A Visit to the Plaza - Empire State Plaza

Welcome to the Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza - one of the most spectacular capital centers in the country. Lucy and Sophie are GSPs who regularly visit the ESP because it is just down the street from our house. We all use it for exercise like an open air gym. The Plaza is the seat of government operations for New York State - it occupies 98 acres of land, with 11,000 employees in 10 buildings. The Plaza exists because of the vision and determination of one man, Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller, who wanted to create "the most electrifying capital in the world." Construction began in 1965 and was completed in 1978.

Sophie and I come down in the morning to run the stairs of the New York State Museum.

Where are Lucy and Sophie? Hiding in the art! Painting and sculpture from the 1960s can be found all over the Plaza, both above ground and below. Underneath the Plaza there is a mall filled with different shops and more art decorating the concourse.

Sophie loves to hop up on this 3 foot high wall. As we walk down the roadway she will hop up and hop off, hop up and hop off.

Dogs just want to have fun!

There are events in the Plaza throughout the year. Food festivals, fireworks and concerts, all bring thousands of spectators. Lucy and Sophie rock out on the stage.

Did someone say "food festival?" Yup, the ESP is a great place to be, for humans and GSPs.

An Invitation to You!

If you live in New York State and have an interesting historical or geographic site near you, let us hear from you! Lucy and Sophie love a good roadtrip! You can contact us at leslieajavarone@excite.com

4th of July at Hope Falls Basin - What is a gorge anyway?

On the 4th we were lucky enough to have one of our favorite spots all to ourselves for the day, Hope Falls Basin. We have been coming here for ten years. Lucy used to love to swim against the current when she was younger. Now she watches from the rocks and snaps at the deer, horse and black flies. Hope Falls is located just above Northville. The water cascading through the basin will join the Sacandaga River and empty into the Great Sacandaga Lake. At the dam in Hadley it will join the Hudson River and eventually make its way past Albany, down to New York City and into the Atlantic Ocean.

Sophie does a lot of thinking before she decides to jump in for a swim.






Over millions of years the water has worn away at the rock creating this beautiful gorge. The swirling water has also carved out many "basins" in the rocks.




Sophie likes to make the most of these basins.
This one was just her size!

Lucy did get some swimming in after a lot of convincing. But needed a towel to protect her from the flies afterward.












It was a great day, even with the flies!

A Little Bit About Sophie

Sophie is a live wire! She is super fast! She can jump a 6 foot fence without a running start. She is also super nervous. She worries about everything. She does NOT like to be separated from her "pack." It really wigs her out. Unlike Lucy, Sophie is afraid of everyone she meets. She might bark, but when she does she's saying "I'm afraid of you! Go away!" Sophie's birthday is 2/28/99. That makes her six years old. She's the big baby in our "pack."

A Little Bit About Lucy

Lucy is all lady. She even crosses her front paws when she lies down. Lucy is all about love. She has never met a person she didn't like. Lucy's birthday is 10/30/91. She's 13! She might not be as fast as Sophie, but she still runs, jumps and plays like a puppy. She's my Boo!

Welcome!

Lucy and my nephew, Dominic on the Great Sacandaga Lake
Sophie and I in a red mood.
Welcome to Lucy and Sophie Travel New York! Over the course of this summer you will see postings about the adventures of Lucy and Sophie. Who are Lucy and Sophie you might ask?

They are my German Shorthaired Pointers. The German Shorthair is specifically bred to find birds, but in the case of Lucy and Sophie they are on "point" to find interesting historic and geographic sites around the great state of New York!

Hang on, it's going to be a great summer!
Leslie