Editing Albany, New York (section)

===Nightlife and entertainment===
[[File:Albany July 4th Paul Gallo.jpg|thumb|The annual [[Fourth of July]] fireworks show at the Empire State Plaza ''(2009 show pictured)''<ref name="OGS" />|alt=Blue and red fireworks explode over a complex of buildings after dusk.]]

Albany's geographic situation—roughly equidistant from New York City to the south and [[Montreal]] to the north—makes it a convenient stop for nationally touring artists and acts. The [[Palace Theatre (Albany, New York)|Palace Theatre]] and [[The Egg, Albany|The Egg]] are mid-sized forums for music, theater, and spoken-word performances; the Capital Repertory Theatre is smaller.<ref name="pearlredevelopment">{{cite news |title=City Bringing the Fun Downtown |author=Furfaro, Danielle T. |publisher=Hearst Newspapers |work=Times Union (Albany) |date=September 3, 2000 |url=http://albarchive.merlinone.net/mweb/wmsql.wm.request?oneimage&imageid=6036923 |url-status=dead |page=B3 |access-date=July 20, 2010 |archive-date=April 30, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430030002/http://albarchive.merlinone.net/mweb/wmsql.wm.request?oneimage&imageid=6036923 }}</ref> The MVP Arena is the city's largest musical venue for nationally and internationally prominent bands. It also hosts trade shows, sporting events, and other large gatherings.<ref>{{cite news |title=The New Center of Attention |author=DeMare, Carol |publisher=Hearst Newspapers |work=Times Union (Albany) |date=December 31, 2006 |page=E1 |url=http://albarchive.merlinone.net/mweb/wmsql.wm.request?oneimage&imageid=6375919 |url-status=dead |access-date=July 20, 2010 |archive-date=April 30, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430030233/http://albarchive.merlinone.net/mweb/wmsql.wm.request?oneimage&imageid=6375919 }}</ref> Some people praise the cultural contributions of Albany and the greater Capital District;<ref name="mceneny192" /> others suggest that the city has a "cultural identity crisis" due to its widespread geography, which requires a car to reach most of what the area has to offer, a necessity not seen in larger and more densely populated metropolitan areas such as New York and Boston.<ref>{{cite news |title=Big Picture: The Arts in Our Daily Lives |author=Janairo, Michael |publisher=Hearst Newspapers |work=Times Union (Albany) |date=June 21, 2010 |access-date=July 27, 2010 |url=http://blog.timesunion.com/localarts/big-picture-the-arts-in-our-daily-lives/5880/}}</ref>

In recent years, the city's government has invested resources to cultivate venues and neighborhoods that attract after-hours business. [[Streets of Albany, New York#Madison Avenue|Madison Avenue]], [[Pearl Street (Albany)|Pearl Street]], [[Delaware Avenue, Albany, New York|Delaware Avenue]] and [[Lark Street]] are the most active entertainment areas in the city. Many restaurants, clubs, and bars have opened since the mid-1990s, revitalizing areas that had once been abandoned and reclaiming old row houses, businesses, and a [[Albany Pump Station|pump station]].<ref name="pearlredevelopment" /> Bars are concentrated in three areas: about two blocks on Park Street, downtown; along Lark Street, home to smaller bars, which fit the neighborhood's artistic and eclectic style; and Western and Madison Avenues, in midtown, centered on the [[College of Saint Rose]] and [[University at Albany, SUNY|SUNY Albany]]'s downtown campus and drawing younger people.<ref name="bars">{{cite web |title=Albany New York Nightlife |publisher=Best Western Sovereign Hotel |date=January 4, 2011 |access-date=January 4, 2011 |url=http://www.timesunion.com/local/article/City-urges-bar-owners-to-have-last-call-earlier-935186.php}}</ref> Much of the bar restaurant scene features classic Irish Pubs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.newyorkupstate.com/restaurants/2020/01/dining-oldies-but-goodies-in-and-around-albany.html|title=Dining oldies – but goodies! – in and around Albany|date=January 17, 2020}}</ref>