I-87 and some Corridor

Recently in my possession was a 24-70mm f/2.8 camera lens. So I drove down the interstate and into some of the surrounding towns to try it out.

The lens is great and I didn't expect any less. There is one problem with it that will be hard to overcome - I don't own it. At $2300 I'll have to hold off for now.

Side note: The police didn't appreciate me taking some of these pictures. They were concerned for my safety.

Architectural Parts Warehouse

In a quest to find a small wall-mounted sink with character we headed down to New York's great capital city of Albany.There, in a nondescript building located just off Central Avenue, is a warehouse filled with donated treasure that once outfitted the historic buildings and homes in and around the greater capital region.

Within moments of walking through the doors we found our sink.  Someone had just dropped it off and it hadn't made it back into the depths of the warehouse.  Normally I enjoy the thrill of the hunt so our score was somewhat bittersweet. But instead of turning around and heading home, we spent some time digging through all the loot searching for possible solutions to ongoing projects and also imagining new ones.

It's a great place to get creative.  Without naming names, someone found a picture frame they had stashed away on a prior visit.  The stars aligned and it made it to the car this time.  Though not on the list, and not in the budget, secretly we were both hoping to find a decent claw foot tub. No luck.

Most of the time if we don't find what we need it is because we're being too picky or too lazy.  It's wise to enter this place knowing some effort will be needed to revive or customize something that has been laying around for years.  You're only fooling yourself if you assume you'll walk out of there with something shiny and new and ready to be installed.  However, there is the exception.  We found our front door complete with all the original hardware and the original fitted jamb for just over $100.

From the Architectural Parts Warehouse:

:Since 1978, the Capital District's only not-for-profit architectural salvage warehouse.

Historic Albany Foundation strongly advocates the preservation of all historic buildings and encourages the retention of parts in their original settings.

We accept donations only of historic salvaged parts which would otherwise have been destroyed or lost.

We sell to architects, contractors, designers and do-it-yourselfers. The Architectural Parts Warehouse does not ship.  Please visit us at our showroom to purchase items and view our inventory."

89 Lexington Avenue Albany, NY 12206 518-465-2987 Map

Warehouse Manager: Dan Pardee Hours: W-F: noon - 5pm Sat: 9am - 5pm

If you plan on going don't forget your tape measure.  And if you plan on going in winter, bring a coat.  The Warehouse is only slightly warmer that the outside temperature.