The Snow Arrives

After last year's almost snow-free winter, this storm has an almost surreal feel to it.  This photo, on Madison Avenue looking towards Delaware Avenue, was taken just as the flakes started falling.  This morning, it doesn't look quite as nice with a dull gray sky and snow already getting dirty.

Christmas Eve Snowman

We might still get a white Christmas (if the weather reports can be believed), but in the meantime, here's a snowman on the Empire State Plaza.  This rather exuberant little frost fellow was spotted on Christmas Eve as the ice rink was shutting down for the day and was made from the pile left behind by the Zamboni. 

The Gingerbread Man

A cheerful gingerbread man and candy canes form a nice window display on Lark Street.  I remember when this was the old Beverwyck Restaurant; now it's the Hollywood Cafe.

Shiny Holidays

A shimmering and festive wreath outside a Lark Street business.

Jazzy Santa

Santa Claus with a saxophone on Lark Street.

Ready To Sprint

Scantily-clad runners ready the sleigh for the dash down Lark Street during the annual Santa Speedo Sprint.

The quality isn't perfect, but here's video of the race itself heading north on Lark Street.

Willett Snowman

A large snowman waves to passersby on Willett Street.  This inflatable ice gent stands on the balcony of the Charles Lansing Pruyn house.  The house was designed by Potter & Robertson, the same architects responsible for the Pruyn Building on North Pearl Street.

A Sea of Leaves

Gold leaves - ankle-deep in some places - cover the brick walks at the Empire State Plaza.

Holiday Prep

A crew works to position this year's Christmas tree on the Empire State Plaza with the Capitol and Justice Building in the background.  Maybe it's the angle, but I think this one is a little shorter than last year's tree.

Still Life With Caffeine

Time for a Thursday afternoon latte date!

The Knick

Before it was the Times Union Center, it was the Pepsi Arena.  But when it opened, it was the Knickerbocker Arena.  And, no, it wasn't named for The Knickerbocker News (which has since ceased publication).  The name was selected in a contest.  This plaque hangs in a rather dark corner near the main entrance.

Veterans Day 2012

A boy watches the Uncle Sam Chorus (and Uncle Sam himself) pass during the Albany Veterans Day Parade.

A Capitol Lady

Framed by berries, this lovely lady is yet another of the scores of carved faces that decorate the State Capitol, inside and out. 

Happy Halloween

A spooky gravestone in the Albany Rural Cemetery. 

Stones like this - with winged skulls or soul effigies -aren't found in great number around here (they're much more common in New England), there are a few interesting examples.  This striking stone is one of the oldest in the Church Grounds section.

After Sandy

Looking east from the corner of Madison Avenue and Eagle Street (diagonal from the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception) as the remnants of the storm pass.

Ghostbusters

I ain't afraid of no ghosts!

With Halloween (and a bad storm) on the horizon, this car was spotted just off Lark Street this morning. 

The Crypt

Door on the Elk Street side of the Cathedral of All Saints.  And, no, it's doesn't lead to the spooky sort of crypt.  It just leads to a basement room where the Cathedral has a thrift shop. 

Cleaning Boots

My friend volunteered to test an antique boot-scraper on Elk Street and agrees that these are a pretty good idea.

The Moody Bee

A not-so-cheerful, but oh-so-cute bee on Lark Street near Lancaster Street. 

Sunday Morning Rose

A flower lying on State Street, perhaps a remnant of a Saturday wedding at nearby St. Peter's Episcopal Church.

TUC Tomatoes

A tomato vine randomly growing in one of the decorative planters on the steps of the Times Union Center.  With autumn here and cool weather approaching, I don't think the tomatoes will actually ripen.  Still, it was unexpected.

Birthday Mail

Writing found recently on a mailbox on State Street near the Capitol.

Graffiti Ghosts

The chemicals used to clean this graffiti from the wall of one of the stairwells atop the Empire State Plaza apparently etched the marble and left a more permanent version of the stick-figure scrawl.

The Little Dutch Shoe

One of the painted Dutch shoes scattered throughout downtown Albany for this year's Sculpture In The Streets exhibit.  This cheery little shoe decorated with images of City Hall, Washington Park, and a family in colonial Dutch clothing (on the heel) is one of the smaller shoes at just over two feet long.  There are other shoes large enough to sit in.

