We caught up with Drew Cappabianca this week! A lifelong Glens Falls resident, he shares what it’s been like to come of age as the city rebuilt, some thoughts on preserving the architecture of the city, his favorite bike ride route, and more…
Tell us about yourself!
I’m Drew Cappabianca, and my wife Sarah and I have three boys: Eben, Alyis, and Isaac. I’m the owner of The Hub in Brant Lake, as well as President of the North Warren Chamber of Commerce and President of the Upper Hudson Trails Alliance.
On Life In Glens Falls
I was born and raised right here, but I did move to Seattle for about a year in my very early 20s. I moved back to be with my now wife, but being away also made me truly appreciate how amazing this area is.
What keeps me here? It's a fantastic place to live. I have great friends and family, Glens Falls has a thriving cultural scene, and there's just about any recreational opportunity you can think of right here in Warren County.
On Old City Homes
We live in a home that was built by one of my ancestors. One of my many-great grandfathers built two houses, one for each of his two daughters, back in the late 1800s. It's not a fixer upper necessarily, but by the nature of being over a hundred years old it always needs something, whether it's a repair or just updating. For example, we just replaced the original 1800s kitchen. The counters were shallow and the cabinets were so close to the counter there wasn't any space for countertop appliances which made modern living awkward (apparently counter top appliances weren't a design consideration before electricity!). If we needed under-counter flour barrel storage though, it would have been perfect!
There's so much to love about our neighborhood! The K-12 schools are easily walkable, as are Crandall Park and downtown. Leaving town via Exit 18 or 19 is a breeze. The houses are beautiful and there's so much history.
A Glens Falls Favorite
My favorite thing about Glens Falls is that it's still real. There's no facade, the people are still real, and while some parts are polished, the edges are still rough.
A Perfect Glens Falls Day
My ideal day would start with walking our youngest, Isaac, to school, grabbing an espresso and a Spicy Vegetarian breakfast sandwich at Kru Coffee, and heading out on a road bike ride for a few hours. I would take either the Warren County Bikeway to Lake George and head north into the Adirondacks, or take the Feeder Canal Towpath and head out to Washington County, possibly on the Empire State Trail.
The day would end with watching Isaac's game and a family dinner at Downtown City Tavern, or if it's a date night, dinner at any of the awesome restaurants downtown and a show at The Wood or The Park Theatre!
On the Past
My favorite Glens Falls memory is growing up here — everything about it. It's such a great place to grow up and live. You can't beat the walkable / bikeable neighborhoods, the fantastic open spaces, the arts scene, and the fact that you don't have to leave the county to do just about any recreational opportunity you can think of.
I also really appreciate the time frame in which I got to grow up here. When I was a kid, downtown was dead. Now it's a postcard picture. To come of age in a time when the city was rebuilding itself is really special. To watch and be a part of all the effort that went into making Glens Falls what it is today is truly remarkable.
On the Future
I’d love to see some kind of program to save the architecture of the all the old houses, many of which are rental units. It pains me to see beautiful ornate porches crumbling into the ground, only to be replaced by square pressure treated lumber, or even worse, just a stoop. I completely understand that it is very expensive to replace them as they were, but I think it's even more costly on the cultural heritage of the city to lose them. I would love to see some kind of publicly funded program to help landowners preserve the character of their properties.
