Recently people have been joining me on my Sunday Walks in Downtown Albany. Typically, I walk in Albany when I'm scheduled as a tour guide on the USS Slater (DE Docent). A slide show and a map are detailed at this blog entry. The USS Slater is now open. I plan on walking in Albany on Monday, Memorial Day, May 27. You can contact me at: dedocent@gmail.com.

Saturday, April 30, 2011

2011-04-30 Las Vegas

During the last week of April we visited Las Vegas and managed to walk about 5 miles a day.

On almost a daily basis we walked the strip. In this post I outlined a 4- 1/2 mile loop that starts at Treasure Island/Mirage. Typical evening involved a walk on the strip, dinner and a show (Cirque du Soleil or Penn and Teller).

Some times during the day we managed to explore the wider region including: South Point, Lake Mead, Hoover Dam, Clark County Museum and Red Rock Canyon. We also visited the Atomic Testing Museum, but we didn't do much walking there.

Hoover Dam didn't involve much walking but there was opportunity to use plenty of stairs. One advantage of using stairs, no wait and plenty of room to spread out. There is a historic hiking trail that follows the rail road used to construct the Hoover Dam. It sounds real interesting - next time.

Red Rock Canyon has plenty of opportunities for walk/hikes. The drive is a twenty mile loop with a number of parking areas (with rest rooms). Most areas have trails heads. My wife and I took the easiest (Moenkopi Loop, starting at the visitor center).

Since we stayed at the Grand View next to South Point I walked a one mile loop around the condo and the nearby casino each morning.






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Saturday, April 16, 2011

2011-04-16 - Slater / Albany Walk Update

In the past I describes several walks around Albany and the USS Slater. This post details three separate walks: 1.) a short (less than 2 mile walk) to the Albany Visitor Center; 2.) a 2-1/2 mile walk to the NY State Capital; and 3.) a 4.2 mile walking tour of Albany that combines both walks, and a little more. The walks start at the USS Slater (link to visitor information and directions).

These three walks are designed for Scout groups visiting the USS Slater. The walks could help scouts who are actively seeking to earn the American Heritage Merit Badge and the Citizenship in the Nation Merit Badge. The USS Slater has volunteers who are merit badge counselors for these badges.

Each of these walks passes several sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The National Register is detailed in this great brochure. Wikipedia has a page detailing all of the Albany sites on the National Register.

Albany is one of the oldest cities in America. European History starts in Albany around 1540. Permanent (and continuous) settlement from 1614. The Albany City Charter dates from 1686 (Dongan Charter). On the walk, you'll walk in the footsteps of some very notable Americans. Benjamin Franklin chaired the 1st congress here (Albany Congress). Philip Livingston, a signer of the Declaration of Independence was born here. On the tour you will pass the site where the Declaration was 1st read to the citizens on Albany, on July 19th, 1776 (Dunlap Broadside). George Washington visited in 1782-83 (Mohawk Valley Tour). President Lincoln visited in February, 1861. General Grant visited on the 4th of July, 1865. Three Presidents lived in the Executive Mansion (when they were NY State Governors): Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt, and Franklin Roosevelt.

Not only did Lincoln visit here, he attended a play - guess who starred (details in Albany Times Union September 21, 2009 and May 7, 2009). During the visit, Lincoln stayed at the Delvan House (located at the Union Station) and the Actor stayed at the Stanwix Hotel (located at Maiden Lane and Broadway). The walking tour passes all these sites.





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