Alec Baldwin Recounts Trips to Syracuse Underground as a Child

Actor Alec Baldwin has deep ties to the Central New York region, and he recounted some of his favorite memories in a recent video on his Instagram.

Baldwin's parents met in Syracuse, his dad a Syracuse University alum and his mom born and raised in the heart of downtown, so he spent a lot of time in Central New York when he was younger.

"I love Syracuse. I really do," Baldwin said. "People laugh at me - if I hadn't gotten remarried and had five children with my wife, I know in my heart I would have moved to Syracuse."

On his Instagram, Baldwin recounted trips with his sister to Johnny Appleseed, Doug's Fish Fry in Skaneateles and the Sherwood Inn Hotel, but possibly his most treasured memories in Syracuse came from his weekend trips to Syracuse Underground.

"For me, you know, OCD, ADD, you know whatever I've got going on, nothing relaxed me more, nothing soothed me more, nothing brought me more joy than going to Syracuse Underground," Baldwin said. "It was ten thousand square feet of a basement of a building and you'd spend the whole day. You'd spend the whole day looking for the perfect pocketknife, coasters, a watch that was like a cheap watch for like a hundred bucks but worked perfectly and ran really, really well... My god, you had to get a hand grenade to get me out of there. I loved it."

Baldwin shared that Syracuse Underground has owner Bruce Block has now reopened his shop in a new space at 124 East Jefferson Street, under the new name, Antique Underground. The shop is open with booths full of hidden treasures Thursday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Baldwin shared that, especially given the current circumstances with the COVID-19 pandemic, he wants to help shine a light on small businesses across the world. He encouraged his followers to share stories of small businesses in their communities for an upcoming Instagram live.