The George A. Wyman Memorial Project

This sign caught my eye recently (partly because it's affixed to my favorite store ever). 

Located on the north side of Madison Avenue between Lark and Willett Streets, the sign reads "WAYPOINT George A. Wymnan 1st Across America San Francisco to New York City 1903."

There's a lot more about the project here:

The Wayman Memorial Project

It honors George A. Wyman, the first person to cross America on a motorized vehicle between May 16 and July 6, 1903.  According to Wyman's Wikipedia entry, his motorcycle lost power near Albany and he had to make the last leg of the journey by pedaling.

The plaque is attached to Little Moon, a delightful little shop full of beautiful Tibetan clothing, jewelry, and other items.  They are so worth visiting.

Little Moon

Angst

A bit of graffiti on a wall along the Madison Avenue side of the Empire State Plaza.

Hope (and a star)

At the corner of Madison Avenue and Swan Street

Fourth Precinct Plaque

This plaque is mounted just inside the doorway of the old police station on Madison Avenue near Lark Street.  Built as the Fourth Precinct, it was home to Metroland until last year and is now being converted to condos.

Under Clark's Corner

Not too long after writing about the demolition of the Paul Clark Tavern at the corner of Madison Avenue and Lark Street, the site was excavated further and I noticed this brick structure.  This week, I finally got a chance to poke my camera through the fence surrounding the construction area.

Don Rittner has some suggestions as to what it might have been in his excellent post, What Happened To Paul Clark's Corner?

The brick building in the background is the former Metroland office, now being converted to condos.

Also:  Paul Clark's gravestone

WEIRD

A homemade sign in the window of the Van Rensselaer Apartments.  (The building, at the corner of Madison and Delaware Avenue was built in 1901 and was designed by architect Marcus T. Reynolds).

The De Luxe Pie Company

This sign in Garden Alley is all that's left of the old De Luxe Pie Company.  Garden Alley is a cul-de-sac of carriage houses directly behind Madison Avenue where the bakery was located during the mid 1900s.

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.

A Little Light

A decorative light hangs loosely from a tree in Dana Park at the corner of Delaware and Madison Avenues.

Mural at Madison and Main

When I was little - think late 70s and early 80s - a number of murals decorated walls around Albany. I remember the colorful silhouettes on Lark Street at Washington Avenue, leaping dancers on the wall overlooking the Dunkin Donuts at the other end of Lark, a wilderness scene of moose and bears on lower New Scotland Avenue. Most of the murals are long gone. This one, on the side of the Pine Hills CVS is one of the few that survive. The faded painting shows Albany's City Hall on one side, the old fire and police station on the other (the firehouse is gone and now home to the Steamer 10 Theatre for children, though the police station remains). In between are some of the businesses that called this stretch of Madison Avenue home. Many of those businesses are gone, too.

Lintel On Madison

A lovely carved brownstone lintel on the 300 block of Madison Avenue.

Back Wall Surprise

High on the wall of an old house at the corner of Madison Avenue and Dove Street, a small cast iron hatch. This is one of a pair set into the wall; the one below it was closed and shows the floral motif nicely. The building has obviously been altered a few times over the year; this may have been an interior wall as these seem to be part of an old chimney system.

Small Gems

It's a little too high on the wall to really catch your eye as you pass and I've never seen light - from inside or out - catch the stained glass to make it sparkle. But I like this small window on Madison Avenue near Dove and wish the setting showed it off better.

Terra Cotta Tile

A grimy, but elegant terra cotta decoration on a brick facade along Madison Avenue. The late 19th-century house has long since been divided up into small apartments, but much of its gorgeous interior woodwork remains intact.

Old Numbers

When I was very little, this store front on Madison Avenue was a liquor store. Being far too young to drink, I never really paid much attention to it and I don't even remember seeing the neon sign actually lit. Now, however, it's an antique store and I often pause to admire the delightfully garish lamps and light fixtures...including one adorably awful arrangement of gold cherubs, pink roses, and bulbs. So I only just recently noticed the old neon sign's promise of delivery and the old-style phone numbers.

Snow More

Looking up at my maple tree along Madison Avenue at the height of today's storm.

A Elegant Tidbit

A touch of delicate ornamentation on a Madison Avenue bicycle shop.

Fuzzy

Furry gray buds on a tree along Madison Avenue in the aftermath of the blizzard.

The Oppenheim Block

This stone block has stood in front of a house on Madison Avenue for as long as I can remember and, also for as long as I can remember, no one has really explained why it's there.

The Street Formerly Known As...

I love finding old plaques. Most of the ones in downtown Albany were placed in 1886 as part of the City's Bicentennial. Some of the smaller plaques like this one near South Pearl Street give the original names of familiar streets.

I already knew that my street was originally called Lydius Street. In fact, one of the older deeds for my house actually gives the location as Lydius Street. But it was still great to find the old Bicentennial plaque high on the wall of a former bank.