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 Center Of New York State And Albany Government

I was taking a driving tour of downtown Albany and parked my car so that I could walk around and get a closer look at things. In a pocket park across from the Albany City Hall I spotted yet another man-on-a-park-bench statue. This one, though, was identified. Mr. Swyer was a local builder, developer and patron of the arts. The statue is designed so that people can sit with him on the park bench. But I was alone and had no one to take my picture with him. I did see a photo on the internet showing someone else sitting there and it was clear that they had to avoid leaning back because Mr. Swyer's hat would have poked them in the back. An unforeseen design flaw, I suppose:

And from the statue looking back across the road toward the Capitol Building:

Hey, another statue! This one was the famous Philip Schuyler, an Albany native, General in the American Revolution and United States Senator from New York:

As I rounded the corner, I peeked down a side street:

Five large buildings from four different eras. Those two modern buildings in the center are part of the Empire State Plaza and of course that's the Capitol on the right:

I could see some of the ornate stonework on the Albany City Hall:

Looking from the City Hall and Capitol toward Madison Avenue. That's the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in the distance, down in the lower left of the picture. It sits right next to the New York State Museum (not visible in this photo). The cathedral is being restored also. I haven't been inside but have seen photos. It's very ornate and beautiful:

But this walking/driving tour had gone on far longer than I'd originally intended. So I walked back to my little red car which was by then parked on State Street. It was time for me to give my old feet a rest:

Another shot down State Street reveals the D & H Building at the end of it:

And as I drove away, I took one more picture of a side street: