Empire State Plaza Concourse

Such a fun ice skating experience. It’s free you just have to rent skates! Parking can be tricky but street/​meter parking is rest when you can find it ($ 1.25/hour). Skate rentals are $ 4 adults and you can use them all day or just an hour like we did. We want to come back during the evening!

This plaza is worth seeing. The buildings surrounding the central court are arranged in a striking manner creating a memorable sight. The large central fountain is certainly aesthetically pleasing and fascinating in and of itself. Looking southwest, the view of the plaza is almost futuristic. However, just when you might think you are in a later century, upon pivoting 180 degrees, the sight of the beautiful state capitol building at the other end of the plaza takes you backward in time. The view from the plaza platform is a plus and adds to the enjoyable nature of the visit. Without question, this is a must for your Albany itinerary. You won’t need to spend a long time there to appreciate this site.

The Empire State Plaza’s public and free art collection is impressive. Mostly mid-​century abstract expressionist paintings and sculptures — spread across both the concourse and the plaza. I went here a lot growing up, and still enjoy going to take in the neons, big brush strokes and large scale of these canvasses. Excellent.

We stopped by for a quick visit of the capital area from our way along the NY State Thruway. The capital area has cleaned up tremendously since I was there last many years ago. There are a ton of buildings to visit and photograph. The state capital building is really awesome. It was worth the stop.

I had a lot of fun here walking around seeing the train show and seeing outside

Boy is this concourse open and empty every time we arrive. No matter if it is Saturday 12 Noon or Monday morning at 10:30AM, the concourse is always empty. Although the concourse has several «restaurants», these restaurants gates are always closed up (following the August 2008 recession-​obviously financial problems caused shut-​down of).
Other than that, once and a while, you’ll see a go-​kart run past you, for those «governmentalists» who travel from one end of the court to the other. No one else is allowed to use them, or travel on them, if they were to ever find any.
Know your parking concourse area. «Parking concourse» lots are all accessible from the plaza. The concourse is staffed by security (that, I believe is watched only by video camera), but I don’t want to take chances (and neither should you).(Key point: Watch your back, no matter where you are in the building, and know where you’re going to, and how to from point A to point B!)
Although there were a few times when I couldn’t take the parking garages underneath the concourse for certain reasons, if its a weekend, I/​we always recommend using the concourse parking garages underneath. With a simple photo ID check, you can park in certain areas for free.
Between all the stuff that exists around the concourse (the Egg, the Times Union Center Albany Rats games, or Washington Park festivals), it’s all accessible from this building. But even if that stuff doesn’t impress you yet, there’s even more, with the really good artwork, no matter where you are. We aren’t really a fan of art, but just looking at it, and being told about it by a friend (of it being spectacularly painted) attracts people left-​and-​right.

This whole area looks good on it’s surface. Designed by architect Wallace Harrison (
) it was ambitiously built, but perhaps rather difficult to navigate. What’s more it is most of the time devoid of people, even during the work week when you’d expect there to be more people sitting and eating their lunch.
It reminds me of the grandiose vision in Brasil’s capital city Brasilia created by architect (
) which is equally ambitious yet lays mostly unused. Ah car culture… what a beautiful thing.

Okay, Empire State Plaza Concourse, you got me. And by «got me,» I mean that entering you from the street to get down into your bowels, I tripped down your slippery stairs wearing a skirt suit, high heels and silk stockings. And oh, boy, did I fall hard.
Skinned knees, ankles, and a run in my stockings from the knee all the way to the finish line. And right before an important meeting, Empire State Plaza Concourse. Come on! Couldn’t you have tripped me *after* the meeting?
Thank you to the nice lady in the ladies’ room who gave me some band aids and to the other nice lady who told me where to find the first aid station (which I didn’t end up utilizing). Bonus thanks to all the lawyers who stopped to stare at me awkwardly and to the weird guy who kept saying that falling down the stairs was «no way to get famous.»
Empire State Plaza Concourse? I’m scared of you. The next time I return, I will wear sneakers and jeans.

Sure, you’ve been to the NYS Museum, gone to a show at the Egg, seen the River Rats at the Knick (or whatever corporate sponsor name it’s called these days), and go to the Tulip Fest at Washington Park every Mother’s Day weekend. But have you seen the artwork in the Empire State Plaza concourse?
This is one of my favorite places to take friends before hitting up lunch somewhere like El Loco. Out of towners and life-​long 518 residents alike usually haven’t been down to this subterranean gate between the NYS Museum and the Corning Tower. Or if they have, they probably neglected to check out the most spectacular collection of mid 20^th century pop art that I’ve ever seen.
Most of the artwork down here is just strange. A tapestry looks, as one of my friends put it, «like a cow was just slaughtered on it.» There are strange stainless steel cube things that remind one of a three dimensional Escher drawing. One of the paintings is just a line drawing, and I always wish I could paint it in. My favorite may be the giant curving lines that are painted Pepto Bismol pink (among many other vibrant hues) and remind me of an intestinal track.
But really, my explanations can do this art collection no justice. Next time you’re in Albany, go to the concourse and see for yourself!