The Empire State Plaza

This is the final installment of the posts of my Sunday morning breakfast and walking tour. I'd begun the day intending merely to have breakfast at the Miss Albany Diner but found them closed. So instead I began a walking photography tour of downtown Albany. That became a driving tour when I got tired and became even longer when I noticed the Albany Pedestrian Bridge and walked that also while I snapped photos. I finally made it to the Miss Albany Diner which was by then open and had my breakfast - and from there to the Unitarian Universalist Society for the morning service. It had been a busy morning and I was on my way home when I just had to stop and get a better picture of the State Education Building with its massive and numerous columns:

And by shifting my camera just a bit I could include not only the Education Building but also the State Capital and the Albany City Hall:

Well, I should have gone straight home then but instead I turned the corner and headed toward the Empire State Plaza. That tower is part of it and that church is the Cathedral Of The Immaculate Conception:

I'd pulled off the road to snap the above photo and then realized that I was parked almost next to "The Egg," another part of the Empire State Plaza. It's got several theaters inside and is used for performance events, conventions etc:

The New York State Museum used to be one of my favorite places but it's now been many years since I've been inside. Perhaps another walking tour is in order soon:

I parked and walked up onto the elevated part of the Empire State Plaza where the office towers, The Egg and the State Capitol were all in view. The reflecting pool and fountains were still shut down for the winter. I should come back in the summertime when its all green and lovely. Perhaps the construction on the Capitol will be finished by then also:

Everything is stone, marble, steel and glass. It looks a bit like a 1950s vision of the future:

More of the Empire State Plaza:

And as I drove away intending only to go home and tend to my animals, I noticed that the State Capital had no construction in evidence on this side. So I stopped for one final photo:

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:

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?:

The New York State Capitol Building

What I'd intended to be a simple breakfast at the Miss Albany Diner had morphed into a walking tour of downtown Albany and then into a driving tour in the area of the New York State Capitol building and Empire State Plaza. The Capitol building was under (restorative) construction and therefore not particularly picturesque, but hopefully it will be in excellent condition this summer. You can see the long stairway into the building. Do the State Legislators walk up those stairs? I'm sure they do not, but instead enter the doors beneath the stairs and ride the elevators:

The stonework on the Capitol is ornate and beautiful. There are human faces carved all over the building and I once was told that the stone carvers used the faces of the workmen all around them as their models:

A close-up of some of the stone carvings. I think the bird must be a wild turkey even though it kind of looks like a peacock:

Directly across from the State Capitol is the brownstone Albany City Hall. It also is high on a hill and its spire is visible for many miles:

The New York State Education building has some of the most impressive columns in the country. I've read that it used to house the State Museum until the new museum building was built in 1976 in the Empire State Plaza:

A better view of the Albany City Hall. That tower houses a carillon which broadcasts bell music at regular intervals. A nationwide carillonneur (musician who plays the carillon) convention was held here a few years ago:

Looking up the road with the State Capitol on the left and the Education Building on the right:

I thought this building was particularly lovely and wondered if it might be a private residence. If so, it belongs to someone very wealthy:

Turning back toward the river and the downtown center, I noticed the four-pronged church steeple. That turned out to be St. Peter's Episcopal Church. I once attended a pipe organ concert there:

A domed building whose identity was unknown to me. It sure looks official, though:

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:

A Stroll Down Pearl Street In Downtown Albany

I'd driven over to Albany on Sunday morning intending to have breakfast at the Miss Albany Diner, but they were closed. So I began a walking tour, beginning along Pearl Street and headed downtown. The first building of note was the First Church, founded by Albany's Dutch settlers in 1642. The basic part of the current building was built in 1806 and its most famous member was Teddy Roosevelt:

From the First Church I continued down Pearl Street toward the bigger buildings of downtown Albany:

The streets were pretty much deserted since it was early on a Sunday morning. Now, I don't know anything about architecture, but that ornate red brick building on the right looks to me like it has its origins in Dutch tradition:

A peek up a side street as I continued along my way:

The buildings were getting taller as I walked on:

Lots of older red brick and stone buildings on Pearl Street:

And bigger, more modern buildings:

I took a peek down another side street down toward the river. That spire and the large marble buildings are on Broadway:

As I approached the intersection of Pearl Street and State Street, the buildings became more impressive:

Another peek up a side street, this one a route I commonly use to get me to and from destinations in the heart of the city: