ACFT TURNS TO KEEP AWAY FROM ACR.

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ENRTE TO PNE FROM ALB VIA IGN VOR AT 12500 FT VFR. SOME CLOUD TOPS WERE HIGHER THAN 11500 FT; SO WE WERE DIVERTING AROUND THESE BUILDUPS. PREVIOUSLY; CONTACT WAS MADE WITH ZNY FOR FLT FOLLOWING. CTR COULD NOT ASSIST; SO WE MAINTAINED A RADIO WATCH WITH ZNY AND HEARD OUR ACFT DESCRIBED AS SWBOUND VFR AT 12500 FT. SHORTLY THEREAFTER WE POTTED AN AIRLINER (MD-80; NOT SURE) 600-800 FT BELOW US AND TO OUR R CLBING NBOUND. WE TURNED SLIGHTLY L TO MAINTAIN SEPARATION AND POSSIBLE WAKE TURB AS THE AIRLINER CLBED THROUGH OUR ALT. THE AIRLINER INACCURATELY RPTED US 'IN THE CLOUDS' AND THEN PROCEEDED TO GIVE A FULL DESCRIPTION OF OUR ACFT; AS HE CLBED PASTS US. THE CLOUD BUILDUPS PERSISTED SO WE DID CLB TO 14500 FT. AFTER OUR CLRNC AND LETDOWN INTO PNE; WE DID NOT GO IMC UNTIL APPROX 11000 FT. SIT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED; IF WE COULD HAVE MAINTAINED FLT FOLLOWING WITH ZNY. BOSTON WAS UNABLE TO PASS US ALONG AND ZNY WAS TOO BUSY TO PICK US UP. ALSO; IFR RTES ALB-PNE ARE WELL W OF DIRECT OVER MOUNTAINOUS TERRAIN. SINGLE ENG OPS THE PREFERRED RTE IS 'DOWN THE HUDSON' TO IGN THEN DIRECT PNE WHERE ARPTS ABOUND ALL ALONG THE RTE.