NY pays most for gas despite falling prices

[Rhiannon12866]

ALBANY – Gas prices across the nation have fallen to their lowest point in years, but New Yorkers still pay the most in the contiguous United States.

The main reason is New York has as many as seven different state taxes that add up to 45 cents per gallon, as well as 19 cents per gallon in federal taxes.

The average price of unleaded regular in New York on Wednesday was $2.70 a gallon, compared to a national average of $2.19 a gallon. Only Hawaii and Alaska have higher prices.

"I don't think the average New Yorker has any clue how much they pay in taxes when they pull up to the pump," said John Corlett, legislative chairman for AAA New York.


Much More: http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/news/local/new-york/2015/01/07/ny-pays-gas-despite-falling-prices/21411081/


This Gulf gas station, located at 688 Freedom Plains Road in LaGrange, offered a cash price of $2.49 for a gallon of regular unleaded gas on Wednesday.
(Photo: Alex H. Wagner/Poughkeepsie Journal)

[Historic NY]

1. I do..it would be under 2.00 today if they took out the tax....

we pay almost 64 cents per gallon more. The big lie is it goes to road and infrastructure...it doesn't

[adirondacker]

2. Zactly. Add the tolls, lottery and the increase in property taxes and this state is more of a Banana

Republic for the rich than any other. Yea, Let's build some more casino's to really sink the general population.

Still 2.75 up here, but still a big relief from $4.25.

[Rhiannon12866]

3. My congressional candidate (Aaron Woolf) had infrastructure repair as his signature issue

That sure resonated with me, since we all travel over these decrepit bridges everyday. Unfortunately, his opponent, Paul Ryan protégée Elise Stefanik, won.

[adirondacker]

4. What the state really needs is a major overhaul and staff hiring for civil servants in the DOT.

(amongst other agencies)
Instead what we get for road improvement is a group of low bid contractors(some of which are out of state) that half know what they're doing and complete the job on the cheap. The repairs crumble in a few years and we're back to square one.

One thing that impressed me about Europe was that one year after the wall fell, East Berlin was getting a new Audubon highway system installed through the city. Of course they also use concrete which has a repair span of 10 years vs our 2 year solution of asphalt.

The planners up in this area are an absolute joke. You could probably dip a slug in ink and throw it on some drafting paper and the results would be a marked improvement. Republican waste fraud and abuse creating cities of ruin.

[Rhiannon12866]

5. Good analysis, thank you!

One thing I've noticed about road repair in my area is that it's awfully inefficient. It seems to go on for months and certain areas are constantly under repair...

[Rhiannon12866]

6. Ran across this cartoon on another thread:

[adirondacker]

7. Cute!

BTW, Have you been on the Hudson since the cleanup? I worked on the initial phase and haven't been back since. I'm curious to see the river in the FT Edwards area again since it's been 5 years.

[Rhiannon12866]

8. I pass over it it all the time on the Northway, but I haven't been all that close.

I'm just north of Glens Falls, south of Lake George, but I do know folks in Fort Edward that I can ask. Kudos to you, since the Hudson needed some real help...

[adirondacker]

9. I loved the Thai place, pastry shop and brew pub in Glens Falls.

Best part of working there was the food and drink scene. I once had my entire dinner (about $50.00 worth) paid in it's entirety by a couple who I never knew at the Thai place. When I went to pay the check, the waitress exclaimed it was already taken care of by the couple that just left. I made sure to pay it forward since then.
There was a Mexican place on the northside that I enjoyed as well, but the owners were a bit machismo.

I'll have to share some other interesting stories in the future via pm(not appropriate for a public message board)
I've got a friend in Ft Lewis as well that I recently connected with on Lkdn. I'll be certain to make a trip out this late spring/early summer to check it out.

[Rhiannon12866]

10. Do you mean the new Thai place

On the corner of Maple Street? I've passed by it often, but have never been there. My Dad (Niagara Mohawk) used to have his offices in just that spot. Nice story.

