Media At Albany Medical

I'm not much of a news junkie, but I did follow the recent Clinton County prison escape casually on Twitter.  It wasn't quite in my backyard, but close enough to be of local interest.

That said, I'm rather amused by the heavy media presence at Albany Medical Center where both the escapers were transported (one to the morgue, one to the trauma unit).  I took a short walk over to CVS and Starbucks this afternoon and saw about four satellite trucks and various news vans parked along New Scotland Avenue by CVS and further south by Albany Law School. 

A Hint of Pink

Hints of deep pink accent a white peony in Washington Park.

Ready To Scrub

Brooms, buckets, and shaving cream tulips stand ready for the annual Scrubbing of State Street, the traditional beginning of the weekend-long Tulip Festival.

High Up and Looking West

While the gargoyle is what usually catches one's eye from street lever, the west side of the tower on St. Peter's Episcopal Church features still more carved faces.  Here, another six of them stare up State Street towards the Capitol.

July Daisies

A scattering of daisies on a hot July morning.

Let Go

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

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.

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.

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.

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

Holiday Hardware

A tree decorated with paintbrushes and tools - and topped with an saw-wielding angel - stands outside a soon-to-open custom framing shop on Lark Street.

Holiday Cheers

A Christmas tree decorated with corks outside a wine shop at the corner of Lark and State Streets.

Santa Speedo Sprint 2011

Today was the 6th annual Santa Speedo Sprint on Lark Street. This crazy, fun event has become my favorite holiday happening. It's festive, silly, irreverent, and all for a good cause.

This year's sprinters included scores of scantily-clad Santas, a variety of elves, at least one Christmas tree, the traditional Gingerbread Man, Wonder Woman, a "drunken" Beaker ("Meeeeeep"), a biker, Jesus, Spandex-wearing reindeer, a Sock Monkey, and an older man in nothing but a black g-string, sneakers, a white Panama hat.

Next year's Speedo Sprint is set for December 8. Looking forward to it already!

Santa Speedo 2010
Santa Speedo 2009