Albany In The Distance

It was a fine December day with very little snow on the ground and I was driving to Wal-Mart to do my weekly shopping. But when I saw the Albany skyline deep down in the Hudson River Valley below, I just had to stop and snap a few photos:

I cropped this photo so that you could see some detail. That boxy building on the left is the State Museum and towers are the Empire State Plaza, of which The Egg is a part. To the far right is a black tower and there's a white spot just to the right of it. That's Nipper, the RCA dog:

Views Of Downtown Albany On A February Day

I had a day off of work and errands to run which involved driving to the City Clerk for a dog license renewal and to the Post Office to mail some bill payments. The Rensselaer Post Office is located in the Amtrak Station and from there, one can get a good view across the Hudson River to downtown Albany. Luckily, I had my camera with me:

And a closer cropped view shows the Empire State Plaza. That's the New York State Museum on the left, four office towers and "The Egg," a performance venue. That stone building on the lower right with the multiple spires is the New York State Capitol:

The Amtrak Station (and the Post Office). When I was in there, a bomb sniffing security dog was being led around and I almost asked if I could photograph him at work. But my camera was out in the car and its batteries were almost dead anyway. Maybe I'll get another opportunity some day:

This is a view of downtown Albany just north of the Empire State Plaza:

And later in the day, I drove east into rural Rensselaer County to pick up my completed income tax forms. On the way home, I saw this stunning view of the city of Albany down in the Hudson River Valley: