City of Brotherly Love

Do I owe you a post, or do I owe you a post! Without getting into detail, last week was hard. One of my responses to stress is to withdraw and do as little as possible. So unfortunately, although there were nearly a week's worth of blog posts ready to go with minor editing, the will just wasn't there. Now that that's out of the way, here goes: 

Two Saturdays ago, I took a break from the city and headed down to Philadelphia, phone and Moment lens in hand, for the day. As much as I love the pressure cooker known as New York, I love my weekly get-outta-New York trips just as much. Sometimes just a hair more.

 

Market Street with fall foliage covering

I liked this example of 19th century architecture topped with 21st century digital advertising.

Whoomp there it is.

Princeton

I took a random ride down to Princeton after church yesterday afternoon - as much as I love the city, an afternoon trip out of the pressure cooker works wonders for my sanity.
While I was there, I explored the town, popped in at the Princeton University Chapel (the organ and the open door lured me in), and finished things off with a Wawa sandwich - I've traveled all over the country and eaten more good things than I can recount, but there's nothing, nothing like a Wawa sandwich. Ahem, hoagie. 

Princeton Arches

Palmer Square kiosk

Campus Sculpture with Foliage

Holy Ground

Skating around the fountain

Downtown Albany pt. 2

My travels led me back to downtown Albany (and eventually on a return trip to Crossgates Mall for a coffee refill, but that's neither here nor there).
Sundays are the deadest days in downtown Albany (followed only by Saturdays), but there were still plenty of streetscape and architecture shots to be had. 

Alfred E. Smith Building with reflective pond. The name of each county in New York State is chisled into the marble running around the front and sides of the building.

State Street looking downhill from the Capitol Building lawn

Wedding party on State Street

Capitol Building at night (neither of my daytime attempts were worthy of the blog)

Albany City Hall

State Street downhill at night

Washington Park

Washington Park is Albany's equivalent of Central Park. It has been public property since Albany's 1682 city charter, and was expanded through the 19th century. Washington Park sits in the middle of Albany, between Center Square, just outside of downtown, and the Pine Hills neighborhood, just outside the SUNY Albany student ghetto.

 

Albany Plan of Union Avenue - named for Ben Franklin's 1754 idea to unite the 13 British colonies under a single unified government. We all know what that led to.

Washington Park Promenade

Promenade leading up to the Soldiers and Sailors Monument

The Moses Fountain

 

Hudson Avenue with Corning Tower in the foreground

Afternoon in Center Square

Center Square is a compact neighborhood wedged between Washington Park and Empire State Plaza, just outside of downtown Albany. It was also my home for a few months in the mid-aughts, so I swing by whenever I'm in town.

Tree-lined Willett Street. One of very few Albany streets with NYC-style apartment buildings

A half block up Willett Street

The Village in the City

Lark Street balconies

I used to live here - 256 State Street, Apt. 9

Downtown Albany

Your Humble Photographer is in the Capital District, visiting some college friends and enjoying a belated birthday celebration.
Before heading up to the Saratoga area to see them, I spent part of the afternoon in downtown Albany, walking around and taking pictures. What downtown Albany on a Saturday afternoon lacks in people, it somewhat makes up for in still lifes.

Albany's concrete canyon

Pearl Street heading south 

North Pearl Street at Sheridan Avenue

The Palace Theater

Still life of a still bar

Fleeing the Pope

Don't get me wrong, Your Humble Protestant Photographer likes Francis more than the other popes. But oy, the traffic tie ups and street closures!
Last night after work, I fled to Jersey City for some waterfront shots and some mac and cheese from a mac-and-cheesery in Hoboken (consumed, not pictured).

Lower Manhattan Skyline and 9/11 memorial

Rest in Peace, Officer Webb.

30 Hudson Street - I've seen this building 5,700 times without ever knowing what it's called

Solitary Together

Too good for a caption