Whitney Young bus makes medical mobile

The Whitney Young's Mobile Health Unit will be parked in central spots all summer, offering free screenings to anyone who wants them.

"We believe very strongly in HIV testing for everyone, and s0 we provide free testing," said Mary Alice Russo, Director of Communications for the center. Free HIV testing is provided for anyone who walks through the door, she said. In this way, the center hopes to make HIV testing as normal as mammograms or prostate screening, she said. "We don't want there to be any stigma," she said.

The fully-equipped bus serves 5,700 clients annually, providing free HIV testing, other health screenings like blood pressure and heart rate, and outreach for substance abusers, said Steven Sawicki, Director of HIV Services at Whitney M. Young, Jr. Health Center in Albany.

The Whitney M. Young, Jr. Health Center is designed to meet disaparities in health care, "to provide help for people who don't get it from other places," Sawicki said. The mobile unit extends that idea one step further, taking care to people who can't get to the center, he said.

In the future, the bus could also provide diabetes testing and STD screenings.

The mobile health will be parked in several spots along Central Avenue, Sawicki said. Central is a great spot because it's active and diverse, and there are a number of other service providers in the area, he said. The bus also attends large public gatherings in nearby parks and at the Empire State Plaza.

Central's Flatiron building new home to Trustco Bank

Carrow Real Estate Services announced that one of the district's most unique buildings will soon be home to a Trustco Bank. The Flatiron-style building, located near the head of Central Avenue, has stood vacant for a long time, but is currently being transformed into a bank building.

Carrow leasing agent Rudy Lynch is excited about the new tenant. "It should really add to the growth in that whole area," Lynch said.

Trustco will occupy the first and second floors of the four-story building, which are currently being gutted and remodeled, Lynch said. "They started from scratch," he said.

Construction work is going along smoothly, and he anticipates that the bank will move in by the end of the summer, he said. The triangle-shaped building is set on a three-street intersection, where Henry Johnson Boulevard meets Washington Avenue and Central Avenue. This heavily-traveled corridor will be a great location for a bank, and the parking lot behind the building and the on-street spots provide ample parking for bank customers, Lynch said.

Carrow Real Estate, the company that owns and manages the property, has been looking to put a bank in there for some time, and finally made a deal with a local bank this year, he said.

Nia-Yoga Opens 'New Sky Studio'

The Center for Nia and Yoga, the restorative retreat in the heart of downtown Albany, has just added a second studio to its large facility on the corner of Lark and Central. The new studio, named the Sky Studio because of its aery location, houses the center's Kripalu and Ashtanga classes.

Casey Bernstein, the center's owner and director, opened the center 12 years ago, and chose the 4 Central Avenue location because she loved the urban setting, which was close to such a cross-section of people and the building's distinct architecture. "I love the building.. the old classic architecture, natural materials of wood, brick and natural light," Bernstein said.

The studio was opened as a preeminent home for Nia, an "eclectic, expressive fitness fusion program," said Bernstein. The center is also one of just three Nia teacher training centers on the East Coast. Nia combines yoga, tai chi, dance and martial arts for a practice that is both spiritual and physical. The courses are taught from the center's Studio 1, the original studio, which is a spacious, sunny space with hard wood floors and windows that overlook the busy cross-streets and the Washington Armory. The room is comfortable and soothing, the perfect place to stretch out and relax.

The center also houses Djumbe Drum lessons and Afro-Caribbean Live Dance and Drum classes. Bernstein also offers pro-bono community service classes serving Women of the Next Step, a long term drug rehab program, the Parson Children Center, and The Vanderheyden home for Children. The center has about 8-10 instructors and attracts 100-150 students per week.

For more information about the classes offered at The Center for Nia and Yoga, please visit the center's website at http://www.nia-yoga.com/ or call 518-463-5145.

Chocolate Gecko A Rare Find-that's easier to find!

Where can you find Chocolate Geckos, Salty Iguanas, Galapagos Turtles, and Chai Buddha Truffles? Right on Colvin. The Chocolate Gecko, the well-known Capital District confectionary has relocated to 21 Colvin Avenue. Since their grand opening Saturday co-owner Chris Migliaro says that the crowds have been queuing up for a taste of these idiosyncratically-named goodies.

