Churchill: Schenectady doesn't suck? That's exactly right

I think we all can all concede that Schenectady is not Paris or San Francisco, and we all have heard people participate in the unfortunate local pastime known as Schenectady bashing.

Kelly Marr, who lives and works in Schenectady, heard so much negativity about the city from her co-workers that she felt compelled to counteract it.

[...] she started an Instagram account dedicated to photos of the better side of Schenectady — and proving that the city doesn't, in fact, suck.

Post a photo of a rose and some nasty Dan will come along to call you a bone-headed moron who knows nothing about floriculture.

[...] several of the displayed photographs were of natural wonders and pastoral sites that are near the city but not in it.

[...] I took Interstate 890 into the city, rolling past that iconic General Electric sign and up a newly remade Erie Boulevard.

The truth is that we have little gems in our hands, but we're often either blind to their charms or are too settled into the easy sterility of cul-de-sac comfort.

Many of its photos highlight Schenectady's gritty, intense spirit or architectural details that might otherwise escape notice.

All of these people are dedicated to fighting Schenectady's poverty problem," the photo caption says, "and that doesn't suck.