Albany's Pedestrian Bridge

If you've seen my previous recent posts, you know the story. I'd begun Sunday morning intending to have breakfast at the Miss Albany Diner but found it closed. So I started a walking/photography tour of downtown Albany which eventually turned into a driving tour. But my time and energy running low, so I knew it was time to wrap it up. I was driving back to the Miss Albany Diner (which, by then, must surely have opened) when I saw this sign for the new (to me) Albany pedestrian bridge. I'd never been on it, so I just had to stop, park my car and take one more walk:

As I began ascending the steps up to the pedestrian bridge, I stopped for a look back at downtown Albany:

The bridge crosses Route 787, a busy north-south highway which runs pretty much along the Hudson River from Albany to Troy. Just to the south of the bridge I could see the east side of the D & H Building. That ship on top of the spire is a replica of Henry Hudson's ship, the Half Moon:

A look back toward the city of Albany from the center of the bridge revealed some of the official looking buildings on Broadway:

And looking northward from the bridge showed this scene. You may remember that brown brick building from previous posts as it sits on Broadway near where I'd initially parked my car by the giant tulip:

The bridge crosses only the highway, not the Hudson River. It delivers walkers to a riverside park. Across the river you can see the city of Rensselaer. I live there, and quite near the river, but couldn't quite see my house from here:

And once again, the D & H Building. It keeps popping up on these posts because it is such a prominent and attractive Albany landmark. It sits right near the river and is visible from nearly everywhere:

And I could see parts of the Empire State Plaza as well as some State Street buildings - but not the Capitol:

But I was tired, hungry and running late. So I began walking back across the bridge toward my car parked on Broadway:

The surface of the pedestrian bridge was paved with bricks which had engravings of many types, mostly in memory of someone who had passed away. I believe the bridge opened in 2002 or 2003 and, at that time, there was a big controversy over whether gay and lesbian couples would be allowed to buy a brick and put their names on it. Such concerns would be considered silly and discriminatory now. Times have changed for the better in many ways. And as for the pavers, I particularly liked the "I told you so" brick in the center. It reads, "I told you not to separate the river from the city" (by building the highway):

I quickly made my way back to where I'd begun my bridge walk and where my car was parked on Broadway. Did I still have time to buy myself breakfast at the Miss Albany Diner?:

Official Looking Buildings On Broadway In Albany

As I walked along Broadway, I snapped photos of interesting buildings. This was one of my favorites, though I have no idea what it is:

Looking up a side street:

This is the ramp I knew I'd take when I crossed the Hudson River to return home:

Official looking buildings on Broadway

And the beautiful D & H Building. You can't tell in this picture, but that's a 3D replica of the ship, Half Moon, on the very top of the spire:

An unknown but impressive building:

One of my favorites. Just look at the fancy ornamentation on that dome:

This street is easy to identify. It's Albany's State Street, looking uphill from Broadway toward the New York State Capitol Building:

Another shot of Broadway:

By this time I'd grown tired and gotten back in my car. Now I was taking a driving tour instead of a walking tour. So I passed by the D & H Building once again. I was on a roll now:

Turning From Pearl Street to Broadway

I was taking a walking tour of downtown Albany early on a Sunday morning. This is a look back down Pearl Street toward where I'd begun (see previous posts):

Interesting small businesses lined the side streets:

And then I turned down toward the Hudson River to take a closer look at Broadway with its impressive marble buildings:

I noticed this statue so walked over for a closer look:

This is a bronze representation of the Great Seal Of The City Of Albany. I can only guess that the ship is Henry Hudson's Half Moon, the European is a Dutch settler and the Native American is a Mohawk. The word "assiduity" took me by surprise so I looked it up. It means "Persistent application or diligence; unflagging effort:"

And right next to the glorification of unflagging effort was this bronze man, park bench and Golden Retriever. I suppose he was someone well known, possibly a former mayor. But there was no sign identifying him:

I turned south on Broadway to look at more buildings:

And then I headed back north on Broadway toward my car:

Broadway is lined with impressive, official looking buildings:

Most of the buildings were old, but this light colored brick building has been built since I lived in the area. It's pretty modern: