NOTE: this first photo belongs with the quilt at the bottom of this post but I couldn't get it to move Oops
We planned this trip months in advance to celebrate our 33rd Anniversary. It was actually my husband's (Bruce) idea. He loves waterfalls and has always wanted to visit Niagara Falls. After a lot of planning, and decisions made, we decided to leave a few days ahead of our Anniversary and stop at two different cities in upstate NY. on the way. It made the trip more interesting and not such a long drive. It takes about 10-12 hrs to get from our home in MA to the Canadian Border. We also booked some dinner reservations and a show at the casino connected to our hotel.
The first day, we only drove about 4 hrs. to stay in Albany NY. Unfortunately it was pouring when we arrived, but our suite was very nice and I had a jacuzzi to look forward to using later.
We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express near downtown Albany.
We took a drive around, exploring what we could do during a rainy day. First stop, buy an umbrella. We ended up going to museums which took the afternoon to finish and a little shopping. The first was a small Navy museum with some artwork from local artists. It also had a section to learn about the history of the city. It was interesting and free. The one we really enjoyed was a huge, one, also free, just make a donation of any amount. There were beautiful displays and I learned a lot about this area of NY. There is also a large very touching display of the September 11th terrorist attacks. I wasn't expecting to see this. There was a film playing of one of the fireman who had rescued people in one of the towers. His story was so moving it brought tears to my eyes. I can't begin to imagine the horror he witnessed, the suffering he and his men went through. At one point he recollected stepping over a pile of bodies but it was so surreal that his brain saw something other than people and he moved on to help others. Thank God for people like him that put their lives in danger for the sake of others. Just wanted to share that with you. I know, doesn't sound like vacation stuff, but there it was, right in front of us. It was something I will never forget, just like the day it happened.
On a happier note there was an antique, running, carousal up on the top floor that was so pretty and we enjoyed watching all the kids having a great time. You could look out over the city on that floor. Here are some photos I took:
Other sections of the museum
Here is a quilt that I felt compelled to make after 9/11
Yes, that's us goofing around at the museum. what else is there to do on a rainy day but make the best of it. We found an English Pub downtown and for supper, had, of course, fish and chips and beer. It was a loud and rowdy place which made it fun.
I will be back with another post, continuing our road trip. If you are interested, check back again, trust me, it will be more interesting after we get to Canada.
