The Miss Albany Diner - This Time It Was Open

It had only been a bit more than an hour since I'd first arrived at the historic Miss Albany Diner and found it not yet open. I'd taken a walking tour of downtown Albany which then became a driving tour. It all seemed to have taken a very long time but was really only about an hour. So here I was back at the diner just after 9:00. They were open and I wanted breakfast, so in I went:

I entered the diner and found myself transported back in time. Two attractive waitresses took care of 6 booths and 16 counter stools. A middle-aged guy named Bill did the cooking in the kitchen:

The diner was full of memorabilia from well known persons who'd eaten there, cookie tins shaped like 1950s Art Deco diners and children's artwork. Surprisingly, there weren't yet too many customers:

I turned off the flash on my camera so as not to cause a disturbance and sheepishly began snapping pictures:

I set the self-timer feature and tried to snap my own picture, but every attempt failed. So I simply held my tiny camera at arm's length and pushed the button:

I wasn't in the mood to make any difficult decisions, so I just ordered the "Mad Eggs" which I'd read on the internet were really good. I got two eggs, each on an English muffin and covered with curried Hollandaise sauce and snipped scallions with a side of home fries. It indeed was very good:

Bill, the cook, had initially lost my order and it took me longer than usual to get served. I kept snapping occasional photos while I ate and more customers kept coming in:

By the time I'd finished my breakfast, the diner was getting pretty full. Most of the customers, it seemed to me, were young families:

I'd intended to have my breakfast and then attend the Unitarian Universalist Church in Albany which began at 10:00. With all the snafus involved with getting breakfast, I never thought I'd make it. But I drove to the church and arrived just as the service began. The Unitarian church is a popular spot with quite a large and active membership. As for me, I'd grown up in fundamentalist churches but had come to despise their reactionary, hate filled rhetoric and politics. Yet I missed the fellowship and spirituality so I'm giving the Unitarian church a try. So far so good. It's a prospering entity, growing by leaps and bounds and keeps adding on to their building. Everything you see in this photo is part of the church facility, including the modern brick and glass structure on the left. They just keep adding to it as they grow. So I made it in time: