I am one of those who always assume capital city o...

I am one of those who always assume capital city of New York state was New York City until i visited Albany. It was a high wow factor at the State Capitol - to begin with, it is one of a very limited list of places in NY that is free for admission but what surprised me was almost every angle of it was a picture perfect scene, inside & out. Parking is free after 5 PM before it close by 7 PM weekdays. Make sure to see the grand Million Dollar staircase - costed a million dollars at the time it was built, appreciate the sculpture along the stair evolving from single biological cell at the ground floor to higher intelligent mammals to its top floor. The outside front stairs and garden were very elegant. I also had an extended stay at the park next to it - took lots of photos with the huge 'I Love NY' signage, the dumb sharped performing art arena, and those beautiful buildings around the park.