Having lived in NY state much longer than I ever wished to, and being buried in the local and state regs more than I care to remember....
I determined that the only weapon I could legally carry anywhere I went was....
My truck keys.
Oh... and "upstate" being something other than NYC is how people from NYC refer to the state. People from other parts of NY refer to the actual area of the state that they're talking about. NY isn't exactly a 'small' state, so it does help to know the general area more precisely than just 'not NYC'.
The laws are still convoluted and repressive, but vary depending on the actual area in question.