It was easy for Chris to get caught up in thinking that his hometown of New York City was all there was to life. He was a true New Yorker and proud of his home. He loved the Yankees and good pizza. Meanwhile, one day he realized that although he knew his own great city inside and out, he was not that familiar with the rest of the state. In fact, he had only been upstate once before and it seemed almost like a different world. Last summer as Chris passed some of the New York four star hotels he noticed the tourists walking around gazing eagerly at everything and carrying their cameras and maps. Of course he had seen all of this before and to Chris it was simply part of his city’s backdrop. However, on that day, he looked at the tourists and decided he would become one as well. He would tour the rest of his state.
Chris decided to start with a visit to Albany, the state capital. One of the first things he did when he got there was to take a tour of the New York Capital Building. He had seen it in pictures and postcards though to be honest he never really paid any attention to it. Standing there in front of it however, he was absolutely amazed. It was much bigger than he had imagined and the design was awe-inspiring. While he was there Chris learned that much of the building was designed with a focus on the Romanesque style. A lot of the building’s design also showed elements of Renaissance revival architecture.
Chris read that his capital building had been declared a National Historic Landmark in 1979, the same year he was born. This gave him a sense of pride in his state and also in the country. Not due to the same year of birth/historic distinction, but due rather to its incredible majesty appeal and the sense of permanence he gained from it. He went around to the back of the building and discovered the statue of George Washington there on the grounds. Touring the capital building was definitely a great start for Chris’s exploration of his own state.