Giornale

Albany was a relieving experience for me. I was interested to see how the trip would play out and how our class would interact with the experience. Being classmates is one thing but being travel companions is another. I was relieved to find an ease about the trip.
After a bit of slight panic from those who were a few minutes late, and some complimentary donuts from Mark, we were off. At first, I let my stress overtake me during the car ride. I had been on a trip all day the day before and my mind was preoccupied with thoughts of greek translations and english essays I had to finish. But driving along the highway my racing mind became distracted by the blurred cars that passed us in the opposite direction. And thinking further, I realized that everyone else in the car was filled with the same worries as I. Afterall, we were the car that had chosen to opt out of Druther’s for dinner. Believe me, someone who passes up an opportunity for beer-cheese dip and macaroni and cheese is someone who is very stressed out. I saw the signs for Albany begin to fly by and tried to focus on putting my list of things to do out of my head by take long slow breaths-- a technique that my mother always reminds me of.

Albany to me, honestly, has always been ugly. Stepping out of the car, I looked at the brutalist buildings in the distance I was reminded of my sister’s description of the city as “the armpit of New York.” The only experiences I personally have had there involve the bus station, which isn’t exactly the definition of beauty.

We got our infamous tech before we set off for the plaza and to no surprise my set seemed to be faulty. I’ve always had the kiss of death when it comes to anything technological. Anyways, we started walking with the banter of Spinner and Curley as a pleasant background noise. Lauren remarked to me that in Rome it will be like “we have our own free tour guides” and I laughed in agreement. On our way to our destination, the class was led into a serene cove created by a surrounding circular wall of hedges. It seemed to be a little pocket of quiet in a loud city. The area was home to a World War II monument and we gathered as a class discussing monumental purpose. When we were all gathered to one side I noticed a young man, a little boy, and a dog show up and stand in front of the monument. The young man closed his eyes almost like he was praying but only for a moment. When I saw this, goosebumps formed all over my body. We have spent so much time talking about monuments but I have never witnessed something like that; I’ve never witnessed for myself someone using a monument as a prayer. I remember my eyes falling back upon the monument’s inscription in that moment, which said something along the lines of: “They gave their lives today, so that we could live tomorrow.”
Finally arriving at the plaza, I was surprised by the amount of people who were there. People were dancing and playing and living in the rarity of the sun. We gathered on the steps of the museum and looked out on the display before us. I tried to keep an open mind. It was beautiful, I’m sure, according to some other people. I decided I just don’t have the correct mindset for the plaza. I’m not a Rockefeller, the wonders of the corporate world have never been anywhere within the realm of my interest. As I looked out across the vast tones of gray, however, I tried to pretend I was someone else. Take away my preference for all things classical and you’re left still with an appreciation for architectural phenomena-- something that is definitely present within the plaza. The egg, in my opinion, is ugly and throws off the symmetry of the plaza, but it is an architectural work of genius. Agency buildings 1-4 actually scare me. My mind wondered how all of the weight of a building could be placed on top of the such a small first level. It gave me the chills and I didn’t like it but I appreciated it.

As the day went on, I found myself getting more and more excited for Rome. In a city that I normally found bland, we were able to have interesting conversation and enjoy ourselves while doing so; I can’t even imagine what it will be like in a city full of beautiful and dynamic places. I gained a new perspective on Albany: the “armpit of New York” can be a beautiful armpit under the right circumstances.

Albany, New York
Sunday, April 7th

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