Easily accessible from the Albany-Rensselaer Amtrak Station, downtown Albany offers plenty for visitors. The New York State Capitol and State University of New York at Albany buildings are architectural wonders. The Empire State Plaza offers sweeping views and is home to the New York State Museum and The Egg Center for the Performing Arts. Nearby MVP Arena in the coming months will welcome a multitude of musical performances. A brief stroll from the Capitol, Lark Street features shops, restaurants and a strong sense of place, courtesy of a most compelling neighborhood in an upstate urban setting. Keep walking away from the Capitol and you will enter Washington Park, which according to Albany.org, is comprised of eight acres and offers tennis courts, basketball courts, a skate park and playground. According to the Washington Park Conservancy, the destination also features a stocked lake, bike paths and is used often for bocce, volleyball, croquet, badminton, handball, bird watching and, in the winter, ice skating. Annual events include the Tulip Festival in May, which showcases the blossoming of 200,000 tulips. Nearby Troy offers access to the Hudson River with its Hudson Riverwalk and Riverfront Park, and welcomes visitors to the nationally-recognized Troy Waterfront Farmers Market, as well as Dinosaur Bar-B-Cue and the Troy Savings Bank Music Hall.