The Chocolate Gecko was started eight years ago on Delaware Avenue by Lissa D'Aquini, who wanted to make award-winning gourmet chocolates using the finest ingredients and minimal packaging.

Migliaro and his co-owners Terra Stratton and Esti Zarza were lifetime customers of Chocolate Gecko, and stopped in often to grab the delicious treats, particularly the Kimodo Crunch candy. Then a year-and-a-half ago, the trio decided to purchase the candy company from D'Aquini who was looking to sell. Migliaro said the trio saw an opportunity, and looks forward to making this candy company into an even bigger success. The first step they took was to remodel the Colvin storefront and move the business to its more centrally-located location. "We're really excited to be here," Migliaro said. The next thing will be to revamp the company's website, Migliaro said.

The company specializes in chocolate dipped fruit, molded truffles, and offers handmade gift baskets.

All candy is made right on premises, and then sold at the shop and through mail-order. Chocolate Gecko is also available at local merchants like the Spectrum 8 on Delaware Avenue.

Stop in and visit their chocolate menagery at 21 Colvin Avenue Monday through Friday 11-6pm or Saturday 10-2pm. For more information, please call 436-0866.

Salsa Latina adds South American Spice to Central Avenue

Luis Uzhca and his family opened their restaurant Salsa Latina on Central Avenue because they wanted to introduce Albany to South American food, said Uzhca. The Latin American restaurant offers Mexican favorites, but also a mix of South American specialties, including treats from Columbia, and Uzhca's native country, Ecuador. "We wanted everyone to try our food and see something different."

The top-selling item on the menu, and also Uzhca's favorite, is Bandeja Typica. The dish includes grilled steak, pork tips, chorizo, fried egg, white rice, beans rancheros, avocado, and arepa, a thick bread made with corn meal, "a little bit of everything, so you can try it all," he said. The dish has been incredibly popular, especially for deliveries to Albany Medical Center, St. Peter's Hospital, and the DMV, Uzhca said. "I didn't think it would be a big hit, but it has been."

The other big hit has been the homemade bread, sold fresh from the bakery counter in the restaurant. Uzhca had such trouble finding good bread when he moved to Albany five years ago--"You can't find any Mexican bread here"--he had to pick up loaves in Boston and New York when he traveled. He decided to open a bakery in the restaurant for others who might be in the same position. The loaves range from 50-90 cents--that's right 90 cents, and right now, the restaurant is running a special--15 loaves for $10.

With its ceramic tile and the colorful tissue paper flags dangling from the ceiling, the Latin American and Mexican grill feels like an outdoor marketplace, and the tile roof that extends over the bakery case of homemade breads only adds to that atmosphere.

Uzhca likes the Central location, and has said surrounding businesses including WAMC, have been very supportive of the new restaurant. Lots of businesses are coming to the area, especially international restaurants, and Uzhca hopes Salsa Latina will benefit from this influx of customers. Uzhca was born in Ecuador and grew up there, before immigrating to Queens at 15. In 1998 he returned to Ecaudor to live, and then in 2003, he and his family moved to Albany to open Salsa Latina. Uzhca owns the restaurant with his cousin, who is a chef, and with another long-time family friend who was a professional chef in Manhattan before coming on board at Salsa Latina.

Visit Salsa Latina today at 315 Central Avenue and can be reached at 426-7050, or visit the website at www.misalsalatina.com

Word on the Street: Summertime and the livin's easy

Summer is here, and life just feels better. Here, district neighbors share what they like best about summer:

"Hiking at Thacher Park, Alive at Five, swimming in the Mohawk, outdoor dining, going to ballgames in New York, and barbeques."

--Rosanna Borden, Waitstaff, Saso's Japanese Noodle House

"The weather. Being able to canoe and hike. Watching nature in action."

--Alan Lasker, President, National Business Promotions, Inc.

"The weather. Summer is off to a good start."

--Shafi Muhammed, Owner, Medina Mart

"Everybody's attitude changes. It's a positive attitude. People are smiling more and you go out and see your neighbors more."

