Drawing: Hidden City House & Garden Tour + Lark Street goodies

HAF Garden Tour .jpg

One of the gardens on this year's tour was frequented by FDR while he was Governor.

Drawing's closed! Winner's been emailed!

The Historic Albany Foundation's annual Hidden City House & Garden Tour is coming up in and around the Center Square neighborhood. Beautiful, historic homes and gardens will open as people go on a self-guided tour through the streets around Lark Street.

AOA has a pair of tickets for the tour -- and a basket of Lark Street goodies -- to give away. The prize package includes:

+ A pair of tickets to the Hidden City House & Garden Tour
+ Three $20 gift certificates to The Wine Bar and Bistro on Lark (gift certificates must be used separately)
+ Two $5 gift cards to The Brakes Coffee House on Lark Street.
+ A bottle of Perrier Jouet Grand Brut champagne from Capital Wine at the corner of State and Lark.

To enter the drawing, please answer this question in the comments:

Hidden gardens are lovely. What else is lovely?

We pass by things that are lovely everyday. If we're used to them, we may not notice, but sometimes they stop us in our tracks. Tell us about something you find lovely. Bonus points
if you tell us what makes it lovely in your eyes.

We'll draw one winner at random.

The Hidden City House & Garden Tour is Thursday, June 25 from 5-8 pm. The tour includes historic homes, backyard gardens, and some community gardens that are part of Capital Roots. Advance tickets are $15 and available online. After June 20, tickets are $20.

Important: All comments must be submitted by 11:59 pm on Thursday, June 11, 2015 to be entered in the drawing. You must answer the question to be part of the drawing. (Normal commenting guidelines apply.) One entry per person, please. You must enter a valid email address (that you check regularly) with your comment. The winner will be notified via email by noon on Friday and must respond by noon on Monday, June 15.

Comments

The family of finches in my hanging plant are lovely!!

I love it when I notice a beautiful bit of architecture on a building that I pass all the time but never have noticed. Some beautiful trim or a small stained glass window. It just reminds you that there's beauty everywhere--you just need to look for it.

I, too, love the historic architecture and the beautiful plantings in Albany, but I find that I look twice at the lovely sight of children playing outside. These days, in our ever-changing world, the sight of children outdoors is rare--it makes me think of running wild playing with my brother and our cousins. Gail

My kids!

The small architectural details - carved lions, flowers and assorted critters that can be seen all over the city if you just pay attention. Small amazing stained glass over doorways. Old iron railings flowing into patterns. Bits of loveliness stamped on Albany a century or more ago...

Walking the dog around Delaware Ave. before 6 a.m.

Eating dinner outside on a nice summer night.

My wife is lovely!

lazy summer sundays

Albany's tree lined (and finally green!) streets are quite lovely this time of the year.

The Central Park Rose Garden once the flowers bloom!

Hidden gardens ARE lovely, and so are Community Gardens! I'm so happy to be a part of the Capital Roots community garden on Hudson in Center Square. Yay for Historic Albany Foundation for what I'm sure will be a great event, and for partnering this season Capital Roots, too!

Arsenal winning the FA cup!

From Dictionary.com

Lovely: having a beauty that appeals to the heart or mind as well as to the eye

I think one of the most lovely sights is the view of Downtown Albany at dusk, as you come over the Patroon Island Bridge towards the city. The daylight fading behind the skyline, reflecting off the river...It is so 'home' to me...

My dad :) Father's Day is right around the corner!

Washington Park in the summertime. My fiance proposed to me there last year!

The way the sun hits the State Ed. building around dusk. It manages to find the gap between Alfred E. Smith and the Legislative Office Building and illuminates the corner of the building in this gorgeous orange glow.

Walking from my apartment to get Ben and Jerry's ice cream on Lark on a hot summer night.

People smiling at others sharing that brief moment of kindness.

The smell of blooming honeysuckle in the summer

Breakfast at Saratoga race course.

Exploring Albany on foot on a weekend morning, when the city isn't all a bustle and one can take in the historic architecture, patches of greenery, small coffee shops, and specialty stores.

Grilling outside in the summer!

I find Albany particularly lovely in the spring with the many flowering trees in bloom. The ephemeral nature of bud, then bloom, and then inevitable decay is part of the fragile beauty.

There's a brownstone on State St on Washington Park that always has a flag out on display. On Federal holidays it's usually the American flag. Other times, it'll be the NY State flag, or an Albany county flag.

There aren't a lot of flags on State St. so this one always really jumps out at me. I love how it looks -- a nice visual anchor as to where you are on the block (and where you are in the country.)

But what I think is really lovely is not the sight of a flag. It's the rustling sound it makes against the 120-year-old building. You can hear it from almost a block away. I don't know why exactly, but I love it. It is one of my favorite mini-landmarks.

Buckingham Pond

The baby robins living in the magnolia tree outside my apartment window.

