Albany is the capital of the state of New York. It is rich in the typical set pieces of American power, commerce and transportation.
![](https://i2.wp.com/www.marilynkinnon.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Albany-Gov-blg.jpg?resize=900%2C675)
![](https://i2.wp.com/www.marilynkinnon.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Uni-Albany.jpg?resize=900%2C675)
![Albany](https://i2.wp.com/www.marilynkinnon.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/bank-4-Albany.jpg?resize=900%2C1200)
Then we wandered down a whole street full of banks!
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.marilynkinnon.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/bank-1-albany.jpg?resize=768%2C1024)
![](https://i2.wp.com/www.marilynkinnon.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/bank-3-Albany.jpg?resize=768%2C1024)
Despite all this grandeur, Albany just felt empty. Its downtown decline has been attributed to urban sprawl and party politics. It seems to have a love-hate relationship with the power bases in New York city. Governor Norman Rockefeller tried to re-invigorate the city with a typical, monumental Plaza – it worked in New York didn’t it? Well, take a look at Saturday afternoon in downtown Albany.
![](https://i1.wp.com/www.marilynkinnon.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Rockefeller-Plaza-Albany.jpg?resize=900%2C600)