--Adrienne Scherzer, Co-owner, Rosen's Uniforms

Ferris Stamp and Coin Collects History: Central shop sells rare coins and stamps for 75 years

Jackson Taylor isn't going to try to convert you. In this stamp collector's mind, the world is divided into two camps--those who collect things, and those who don't. If you are a collector, you will see past the chaos of his office in Ferris Stamp and Coin Co. on Central Avenue, and you will see a space crammed with treasures and wisdom. If you are not a collector, you will probably only see piles of books and papers, tipping stacks of binders, and display cases crowded with leather pouches and waxpaper envelopes.

Ferris Stamp and Coin has been operating out of the shop on Central Avenue for more than 30 years. The building is owned by Wendell Williams, who runs the coin side. Taylor, Williams's business partner for the last 22 years, runs the stamp side. They also do a brisk business in jewelry and gold bouillon.

The store has a lot of walk-in traffic, with people from all over the county coming in to try to sell stamps or coins they've found or acquired, Taylor said. But the majority of their business is done through the mail, a rarity in today's internet marketplace. Every month, Taylor assembles lists of stamps he has acquired and has them published in stamp collecting publications where prospective buyers can see them. Taylor publishes 28 different price lists a year.

Like most collectors, Taylor began collecting stamps as a child. His first collection of stamps, given to him by his parents, inspired him to dream of "faraway places" he said, and launched him into the world of collecting. Over the years, he has seen thousands of stamps from around the world.

The surprises and excitement are what keep the business interesting for Taylor and Williams. "You just never know what's going to walk in, whether it's going to be a coin worth two cents or $50,000," Williams said.

Ferris first opened in 1933 on Broadway. It moved to Central Avenue in 1976, when the area was "the place to shop," Taylor said. Over the years, the neighborhood around the little shop constantly changes, but inside things remain the same, and within the binders and envelopes, one finds the customs and standards of days gone by. Taylor doesn't just collect stamps, he collects history.

Taylor pulls out a number of letters, and lays them carefully on the glass counter. One, a business letter, dates back to 1860. There's no envelope for this letter, instead the stationary is simply folded several times, and addressed and stamped on the outside. This was the custom in those days, Taylor said. The stationary is thing, like tissue paper, because the sender was charged according to weight, Taylor explains.

According to the ink stamps, the delicate letter traveled from New Orleans to New York, and then on to France. It cost 15 cents to make this cross-continental journey, Taylor said, "but back then, 15 cents was a lot of money."

Another letter that Taylor has laid out is addressed in a spidery script. The outside is decorated with numerous stamps, and Taylor points out the postal stamps, its inky directions worn by time. This letter is from the US Naval Observatory, Taylor said, and it was sent to an astronomer in Padua Italy in 1868.

Taylor has another collection that he can't find, so he tells me about it instead. It's a series of letters written in the 1880s, a man to his girlfriend, and he's trying to convince her to marry him, "And he's not doing that well, apparently, from the tenor of his letters," Taylor said.

Written correspondence is a record of history that disappears as people rely more heavily on phone and email for communication. With the advent of cell phones and blackberries, communication has become instant, and entirely transitory, he explains. And because of that, something is gained, and something is lost. "This is what we're not going to have. And the same is true for coins," Taylor said. "They reflect a different age. And I'm afraid a lot of this is just going to be lost," he said.

In a day and age when even yard sales are advertised on Craigslist, Ferris Coin and Stamp has remained relatively low-tech. The partners don't sell on e-Bay or other sites; they don't even have a store website. A website could help business, Taylor admits. "It takes one's potential market from local to global," he said. More than that, it could ensure their future in a changing landscape, after all, a virtual business isn't affected by its surroundings. At the same time, there's something very appealing about the fact that this stamp and coin business has held on to the old ways of doing business, keeping a stamp business running by mail order makes a certain kind of sense.

Besides, they would have to get organized before they could get a website launched, Taylor said. He looks around the office at the jam-packed cases, and stacks of binders, at the history that is both his livelihood and his burden, and says that they are just too busy to build a website right now. As if on cue, the phone rings, and Taylor answers it. "What's gold running?" he shouts to the other two men behind the counter.

So for now, Ferris seem content to do business the old-fashioned way.

Will the shop get a website some day?

