the Way of the Turtle

2.5 Mile Walk to Downtown Albany and Through Washington Park
Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Had a lunch appointment down near Washington Park today, and the weather was once again unexpectedly sunny... so I walked down there and then on the way home wandered through the park for a while, something I'd been wanting to do for several years now. It's Albany's largest park, originally designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, and the layout reflects the mixture of wild and cultivated that many of his parks have. There are numerous walking paths, flower beds, a large pond with a lakehouse and bridge, and in one corner tennis and basketball courts. (For more info about the park and its history, I recommend the Washington Park Conservancy website.)

I wandered through several parts of the park, taking pictures of birds, squirrels, and flowers. No great surprise, I spent the most time walking the path around the pond and watching the ducks (with groups of almost-grown ducklings), turtles, and fish. The latter were especially easy to spot, since many of them had made nests near the shore.

I don't know that I'd want to go there all that often - it is right in the middle of Albany after all! - but it was definitely a nice side trip during my walk downtown today.

JMH