New York State Capital and Capitol

Our history studies have The Girl Who Loves to Be Blogged off on a much-needed rabbit trail to study State History.  We are all still studying the Ancient World, but she is looking at New York State in addition, preparing a State Report with maps, color photos, etc.  As part of this project, which takes 5 weeks, we are supposed to visit three cities in our state, one of which should be the capital.  So this week we took a day trip to Albany, which happens to be not more than an hour from home.

I really did not expect much from this trip.  The planning was poor; I handed The Girl a book about Upstate NY that I got for Christmas and said, "Here, plan your trip.  Find something free."  Just keepin' it real.  I've been to Albany before, and it hasn't been too long since we visited the New York State Museum there, which as it happens, is free.  But she didn't pick that.  I did veto the Duck Boat tours, as decidedly impractical in January, as well as decidedly NOT FREE.  Also, I personally consider them death traps, and please don't try to tell me differently.  She did manage to find out that there are free tours of the Capitol Building.  There's also a nice little building called the Albany Area Heritage Visitor's Center, which is free.  They advertised a movie and a self-guided walking tour.  So, off we went.

In an awesome display of indifference about this adventure, I waited until the night before to call the tour office and ask about times.  I'm talking, 10:00p.m.the night before.  Surprisingly, no one answered and more so, there was no convenient outgoing message announcing the times.  Bother.  When we found out that President Obama was supposed to visit General Electric in the neighboring city of Schenectady that day, we almost canceled anyway due to traffic concerns-that's how not invested I was (but after the events of this weekend Mr. President's trip was postponed).  So, on the morning of our grand adventure, I finally called and found out that tours were not hourly but at 10, 12, 2 and 3.  If we came for the 2 o'clock, by the way, we'd be taking the tour with a large group.  

So off we went with lunches packed (sort of free!), winter hats and gloves on, and a stroller for the Little Princess.  Or for the lunches.  She's a little big for that, but it was also going to be a long day.  We parked near the visitor's center, a tiny little brick building (if you're local, it's near Huck Finn's warehouse).  Not surprisingly, it seemed empty aside from one employee.  They had the nicest little exhibit on the history of Albany, which started out as a Dutch beaver-fur trading town called Fort Orange.  In my mind the exhibit was the perfect size.  The Girl got all the information requested  by her report-writing cheat-sheet, and did so quickly enough that the others were still entertained.  And they got to do this:

 Which was very entertaining.  The Little Princess said "Take my cheese!" many times!  These aren't Pilgrims- they are Dutch styles from about 1650, when they brought over from Holland what is now the oldest pulpit in America.  I hope that factoid helps you on Jeopardy! some day.

I learned so much, I am tempted to write The Girl's History paper myself, right here!  It was fun.   But, our time at the visitor's center had to be brief so we could get to the capitol in time for the noon tour.  The capitol was a few blocks away, but we figured walking was just as easy as moving the car to a new parking spot, which might not be closer in the long run.  So off we went, huffing the stroller down North Pearl Street and uphill on State Street to the capitol building.  We walked right past the Dutch Reformed Church housing the aforementioned elderly pulpit.

Unfortunately, I didn't know which side of the capitol building to go into.  Actually, I had a theory but I just followed those who didn't because I didn't have any facts to back it up.  I do that often, and usually find that I shouldn't have, but I did it again anyway.  As a result, with the help of a metal detector and a huge crowd of public school kids on a field trip (I do not envy those teachers!), we didn't make it in time for noon.

And because I'm insane, we tried to track down the tour and join it in progress. Which meant more metal detectors.  Did I mention we were pushing around a stroller full of Princess and lunch?  Lunch had soda cans in it.  Those are metal.  So, we had to take everything out of the bottom of the stroller and have it scanned.  Again.  Did I mention it was very warm in there?  Good times.  And we couldn't find the tour.  So, we went back downstairs and had our lunch in the Albany Room under the Empire State Plaza, across the hall from the tour office.  A very nice lady we met in the elevator led us there. 

The problem then, of course, was that we had some extra time before the two o'clock tour.  I asked about the audio tours, but the machines are on the fritz so they said I couldn't have one.  We decided not to go to the museum (attached at the other end of the plaza) because by the time we got there and back, we might miss the tour again.  Instead, one of the ladies suggested going to the top of the Corning Tower to the Observation deck.  Kids can run around there, she said.

Sounded perfect!  So, off we went.  No metal detectors to get there, either.  Sadly, the incredibly steep escalator was broken.  We were told that we would have to wait for an escort.  After just a few minutes, just as we were wondering whether this, too, would cause us to miss the tour, two men came and took us onto an elevator, going up one floor.  This floor had nothing but banks of elevators.  He let us off and said to go find elevator 14.  Just stand in front of it, don't push any buttons, and when it comes it will take you to the Observation Deck. 

Sssuuurrrre.

He didn't mention that it would leave your stomach contents and sinuses on the 12th!  At first we thought it wasn't going to move at all, as we stared dumbly at buttons we weren't supposed to push...then Voom!  We were on the 42nd floor!  Whoa! 
I struggle with vertigo on a regular day, so that was a real treat.  My right ear still hurts!

 

The view from the tops was quite nice though. 
That is the frozen Hudson River on the right, so this view is to the Northeast.  On a clearer day, you'd be seeing Vermont.  The kids couldn't believe how small the city looked. 

I jumped ahead a little in our history studies showing them this nice Gothic Cathedral type design- what a perfect example of something that one might not appreciate from the ground! 

Our tour time approached quickly, so we rocketed back to earth (under it, actually) and headed for the tour office once again, where we met George.
George clearly loves his job! 

All of my children enjoyed the tour, which included things such as "the evolutionary staircase," "The Million Dollar Staircase," two legislative chambers and one of the ceremonial governor's offices.  It is made of red and black sandstone from Ohio and Scotland, granite from Maine, White Onyx from South America, gold foil, brass foil, papier mache (?!), oak, mahogany...it was exceptional.  We got to sit right in the Senate and the Assembly chambers, though they were not in session.  We found out that the public can sit there any time they want without advance permission or anything, as long as they are not disruptive (no banners!).  On the Million Dollar staircase, there is a spot left uncleaned so that everyone will know how disgusting it was before the cleaning took place.  How random is that!?

The staircase is really a field trip- no, an education in itself- as it is carved with the semblance of just about every public figure ever.  Over the course of 15 years or so, many sculptors contributed to this, though it looks like a continuous work over four flights of stairs.  Founding fathers, gods and goddesses, gargoyles, literary characters, fruits and vegetables, and on and on.  We even found Revolutionary soldier Peter Gansevoort, whose land grant became my hometown.  George described the carving as an attempt to make the place look old, like a European castle might.  At this time my camera memory was full!  Ahh!  I guess you will have to go see for yourself!

I honestly can't believe that I have never done this before.  I've lived in NY for most of my life, within an hour of Albany most of the time!  I don't think I know anyone who's taken advantage of this opportunity.  The tour lasted just over an hour.  It was time well spent.  Although very few people have anything good to say about the state of the State of New York, this was a treat.