"It's a goal," Taylor said.

Azteca's Takes Us to Mexico

Can't take a trip to Mexico this year? An enchilada and a frozen margarita at Azteca's Mexican Restaurant is an hour's sojourn in this beautiful country--and you don't even need a passport.

This colorful cantina is located at 4 Central Avenue, near the corner of Lark Street. Windows draped in gauzy curtains overlook the avenue, but inside you're a world away. My dining companion and I both had lunch specials, which arrived at our table in about seven minutes. I had the #9, and for $5.50 I got a platter consisting of chile relleno, beans, salad, and a taco, while my husband ordered the enchilada rancheros $5.75, a tasty rolled enchilada with beans. The chile relleno was an open pepper, heaped with seasoned ground beef and cheese. The enchilada was a standout--a fragrant and flavorful corn tortilla wrapped around beans and smothered in a smoky sauce. The meal was accompanied by a basket of chips and mild, but tasty salsa.

The mariachi music and the conversation at the next table, conducted all in Spanish, only added to Azteca's far-off feeling. At the end of our big meal, we rolled home for a little siesta.

Azteca's is located at 4 Central Avenue. (518) 436-4795. http://www.my-azteca.com/

Energy costs up, NYSERDA and BID help Central businesses save big money

If you have a leaky windows, old insulation, or dated refrigeration equipment, you might as well throw money out the window this summer. Energy costs are up, and you can't afford to waste money on inefficient equipment.

The Central BID has teamed up with the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) to cut your energy usage this year. NYSERDA is a public benefit corporation that assists utility customers through a number of different programs, including the Energy Audit Program for small commercial properties, said Ed Smyth, office manager for RLW Analytics, the office charged with administering the audit program in Upstate New York.

The audit program is for commercial properties that pay $75,000 or less in annual electric bills. One of NYSERDA’s Energy Audit consultants will walk through the property, testing the building's heating and cooling systems, motors, refrigeration, and other energy consuming equipment to make sure everything is energy efficient. The auditor then makes a full report, compiles a list of recommendations, and meets with the business owner one-on-one to discuss the assessment. The report includes a breakdown of energy use, so owners can see how much each area consumes, and also includes a list of upgrades that would save them money. The auditors can recommend anything from weather proofing the building to replacing old refrigeration units, he said.

The program also directs customers to additional NYSERDA programs that could help offset the cost of the investment, he said. NYSERDA will refund the cost of the audit if the business owner installs some or all of the recommendations.

The benefits of the program are two-fold, said Mark DeChiro. First, owners can get recommendations on better equipment and payback estimates, and they also potentially get incentives to purchase this equipment. "It's a double-whammy," DeChiro said.

Right now, the Central BID is fully covering the small audit cost to participate in this NYSERDA program. The BID employed the program last year, and had their windows upgraded and had all their fluorescent lighting replaced.

Business owners are saving big. In the five years since implementing the program, NYSERDA has found that owners who participate are saving 8%-20% on energy bills, Smyth said.

NYSERDA also offers a number of other programs for businesses and residences.

Ambulance garage emerges from ashes

The Mohawk Ambulance Company has begun construction on its new garage near the corner of North Main and Central Avenue, a property that was the site of an enormous fire in 2004 that destroyed several buildings.

The new facility will be the company's second location in Albany; there is also a garage on Quail Street. The garage will better serve the people of Albany, and "take some of the to take some load off the other building," said Rich Brandt, Vice President of Operations. The building will serve as a garage and a training facility, training high school graduates and seniors in emergency medicine and paving the way to careers in the health care and emergency services, Brandt said.

Mohawk is very excited about this new training program, and hopes it will serve as a career pathway for young people, he said. "We think it's a good thing. A good thing for the community and a good thing for health care," Brandt said.

Mohawk Ambulance was established in 1964, and is the Capital Region's largest provider of emergency services. They have 29 ambulances, 220 employees and facilities in Albany, Schenectady, Troy and Brunswick. Mohawk is under contract with Albany Memorial Hospital and Albany Medical Center.

Mohawk purchased the property last Spring, and began construction in February. The project is expected to be completed by Labor Day, if everything stays on track, Brandt said.