54 replies to this topic

[Recchia]

I figured it was about time we got some Albany pictures on the site so I set out today with my camera to get a few.  

CDTA bus #12, note the nice wide handicapped doors and no step up entrances:


Along Washington Avenue:


In and around Empire State Plaza:






New York State Capitol from Empire State Plaza:


The Corning Tower in Empire State Plaza, the tallest in NY outside of NYC:

Edited by Recchia, 02 September 2005 - 01:00 PM.

[Recchia]

From Empire State Plaza looking towards the Hudson:




"The Egg" (Performing Arts Center) in Empire State Plaza:


Looking up State Street:


Cool building:


Pedestrian Walkway over I-787 to the park:


Riverfront Park:

Edited by Recchia, 02 September 2005 - 03:46 PM.

[Recchia]

I think this is the state Education building:


SUNY Headquarters at the bottom of State St.:


One Commerce Plaza:

Edited by Recchia, 02 September 2005 - 06:31 PM.

[rusthebuss]

Cool pics dude! I would like to see more if you have anymore!

[monsoon]

Great photos.  Thanks for sharing.   Albany certainly has some great looking buildings.

[Recchia]

Thanks for the compliments.  I'm becoming more and more impressed with Albany's buildings.  Although Empire State Plaza sort of makes the skyline less dense looking (its buildings are really spread out), the plaza itself is really nice and other streets with dense highrises make up for it.  Here's a good pic I found online showing the whole skyline:

http://www.nyla.org/...any_Skyline.jpg

[Cotuit]

I'm at once facsinated and terrified by Empire State Plaza.

[Recchia]

Cotuit, on Sep 3 2005, 08:15 PM, said:

I'm at once facsinated and terrified by Empire State Plaza.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You know, I have the same feeling.  It's so damn nice looking that I have to be impressed with it, but at the same time it just doesn't seem right.  The buildings are all spread out and "office parky" and they mowed down acres of homes to build it in the first place, all because Rockefeller wanted a state office campus better than the Harriman one (thus is why the Harriman campus never filled up completely and now is a mix of massive parking lots, empty buildings, and a 6 lane ring road with barely any traffic on it...)  Plus, they built and elevated highway from I-787 directly into a set of parking garages underneath the plaza, so basically you can completely avoid the rest of the city and drive right into this island of fake city.  

Nevertheless, it is full of people during the day at least and is pretty nice to look at, if you can get over all the concrete which Albany seems to have an obsession with (anyone ever been to the SUNY campus....?).  I was very impressed with some of the other buildings farther downtown (the real downtown) along State Street and by the river.  Some cool Dutch architecture and little nook and cranny streets that have a lot of character.  And the riverfront park is awesome, as is the ped. bridge they built over the highway into it.

[ironchapman]

Nice pics, thanks for posting them.. The New York state house has got to be my favrite state house because of it's uniqueness when compared to the designs of other Capitol buildings.

[MadVlad]

Great pics, brother....

[vanshnookenraggen]

Good show.  It's a shame that Albany is such a second rate city even though it has so much history, such a great location, and such amazing architecture.

As you can tell I am a fan of the ESP.

[Garris]

vanshnookenraggen, on Sep 10 2005, 01:49 PM, said:

It's a shame that Albany is such a second rate city even though it has so much history, such a great location, and such amazing architecture.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Absolutely...  It's a terrible shame.  Albany is dripping with history, and you drive around its streets with the great architecture and dramatic vistas and think, "This place should rock."  Unfortunately, it doesn't.  

It's now been several years since I've been there, and like with many cities, I've heard it's getting better, but not at the rate of its fellow Northeastern cities on the coast, but maybe faster than Buffalo and Rochester.  Again, not having been to that part of the state since, maybe, 2000 or so, it's hard for me to say...

The NY Times just did a recent article on how Albany gets almost none of the expected economic, political, or prestige benefits from being a capitol city since its a "virtual capitol."  They reviewed how almost all the State elected officials (even those from upper and Western NY) are usually in their offices in NYC, as are many of the state political reporters!  Even Pataki is usually in NYC or at his home in Garrison, NY (an area which I just recented posted pictures of here) in Putnam County.  

- Garris
Providence, RI

[vanshnookenraggen]

Recchia, on Sep 2 2005, 04:53 PM, said:

One Commerce Plaza:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Oh snap, I just remembered that my father used to work in this building, all the way at the top.  I used to love visiting his office with the tall windows.

[pdxstreetcar]

When I went to Albany I thought at first I would hate ESP (being that I normally hate traditional urban renewal and modernism like that) but I actually kind of liked it once I walked around.  I think maybe because it is now viewed as historic architecture & planning from an optimismic space age time of thinking big.

[Recchia]

More Albany pics, this time from the observatory on top of the 42 story Corning Tower:

NYS Capitol Bldg:

[Garris]

Thanks Recchia.  In the third pic up from the bottom, I'm trying to remember, is that a convention center, or an arena there?  If it's an arena, who plays there?

- Garris
Providence, RI

[Recchia]

Garris, on Sep 25 2005, 08:13 PM, said:

Thanks Recchia.  In the third pic up from the bottom, I'm trying to remember, is that a convention center, or an arena there?  If it's an arena, who plays there?

- Garris
Providence, RI

That's the Pepsi Arena.  As far as I know, the only real team that plays there are the Albany River Rats (minor league hockey).  They do have a lot of shows there though.  It's a really nice arena, and it has ground level street fronting retail (hint hint Dunk...).

I wish I didn't have to take these pics through glass, you can see the damn reflection in almost all of them.  Plus almost every pic shows the damn concrete that juts out of the building around each window...

[Recchia]

Forgot about this one, came out the best of all of them I think:

Edited by Recchia, 26 September 2005 - 04:48 AM.

[jackson]

nice pics, but you're missing some of the most architectually interesting parts of the city: south end and arbor hill. Or any of the neighborhoods for that matter--there are some absolutely amazing homes in albany; even some brownstone neighborhoods that rival New York City's

[Florida]

What a visual treat! Garris, you must be the hardest working person on UrbanPlanet... you've taken me to places that I wouldn't normally be able to go.

Albany is truly a beautiful city. Another one of those Northern treasures.