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.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Hyde Park, NY - 04/20/2013




This week-end we stayed at the Bykenhulle House Bed and Breakfast in Hopewell Junction. Great place to stay. Enjoyed morning conversations with Bill Beausoleil about Computer History (Bill is the host at Bykenhulle House).
Walked miles on various trails around Hyde Park. There are great Maps and Audio Podcasts available. The slide show is from a guided walk on Roosevelt Woods Trail (3.3 mile round trip). The trail starts at FDR Presidential Home, Springwood.  A few shots of the Bykenhulle House are included.

Hyde Park is a great place to walk.

Sunday, March 24, 2013

Gettysburg - Dinner with Abe, March 22, 2013


This weekend we visited Gettysburg, PA. and stayed at one of our favorite B and Bs - the Gaslight Inn.  A new restaurant was opening - One Lincoln (btw - excellent dinner) and we had the honor of meeting Abe Lincoln (actually, Jim Getty a well known Lincoln actor and historian)

We had a great discussion about Abe Lincoln's visit to Albany, NY on February 18th, 1861.  Jim Getty knew all about the visit. We also discussed a well known actor who was performing in Albany at the time.  Even though Mr. Lincoln was a BIG fan of the theater, he was just too busy to see the play.  However, Abe/Jim Getty noted that he had heard that the actor was injured by an accident with a dagger.  I told Mr. Lincoln (incorrectly) that a jealous girl friend caused the wound. 

I wasn't totally wrong.  It seems that the infamous actor visited Albany, NY on several occasions from February until April in 1861, and he was wounded twice!  The 1st time was February 12th, a few days before Mr. Lincoln was there; and the 2nd (when a jealous girlfriend stabbed him) was a few months later. 

See John Wilkes Booth performing in an Albany theater! - "...After his performance in Evadne, after the actors returned to the Stanwix Hotel to unwind and drink, Booth got into a fight with his then-girlfriend, actress Henrietta Irving, who claimed that Booth had promised to marry her – and then abruptly changed his mind. Irving lunged at Booth with a knife; Booth parried the knife away, but the glancing stab lacerated Booth’s cheek. That night, thinking that she had murdered her lover, Henrietta Irving would later stab herself in a failed suicide attempt. During his time in Albany, John Wilkes Booth almost stabbed himself in one performance, and was almost knifed after a second. Albany was obviously not a safe place for him, and he never performed in the Capital District again ...".

Saturday, March 23, 2013

03-23-2013 Gettysburg, Walking Union Lines



Had a great walk at Gettysburg National Military Park.  The walk covers 1/2 of the Union Lines as they existed on the third day of the battle.

Start at the visitor center, exit by the back patio and take the path to Meade's Headquarters.  Cross Taneytown Road and walk up to Cemetery Ridge.  Turn south on Hancock Ave., walk along the ridge toward the Pennsylvania Memorial.  The field that Pickett's Charge crossed is on your right.  The Confederate High water mark is also on your left at the corpse of trees.  Little Round top will be noticable as you pass the Pennsylvania Memorial.  While the climb is small from this end the view is quite spectacular.  The best way back (unless you want to double the distance and walk the Confederate Lines) is to return.

On the way back there was a small brush fire at Wiekert House and I stopped an helped the Ranger extinguish it.  Nothing like a little excitement during a pleasant walk. 

        Links


Create Maps or search from 80 million at MapMyWalk