The larger part of New York , north and northwest of New York City and Long Island , is commonly named `` upstate New York '' , and contains the cities of Buffalo , Rochester , Syracuse , and the state capital Albany . New York also has two Major League Baseball teams , the New York Yankees ( based in the Bronx ) and the New York Mets ( based in Queens ) . New York is home to three National Hockey League franchises : the New York Rangers in Manhattan , the New York Islanders on Long Island and the Buffalo Sabres in Buffalo .