Adorning The Sky

I was on my way to church one fine Sunday morning and driving through the city of Albany. As I passed the Albany County Family Court building, I noticed the replica of the Hudson River explorer, the Half Moon, adorning the sky over its dome:

Here's a close up. Albany is chock full of such ornaments, and also ornate church spires and other such architectural wonders. I began to formulate an idea for a photographic tour of such beauties against a clear summer sky, but for the time being would content myself with a few of them I'd pass on my way:

A historic spire in downtown Albany is always covered with a sort of green fabric:

It always looks like a condom to the fifth grader in me. I suppose that its real function is to protect pedestrians from falling debris as this is a very old building:

The beautiful brownstone spire of the Albany City Hall, next door to the marble Court Of Appeals, contains a renowned carillon:

Close up, you can see that it also has a lot of ornate detail:

St. Peter's Church, one of the many by that name, has an odd asymmetrical spire:

I think the Hunchback of Notre Dame would have been right at home up there:

Another church which I pass by frequently has a very large trumpeting angel atop its spire:

Close up, you can see the detail:

I was almost at my destination when I passed by the New York State Capitol. It certainly has lots of ornamentation in addition to multiple spires:

A close up reveals some of the fancy detail: