Alfred E. Smith Building

The Alfred E. Smith Building, known officially as the Alfred E. Smith State Office Building and sometimes called simply the Smith Building, is a structure located in downtown Albany, New York across the street from the New York State Capitol and One Commerce Plaza.

The building’s namesake, Alfred Emmanuel Smith, was a four-term governor of New York and the Democratic Party’s nomination for the 1928 presidential election. The Art Deco skyscraper has 34 stories and at 388 feet (118 m) is Albany’s second tallest structure (after the Erastus Corning Tower).

Completed in 1928, it houses offices of the New York State government. Built originally with an observation deck on the 31st floor, the 350-foot-high (110 m) open-air deck was closed in 1976 when the 589-foot-tall (180 m) 42nd floor enclosed Corning Tower Observation Deck was opened. An extensive renovation of the building began in 2002. This modernization, which cost at least $103 million, is now finished.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_E._Smith_Building

Australia Day 2016 Evening

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Good evening on this Australia Day. Currently overcast and 43 degrees in Albany. With the wind downtown, it feels much colder. Pretty much a gray and cloudy day.

Tonight we will have a slight chance of showers before 10pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 31. South wind 7 to 11 mph becoming west after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Tonight we will have a Waining Gibbous Moon with 80% illuminated. It will rise at 7:48 pm. Not sure how much we will see of the moon tonight with the clouds but maybe for a few hours around midnight the moon will peak out.

Daylight Savings Time begins on Sunday, March 13 which is 1 month, 18 days away. Sunset on that day is at 7:00 pm in Albany. I keep counting down the days until I can spend evenings down at the park with a good book or the laptop. Granted it won’t be tomorrow..

Traffic is moving exceptionally smoothly and generally well on the old 787 despite being rush hour. We missed most of the stoplights too. A trooper pulled a motorist off on Southern Boulevard but traffic is still moving well.

One more day closer to summer. Depending on how much sun we get this weekend, I might head out winter camping. Looks plenty warm but it might be cloudy up north. Still winter camping ain’t as much fun as those long summer nights. Winter nights are longer but they’re spent in darkness.

Not sure if I’m going down to the library tonight. We will see how things go. If the wind ain’t so bad in Delmar, the walk to the library plus the evening walk will give me close to five miles of walking which is good for health. I’ve not been doing that much walking lately.

Opposite Day 2016 Evening

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Good evening on this Opposite Day. Currently mostly cloudy and 36 degrees in Albany. Tonight will be partly cloudy, with a low around 27. South wind 7 to 11 mph.

Tonight we have a Waning Gibbous Moon with 98% illuminated. The nice big moon is currently rising in the east.

Tuesday will be a slight chance of rain showers and sleet before 11am, then a chance of rain showers. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 42. South wind 14 to 16 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Little or no sleet accumulation expected.

The days are getting longer. In two weeks the sun will be setting at 5:17 pm, which is 18 minutes later then tonight. The sunset in four weeks on Feb. 22 is at 5:35 pm.

January 19, 2016 Evening

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Good evening. Currently it’s partly clear, and it’s 21 degrees but feels colder with the breeze in Albany. Tonight will have a slight chance of snow showers before 9pm. Partly cloudy, with a low around 15. Blustery, with a northwest wind 11 to 21 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.Tonight we have a waxing gibbous moon, setting at 3:18 am. Should be clear enough that the moon will be visible throughout the evening.

The good news is that less cold but still blustery weather is coming for Wednesday. It will be mostly sunny, with a high near 30. Northwest wind 11 to 16 mph. Pretty cool but sunny. And it sure could be colder.

It’s winter. But every day we get close to spring. With the partly clear skies this evening, one could see how much the daylight has been extended in recent days.

The potential snowstorm this weekend needs to be watched. Right now it looks like mostly costal and Mid-Atlantic impacts, but it could track further north. It is a super powerful storm and certainly could strengthen. I’ve not missed the snow that much in Albany but the lack of snow sure makes things look kind of brown.

In two weekends, my birthday weekend, I’m looking at going camping back again in the Adirondacks, assuming it’s reasonably nice and the weather cooperates. Just a one night trip, but by then the nights will be somewhat shorter and I sure enjoy a night by the fire.

Undecided if I will walk down to the library tonight. It’s pretty dang cold out but I could use the Internet on my laptop to get several things needed to be done, accomplished. I guess I could catch a bus down there and minimize my time in the cold by checking the Moovit app.

