Albany, the Capital of New York ~ Thanksgiving Road Trip Day 2 🚗🍂

Day 2 Itinerary: Albany → Green Lake → Syracuse Many people don’t realize: New York State ≠ New York City! Albany has been the state capital since 1797—new knowledge unlocked! 💡 Historically, Albany was an industrial hub before World War II, known for beer brewing, printing, steel, and lumber. But as manufacturing declined and industries moved away, the city faced a downturn. Today, the downtown area has a population of just about 100,000, which explains its quiet, almost empty streets during the holiday. 🏙️🌫️ However, thanks to its status as the state capital, government jobs play a major role here. According to Wikipedia, over 25% of the city’s population are civil servants—seems like government jobs are popular everywhere, huh? 😄 Since it was Thanksgiving, most places were closed. So we focused on exploring Albany’s outdoor sights. From our hotel window, we had a full view of downtown—centered around the Empire State Plaza. This plaza was one of the major government-funded construction projects in the 1960s. Beneath it lies a network of roads and parking garages, while above ground stand iconic buildings and attractions: The Egg (a unique performing arts venue)New York State MuseumVarious government officesConvention CenterCorning Tower (with a free observation deck offering panoramic views!) 🏛️👀 #AlbanyNY #NYStateCapital #ThanksgivingTrip #EmpireStatePlaza #RoadTripVibes #UrbanExploration #HistoryInArchitecture #CivilServantLife #NYTravel #HiddenGems