This particular shoe is on Broadway near the old Argus building.

Forgotten Flowers

A vase of withering summer flowers left behind after the Farmers Market on the Empire State Plaza

July Daisies

A scattering of daisies on a hot July morning.

I Heart

The summer sun is fading the heart on this "I Love NY" button found lying near the former Sign of The Tree restaurant (or whatever it was last called) on the Empire State Plaza.

The Happy Cone

A cheerful safety cone on the Empire State Plaza.  It's the second "decorated" cone I've come across.

Let Go

A tiny message painted on a building at the corner of Spring Street and Henry Johnson Boulevard.

Colorful McKinney

A colorfully painted bit of a McKinney cast iron facade on South Pearl Street just across from the Times Union Center.

Cornerstone

This cornerstone is part of the massive building at the corner of North Pearl and Columbia Streets.  79 North Pearl was designed by the architectural firm of Ogden & Wright (the same firm which designed the facade of the Kenmore Hotel just across the street) and originally housed the Albany Business College.

The Albany Basin

Historic marker on the west bank of the Hudson River near the northern end of the Corning Preserve.  The Livingston Avenue Rail Bridge is visible behind the sign.

Imposing

One of the massive ornamental columns flanking the entrance to the Masonic Temple on Corning Place.

Curving

Apologies for the lag in posts here and at my companion blogs. I'm slowly recovering from a dislocated knee which means I can't get out and sitting at my computer is a bit of an awkward challenge. I will, when possible, post photos taken before my injury and - hopefully - when those run out, I'll be back on my feet and running around with my camera again.

Above: A curl of railing at Broadway and State Streets.

The Telephone Offices

Historic marker on Broadway opposite the Federal Courthouse.

Cast Iron Ruins

This is such a sad site along lower Madison. This heavy railing is broken and rusted, the windows shuttered, and the brownstone steps are badly crumbled. But it's obvious this was once a very handsome house on the hill just below the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception and little Bleecker Park.

Spike and Spiral

A bit of an elegant iron rail around outside the Old Post Office on Broadway opposite the foot of State Street.

Through The Arcade

Looking into the hardly used, but still elegant Arcade at the corner of Broadway and Maiden Lane.

You Are Here

I've always been amused by maps which inform me You Are Here. In this case, it's a map at the corner of State and Lodge Streets which also informs me of the location of the Knickerbocker Arena, long since renamed twice.

The Writing On The Walls

An early Valentine in chalk on the wall of the Empire State Plaza

Old News

The newspaper in this box at the southeast corner of State and South Pearl Streets hasn't been changed since Christmas week!

Random Veggie Sighting

On my last trip to Albany Rural Cemetery, I wandered into the adjacent St. Agnes' Cemetery. Not far from the main gate, something on the ground next to an old headstone caught my eye. It turned out to be a rather random eggplant just lying there next to the marker. I've come across a few interesting things in cemeteries, but this is a first for me.

Lost Pants

A pair of abandoned jeans on a bench in Dana Park.

Snow?

No, it's not snow on the Empire State Plaza...just the pile dumped by the Zamboni after the ice rink is cleaned.

Eat More Kale

A pro-veggie sticker on a car parked along Dove Street.

The Pelican

An intricately carved pelican on the First Presbyterian Church overlooking Washington Park at State and Willett Streets.

The Church Grounds Project

Ice between rows of graves in the Church Grounds section of Albany Rural Cemetery.

The Church Grounds were created when graves were relocated from the old State Street Burying Grounds (now Washington Park).

I've been posting about various gravestones found in this lot at my other blogs, Albany Rural Cemetery - History In Photos and Albany NY History. The more I explore this area of the Cemetery, the more I'm fascinated by its historic significance.

And I have decided to create a blog focusing on the Church Ground burials.

Many of the Church Grounds stones are broken or badly eroded so I know going into this project that I will not be able to transcribe every one, but I want to document as many as I can before time completely erases them.

The new blog can be found at:

The Albany Church Grounds