After a meeting in of all places Albany, New York I got to visit my sister Andy who lives and works as a librarian nearby at GE Global Research in Niskayuna. First...departing Milwaukee it wasn't like we were having a good March with this snow drift in Pewaukee IMG_9534 Looking out from my hotel room at the Albany Marriot there was a nice sunrise IMG_9537 Since trees were blocking the famous GE sign in Schenectady, NY I decided to try some zoom effects IMG_9546 More zoom effects on the ELECTRIC part of General Electric sign IMG_9561 Another view of the sign, with some electric lights along the road too IMG_9567 IMG_9574 We didn't make it in time for a tour of the capitol. So here's a picture of the snow cleanup crews of Albany near the capitol. It was a rather large place and tough to find the tour office, and it didn't help we were late after trying to dig out of THIRTEEN INCHES of snow. Also, Andy being an apartment dweller didn't have a shovel but only a couple winshield scrapers...so we dug her car out of more than foot of snow without shovels...quite the accomplishment. Albany is built on the site of the Dutch Fort Orange which the British took over in 1664. It is the fourth oldest continually-inhabited city in the United States (and the coldest I think). In 1754, representatives of seven British North American colonies met in the Albany Congress. Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania presented the Albany Plan of Union, the first formal proposal to unite the colonies. Although it was not adopted, it was a precursor to the US Constitution. IMG_9579 Always good to clear off the bottom two steps just to let people know what the rest of the steps would look like were they not covered in thirteen inches of snow. IMG_9582 You can see a part of a performing arts center called The Egg. The structure is a part of the Empire State Plaza. IMG_9584 There was an outdoor/adventure show also in the same complex...happy people fishing in a big plastic bag - that's what people do in Albany in the winter IMG_9587 I'm sure you've been meaning to renew your subscription to the Legislative Gazette - The weekly newspaper of the New York state government, so do that soon. The publication does note that last year, organizations spent more than $150 Million attempting to influence the NY state government. IMG_9589 On March 25, 1911 the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire broke out leading to the deaths of 146 garment workers and triggering better working conditions and the growth in power of labor unions in that area. This photo is from a display by a union in the capitol area. IMG_9590 Yes...it wasn't just the plastic bag fishing that drew huge crowds, it was the chance to see the World's Largest Boot! IMG_9594 Now...which is bigger..the large concrete egg, NY State Government, or the World's Largest Boot? I think we can safely say that each is near or at the top in their respective fields. IMG_9598 These Albany residents steel themselves from the cold IMG_9600 Andy pretends to be stuck in the snow (as thankfully her car behind is fully mobile) IMG_9601 The Empire State Plaza and a snow removal truck IMG_9603 This was a neat machine with frightening dual fan blades in the front that gather the snow, loop it around a semi-circle and throw it out the other side (lets hope nobody is either in that snow pile or walking along the sidewalk!) IMG_9605 Many cars aren't as fortunate as Andy's... IMG_9607 Someone had a neat idea to name this building, but it seems someone else over-ruled them and chose the name "Two E-Comm Square" IMG_9610 Effective transportation in Albany IMG_9611 Only a silly man would venture into a park in such conditions IMG_9613 Wow - these are the Cohoes Falls second only to Niagara Falls in beauty. In Native American history, the Great Peacemakrer was a mysterious man who united the five tribes in the New York region into the Iroquois Confederacy. When he visited the Mohawk tribe of Cohoes they were unwilling to join. Then after climbing into a tree high above the Ga-ha-oose, the cataract that is now known as the Cohoes Falls, told the Mohawk braves to chop the tree down. They were happy to comply and many onlookers watched as The Peacemaker disappeared into the swirling rapids of the Mohawk river. It was assumed that the Peacemaker had perished until he was found sitting near a campfire the next day. The Mohawks were greatly impressed by his miraculous survival and immediately became the founding tribe in the Iroquois League of Nations, circa 1450. IMG_9615 The water was quite high for winter at the time, often in the summer the falls dry up entirely as most of the water is directed towards electric turbines along a side channel (and originally ran machinery for the textile trade nearby). IMG_9620 Row houses from the textile factory days IMG_9621 A Cohoes mall that is now closed IMG_9624 A still frame from a lab Andy and I visited in Niskayuna Return to Features