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.
Good evening. Currently 51 degrees and cloudy with drizzle. More rain is coming later, but right now we are in a bit of a shadow from the heaviest rain. Times of heavy rain and whipping winds coming this evening. A thunderstorm is possible. Regardless the roads are wet and maybe slick, so take your time going home.
Today was a mostly uneventful day, although at lunch time, I caught the bus uptown and voted by absentee ballot at the Board of Elections. Basically Democratic straight ticket but taking full advantage of the fusion ticket to vote for Democrats on the Conservative and Working Families line. Also bought bread at the supermarket, so to avoid driving anywhere before the weekend.
Chicken thighs that I got on sale on Sunday and rice and peas for dinner tonight. It will take a while to cook but I am not planning on going anywhere this evening. I will probably sit back with a book and just relax while the wind and rain rumbles around.
Good evening. Currently 52 degrees under mostly clear skies. Some high clouds but not too dreary as the shadows hang low on the few evenings we still have sunlight – at least for a few minutes until 5:54 PM.
Tonight is going to have another beautiful moon lit evening with the October Hunting Moon remaining shining bright throughout the night. The temperature will be around 42 at 9 PM. Tomorrow will be rainy with strong winds but mild around 60 degrees.
After much time chewing over it, I bought the propane catalytic heater that I was looking at. I think especially on cold mornings it will make mornings much more pleasant. I can heat up a tent, lean-to, or even blow heat into my truck cap. I need to get a propane tank but I will stop at the local hardware store.
Traffic heading out of the city is moving slowly but I don’t see any reason why. I can’t imagine road construction will be going on much longer but still things are pretty much a mess. I’m starting to wonder if the I-787 construction will ever conclude. Freezing temperatures and southern zone hunting will bring it to an end sooner than later.
Doing some Google Maps of demographics in Rensselaer County and they will be posted tomorrow and on an ongoing basis. I am a big fan of Google Maps.
Good evening. Currently 51 degrees with scattered clouds and long shadows of the evening hanging low over downtown. Tonight’s sunset is at 5:58 PM, next Monday after the time change the sunset will be at 4:48 PM making for a dark evening commute. Forty degrees and clear at 9 PM tonight.
Nice evening, you have to enjoy the evening commute while you still have light. But I will also appreciate having an earlier sunrise as getting up in pitch black to go to work is no fun at all.
I am quite excited about the release of QGIS 2.12. The new labeling feature should greatly improve the visual appearance of maps, one of the current weakness of QGIS is overlapping labels. I haven’t tried it out yet but blogs documenting it looks very encouraging. I will install the update later this evening at the Bethlehem Public Library.
Probably going to get a refurbished Mr. Heater Big Boy propane camp heater next week. I’ve been studying my options and will probably use it with the 20 lb propane tank adapter and a larger propane tank. The reviews are good and the hunters I ran into in the woods really liked these units. It’s not real economical to operate a full blast but apparently throws a lot of heat on this setting to warm up a tent or lean-to quickly. Beats having to build a campfire right away on a below zero morning. Plus if I lose power midwinter I can put the heater inside and tank outside and keep my apartment warm. I really want to do more winter camping.
Good afternoon. Chilly afternoon around 48 degrees and breeze. Sunny but afternoon shadows loom large downtown. It’s been a long week and I’m tired. Sunset tonight is at 6:01 PM.
Good evening. 59 degrees and cloudy this evening. Going to be a chilly evening with the damp air but a low only around 41 degrees. Not bad compared to the cold of recent.
Went out to Happy Hour for a while and are now catching the bus home. Not much traffic but the bus is running a few minutes late but seems to be catching up on its schedule.
Good afternoon although with the sun setting earlier every day it’s starting to feel like evening more than afternoon. A nice afternoon with only a few clouds and around 61 degrees.
In these last few evenings of daylight after 6 PM and ultimately 5 PM on November 1st, tonight’s sunset is at 6:05 PM. Looking for 53 degrees at 9 PM, so okay weather for an evening drink out back.
Waxing Gibbous Moon if you plan on being up after about 1:30 AM this morning and the clouds hold off. Outside of the clouds it might actually be a good evening for the stars.
