Today, we drove from Croton, NY to Albany, NY to see a performance of Paula Poundstone at "The Egg". This theater is one of a modernist group of buildings near the New York State Capitol building that were commissioned by Nelson Rockefeller (if I recall correctly) to spur development in this area. Anyone driving to Albany will see some beautiful old buildings near this complex, as well as this complex. It's too bad that there is an economically depressed area near this peaceful area.
But first....
RQS had forgotten some of her diabetic supplies at home and wanted to buy some to keep at my place. So, we drove to the local CVS, where RQS had problems with the person working the pharmacy counter. RQS wanted to buy her supplies at retail prices, as her insurance wouldn't cover an early purchase. The woman behind the counter had no idea of what she should or could do, as all she knew was how to push buttons for insurance coverage purchases, and not for "full price" purchases. RQS was getting frustrated, and I decided to fill the car up with gas while RQS was trying to get things done at CVS. Well, it took a supervisor to fix RQS's problem (I should say that the problem was with the inexperienced counter clerk), and RQS was out of the store shortly after I returned from the gas station.
We finally were on our way to Albany at 3 pm, and got there around 6 pm. (We had stopped nearby for dinner before arriving at the Egg.) The theater was scheduled to open its doors at 7, not 6. So we decided to relax near "The Egg". In the upper picture, one will notice a bench near the entrance to the Egg. We sat by tables near this entrance. And this is where the "Almost Disaster" once happened. The following email to the office of the commissioner of police describes it best:
My partner and I drove to Albany, NY on July 25th to see a performance of Paula Poundstone at The Egg. We arrived early, and we were sitting outside on one of the nearby benches. Around 6:30 pm, a youth came up to us and asked us to help him take a picture of him and his cousin. We both were a bit suspicious, as he was posing in a way NOT to get his face in the picture, but to get a small shot of his cousin on his phone. (The weirdness of this caused us to both be concerned that something bad was going to happen.) While this was going on, another person on an e-bike was riding around the area. Both of us thought that a "grab and snatch" operation was being attempted, and we didn't give either of these people (both happened to be black, if that helps you identify them) the chance to make us victims.Please note that we were very lucky. Others may not be lucky in the future. Hopefully, there is something that can be done to make this area safer for the public.
Thank you
We were lucky. I'd hate to deal with Albany police AND try to get my car started so that I could go home. Even worse, I had over $500 in my handbag (as well as some credit cards and keys for both my car and house), as I had just gone to the bank for my weekly cash expenditures.
