Albany: May 21

After a quick lunch, we were off on our 114 mile trip to Albany. We got there by 2pm and it was raining. The neighborhoods and area of Albany reminded us of parts of NYC. The capitol was right in the center of the city, parking very hard, but the building so huge you couldn't miss it. It seemed to take up at least 2 square blocks. However, there is no dome! So that is a big difference from most state capitols as of yet.

At left, me in front of the capitol next to a large statue of the Civil War General Philip Sheridan.

The capitol was under construction and so the entrance was on the side with a spray painted sign, very informal. There weren't as many paintings as previous capitols but the "Hall of Governors" showcasing some of the past state governors. There were a few sculptures, one of President Lincoln of course. There is one room, the Governor's Reception Room, whose fourty-foot-high rotunda ceiling was part of a dome that was never completed, but covered in murals chronicling important events in NY military history.

They boast a "Civil War Flag Preservation Project" housing it seems like hundreds of Civil War flags. John noted that he thought Southerners were proud of their Civil War history, and it seems as though Northerners are, as well.

The senate and assembly rooms were simple and nice. It is a such a monolith building, one reminiscent of an old, midieval castle where you get lost; the pamphlet boasts the "hallways resonate with the echoes of great aevents and people from our state's past"--you can definitely hear your echo in the gigantic rooms and halls of this building. The walls were painted simple, the stairs and many of the walls were cement. It was an adventure just getting around in it!