And I'm guessing that you're talking about Raul's on Glen Street, very small place. I've never been there, either, though I can recommend the Mexican restaurant on Route 4 in Hudson Falls. The proprietors seem to be authentic, as well as the food...

http://www.elmexicanorestaurant.com/

[adirondacker]

11. Yes!

The Siam...Make sure to eat towards or on the weekend. I got a bit of poisoning on a midweek meal...The food was excellent for the most part though...
http://www.siamthaisushi.com/#about

Brewery...Yummy food, and the oatmeal stout was outstanding
http://www.davidsonbrothers.com/menu

Looks like the Chocolate Mill pastry shop went out of business
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g47798-d1541292-Reviews-Chocolate_Mill_Pastry_Shop_Cafe-Glens_Falls_New_York.html

That's some nice office space your dad was working at.

[Rhiannon12866]

12. The Thai place seems to be doing well, despite the location

And any poisonings, LOL. I have been to Davidson's, though only for lunch, and I didn't know about the Chocolate Mill closing, only went there once, as well, but it seemed very popular with those who work downtown.

One downtown place that I can recommend is The Gourmet Cafe, also right on Glen Street. I've never actually eaten there, though I keep meaning to, and they're not open every day for dinner, but I used them for catering, came highly recommended, and they did a superb job, all kinds of pasta, sandwiches, salads and baked goods.

http://www.downtowngourmet.com/

[adirondacker]

13. Sounds good! I really liked the feel about Glens Falls and hope not too much changes there.

It's one of those towns where it's big enough to have some culture, but small enough to have a sense of community.

[Rhiannon12866]

14. Well, I'm originally from Saratoga, and that's a vital downtown

Glens Falls is pretty uneventful in comparison, though they are trying, and have some cool places if you know where to look. Strange, since when I was a kid, Glens Falls was considered the bigger venue, lots of stores downtown, but the malls changed that a long time ago, not much left downtown from those days.

If I go out to eat, my favorite places have to be Talk of the Town in Glens Falls or The Harvest on Bay Road in Queensbury, the best pizza in town, Italian food among lots of other offerings. Also, The Heidelberg on Quaker Road is good, too, not fancy, but a comfortable place with good food, including German. I prefer supporting family owned places to the chains. Places come and go, but these have stood the test of time...

http://philsharvestrestaurant.com/Home.html

http://heidelbergny.com/

[adirondacker]

15. Sounds great! I'll have to check them out next time I'm there. We recently lost a treasure nearby...

http://www.yelp.com/biz/la-petite-maison-waterville

I met and got to know the owners (husband and wife) when I had my own continental pastry shop in the late 80's. Wonderful people and probably one of the best restaurants in the US. He was the sole chef, and his wife took care of waiting tables etc. It was a small and reservation only establishment set up in a 6 table dining room, with only a few items on the menu at any given night, slightly expensive, but worth every penny. They were both from France and knew great food.

On edit, perhaps they went back in business...

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g48813-d609419-Reviews-La_Petite_Maison-Waterville_New_York.html

[Rhiannon12866]

16. I was wondering if TripAdvisor didn't know they were closed, but there is a review from October

Sounds wonderful! I had a few more area restaurants that I'd consider favorites, but they're gone now. The Montcalm, on the Lake George road, was just terrific, had been there for over 50 years and more was upscale than the others I suggested, remember going there with my parents for my 20-something birthday, but it closed last year, and there are others like that. That's another reason for supporting those businesses that aren't chains...

[adirondacker]

17. Yes, I hadn't been in touch for a few years but will call later in the year when I can afford it.

I'm not so much in to upscale as much as personable and good food (usually anything that is not from a cisco truck). I had the best Italian food in my life at a small one owner operated establishment in Amsterdam, Holland. My cousin frequented it and the owner had two items that he would prepare for dinner hours. He would take your order, cook and serve. The sauce and pasta was completely made from scratch, and well seasoned and of course the cheese was fresh. The meal was perhaps $20.00 to include a beer. I love unique and reliable establishments like that.

We should start a DU recommended restaurant thread for NY and have Justin pin it!

[Rhiannon12866]

18. One of my favorite meals anywhere had to be at The Montcalm

I hadn't been there for a couple of years, so I looked it up and discovered it had closed for good the month before. I've never been to Holland, but that restaurant sounds amazing. The farthest away I've ever been is Finland. After that long trip, they had a lovely buffet laid out for us at the hotel, and I did try some things, though I have to admit I had absolutely no idea what any of it was...

As for Justin, I'm sure he'd welcome any contributions to the New York Forum. New York has to be one of the most active state forums on DU, thanks to his hard work as a host...