Another arboretum Vic loves spending time at. We went here for multiple dates, including our two-year relationship anniversary date.
Dr. Milk Bubble Tea & Ice Cream
Bubble tea and waffle-cone ice cream, with an actual waffle as the cone! We went here for our two and a half year anniversary date night.
Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception
The cathedral for the Diocese of Albany, and Vic's first parish when he moved to Albany. When it was built, they decided to use locally harvested materials, including a local red-colored stone, to give the church building a local-built architecture and aesthetic.
Shrine Church of Our Lady of the Americas
Vic's current parish, which has a Spanish-speaking community. We attend Spanish Mass here regularly.
The Parish of St. John the Evangelist and St. Joseph
Emily's parish throughout her time in New York. This is the place where we attended our first Mass together, and is the location of our wedding Mass.
St. Augustine's Church
The place where we started our second date, with a Eucharistic Holy Hour. We spent many hours in Eucharistic Adoration together at this church.
Sacred Heart Church
The church where Emily goes for her weekly Eucharistic holy hour.
St. Joseph's Church
The church where Emily and Vic sang in a choir together for the first time, at the Easter Vigil. They have a Traditional Latin Mass each Sunday, according to the Carmelite Latin Rite. We both agree that's it's one of the most beautiful churches in the Capital Region.
Saratoga Performing Arts Center
We went here on multiple dates, including a birthday date for Emily to see the NYC Ballet.
The Linda WAMC's Performing Arts Studio
This performing arts center has a weekly swing dance night with instructors and a live jazz band every Wednesday. This is where we learned to swing dance together.
Adirondack Winery - Queensbury Tasting Room
Emily's favorite winery. We went here for a very fun wine-tasting experience on Emily's birthday.
Victory View Vineyard
The first winery we went to together. Due to a typo on our part, we now refer to this place as the "The Vibeyard."
Brown's Brewing Company - Troy Taproom and Brewery
One of Vic's favorite breweries/bars, with a view of the Hudson River from their patio.
Genoa Importing
Vic is a huge Italian deli aficionado, and this is his favorite spot in the Capital Region. They have lots of cold and hot sandwich options.
Son of Egg
Korean and American Fusion restaurant offering good vibes, good food and a great view of the Parish of St. John the Evangelist and St. Joseph from the second floor! Vic especially enjoys the Bulgogi sandwich. They also have an array of snacks and drinks. Emily once bought and surprised Vic a "Vic Pie"
Argyle Cheese Farmer
A dairy farm focused on making specialty cheeses using A2 milk (a special variety of milk for people with dairy allergies). We had a fun and delicious cheese tasting experience here during the local annual cheese tour.
Silver Lake Wild Forest
Vic's favorite hiking and backpacking area, and the location of our first backpacking trip together (it was Emily's first time). Includes over 100,000+ acres of remote wilderness. Access and use is free. Approximately 1.5hrs to the nearest trailheads.
National Shrine of Divine Mercy
Divine Mercy is one of Emily's favorite devotions. She and Vic went here for their second retreat as a couple.
National Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs
Emily first visited for the Hearts Aflame Eucharistic Congress shortly after moving to New York
Emack & Bolio's Ice Cream
One of our favorite ice-cream spots, not because they have the best tasting ice-cream (see our next recommendation for that), but because they have very fun, unique, hand-crafted flavors, and have a fun atmosphere. Plus, they make excellent chocolate truffles.
Stewart's Shops
Stewart's is a local gas station chain that also sells amazing ice-cream, using milk from local NY dairy farms. For our Nebraska folks, think of Stewart's like the New York version of Casey's, except specializing in ice-cream instead of donuts. They've got the best ice-cream Emily and Vic have every tasted! There are many locations throughout the Capital Region, but this 285 New Scotland is the one Vic has been to the most often.
Cheesecake Machismo
Our favorite cheesecake place. Make sure to get there early! They have a line out the door at opening time and sell out within minutes.