Clean Off Your Desk Day 2016 Evening

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Good evening that starts off Martin Luther King Day Weekend. Currently overcast and 34 degrees in Albany. Tonight it will rain, mainly after 2am. Low around 34. Southeast wind 5 to 7 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.

Tonight we have a first quarter moon, setting at 11:21 pm. Saturday will be have a mix bag of rain, snow, and sleet before 9am, then rain likely between 9am and noon, then a chance of rain showers after noon. High near 40. Calm wind becoming west 5 to 9 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow and sleet accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Tonight I’ll be packing for going camping tomorrow assuming that the roads are passable by mid-morning . There will be a lot of snow up north but I’ll dig out a place to park or find a plowed out parking lot and drag my gear and supplies back to the campsite.

I have things fairly well planned out. I’m going to buy two more of those USB batteries to charge my phone and Bluetooth speaker back in the woods for music and radio. I’ll exchange them hooked to the truck’s accessory battery to keep everything charged. I will have the propane heater to keep the campsite warm and the propane lantern to keep the site bright. I’ll tow firewood back. I’ll use a tarp under the tent and dig out all the snow away to keep things dry. I’ll use tarps and piled snow to block the wind. Probably do a little snowshoeing but back to where, it’s to be decided. Probably on Sunday head over to Warrensburg or North Creek. We’ll see how things go.

Orthodox New Year 2016 Evening

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Good evening. Currently overcast and 29 degrees in Albany. Tonight will be mostly cloudy, with a low around 25. Light and variable wind.

Tonight we have a waxing crescent moon, setting at 10:22 pm. Not sure if you will see much of the moon with the clouds. Friday will be mostly cloudy, with a high near 41. Calm wind becoming southeast around 5 mph in the morning. The warmer weather will be nice.

I left my truck at the Delaware Avenue Park and Ride so I’m taking the local Delaware Ave bus out to Delmar which is crawling along in traffic . It’s rush hour. I actually prefer sometime working late then taking the congested local home.

It’s been a long week, but I’m glad that Friday is tomorrow. Really looking forward to the long weekend and getting out of town. And I’m just glad every day we are getting closer to spring.

Besides camping, there is few things I like better than going down to the park with a good book and sitting on the hill overlooking the ice skating rink. Evenings in the 70s and the sun setting after 7 PM can’t be that far away. I also look forward to weekends spent up at the Potholers and Piseco Powley Road.

Make Your Dreams Come True Day 2016 Evening

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Good evening on this Make Your Dreams Come True Day. Currently a few clouds and 21 degrees in Albany. Tonight will be mostly cloudy, with a low around 15. West wind 5 to 9 mph becoming south after midnight.

Tonight we have a waxing crescent moon, setting at 9:22 pm. A good thing to wish on, as it’s a pretty clear night tonight. Thursday will be mostly cloudy, with a high near 30. South wind around 7 mph.

Everything is kind of a large salt bucket outside with road salt being dumped on the roads and sidewalk. Road salt isn’t just on the cars but it gets on your clothes and is tracked into buildings. The winters are really a disgusting thing here in New York.

Today was a busy day at work. But I kept things moving along and now I’m on the way home. Old Delaware Ave hasn’t changed much in years. January is still a pretty awful harsh month. But we are heading towards spring, and the harshness of winter in New York State can’t last forever.

Have a great evening.

January 12, 2016 Evening

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Good evening. Currently light snow is falling down and 29 degrees in Albany. Treated surfaces are just wet but sidewalks are slick. Use care while driving as some surfaces may be slick.

Tonight we have a waxing crescent moon, setting at 8:21 pm. Tonight will have snow showers before 9pm, then snow likely between 9pm and 1am. The snow could be heavy at times. Low around 22. Breezy, with a southwest wind 6 to 11 mph becoming west 15 to 20 mph after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of less than one inch possible. Three to five inches expected in the Adirondacks, more in lake effect country.

Traffic is moving slowly out of the city but it looks like the driver is going up McCarthy Hill which should save some time. Rush hour, there’s traffic. I’m not in that much of a rush to get home.

A pretty ordinary Tuesday and reasonably busy. Tomorrow will be busier, especially with the crowds from the State of the State in the Empire State Plaza. But we are getting closer to the weekend. Still looking forward to heading up to the Adirondacks for the long weekend , assuming that the forecast remains reasonable.

The president’s final State of the Nation Address is tonight. It might be interesting to hear what he has to say. It will be his last address. It seems like only yesterday he was running for president. Still I didn’t mind time is going by quickly. It will be good to have a fresh face in the White House and new ideas in our country.