Day 24: Tour of Albany

Albany is an interesting city, with a lot of fascinating architecture. Visited the Nineteenth Century Capitol first. Quite an amazing place. Huge, ornate, with incredible craftsmanship. Three major stairways with distinctive designs, stone carvings and chandeliers. Also has a hall of paintings of New York scenes from the past two centuries, which is a nice touch.

The Empire State Plaza was Governor Nelson Rockefeller’s initiative, a modern, massive, stark Brasilia-style plaza with four identical high-rise state office buildings, the state history museum and other office buildings. It’s imposing and impersonal.

Walked around downtown, visited the history museum and then drove north to Waterford to see the Erie Canal. I’ll do a separate post on the canal and the railroads.

New York State Capitol

Empire State Plaza

Albany City Hall,
by Henry Hobson Richardson

Capitol view from Corning Tower on
Empire State Plaza