Roof gardens, and summertime evening walks.

I'm afraid I'm going to repeat what others have said. Community gardens, with all of their different plots and veggies and gardening styles are lovely, and reflect something wonderful about the community in the Capital Region.

Having sunlight greet you in the morning, and then stay around until well passed work and dinnertime.

Long spring and summer days are lovely! Maybe this winter was just particularly bad, but every time I realize it is 7 pm and still light out I do a little happy dance inside.

My pea shoots unfurling from wet soil!

The tiny buds that are forming on all of my vegetable plants on my stoop are lovely.

Boating down the Hudson from Albany to Troy.

Cottonwood seed blowing on a gentle breeze in the golden light of the sun is lovely.

This sunshine today! (especially after the dreariness)

The NYS Capitol building because it stands as a symbol for progressive power of the past, present and future

The beautiful blossoming trees in my yard.

Old brick walls with chipped paint. The perfect backdrop for photos of my kids.

Schenectady seems to get more rainbows than anywhere else I have been, except maybe Ireland. They often happen as I am leaving work, and the sun is hitting the right angle. You can't beat that!

Running down by the Hudson is lovely!

A tree peony just hanging out in a garden. Any garden.

I think an evening stroll in the spring with someone you love or want to catch up with is quite lovely, because it engages your body, mind and spirit all at the same time.

It's lovely when all the neighbors start spending time on stoops when the weather gets nice!

Maria Popova, the queen of interestingly lovely ideas.

summertime evening in downtown troy :D

Clear & cool summer nights.

The great architecture, the dog - friendly people and easy access to both Washington and Lincoln Parks is what makes Center Square lovely.

When a neighbor raises their eyes to meet mine with a genuine greeting rather than pretend they didn't hear my "good morning."

The people.

Little details in the architecture of the row houses along Troy's Washington Park area (and surrounding row houses) are so lovely! I always notice something new on my walks, whether it be a little bit of ivy scaling some of the walls or intricate carved designs on the exterior. I'm sad that I missed the hidden gardens tour in Troy a few weeks ago and would love to go to Albany's tour.

Patio time on Lark St!

Seeing people walking their dogs after work! Dog as have been home bound and their owners office bound, and both are just bursting with energy and happiness. Oh, and bird baths in gardens and yards are lovely too. The yard fauna just love them for both drinks and baths.

Budding flowers

My dog is lovely because I love him.

I think the Christmas Tree Lighting on the Plaza is lovely!

Washington Park at sunset

A sunset and light summer breeze while reading a good book on the front porch.

I find it lovely to watch a play at Washington Park Playhouse on a warm, summer evening. It's a magical experience.

The smell after it rains.

Outdoor seating at restaurants. Nothing better than having the ability to eat just outside your favorite restaurants.

So lovely!
When my moer was alive she had tea roses, lilacs,mint and rubarb. When my parents died it just went to weed , wilth bamboo type shoots! Nothing worked until we had it mowed . Too bad, it was a thing of beauty in it's time!

The changing colors of Washington Park--spring through fall.

Terra cotta ornamentation on buildings like the Lake House in Washington Park

Just being outside...

I've spent a lot of time in and out of the hospital over the past year due to a chronic neurological illness. I am struck, each time I experience that first day of wellness, by the loveliness I witness just emerging back into my neighborhood.

(Also, the jizz trees on State St.)

The trails and waterfalls at Christman Sanctuary. So peaceful and serene.

The order is lovely driving past Albany and Colonie landfills.

The view of the sun setting from my center square apartment is lovely!!

All of the bird nests in our trees this spring! So much fun to watch them gathering and building them:)

Anything that makes me pause and be happy - from a beautiful flower, to a striking shadow, to a happy baby or my smiling dog.

I think it's lovely that we have so much free outdoor musical entertainment in the capital regions; and, it's a lovely day for Alive at Five.

My little postage stamp front garden which is filled with perennials that provide me with cut flowers for almost 6 months of the year.

Watching the birds....

I think the Hudson River is lovely, despite the fact that she's been polluted, abused, neglected. (Don't we all have baggage?) Going down to Jenning's Landing and inhaling the sights, sounds, and (relatively) fresh air surrounding the River is underrated :)

In reading all the previous comments trying to figure out what to say, I can relate and agree with the majority of comments. What I find lovely are the comments! It's so nice to hear the positive and what makes people smile about our area instead of the negatives. That's lovely!

I think that the architecture of these historical homes in albany are Lovely. I love everything about them. The wood they used the glass on the windows. Just Lovely in my eyes and it never disappoints me!

Spring weather in Albany!

Summer in new york is lovely! Especially on the water!!

The sound of Cohoes Falls after a strong, late-spring rain storm!

The Peony Festival at the Hildene in Manchester, VT. Absolutely beautiful!

The sound and sight of children playing on the street... Lovely.

Spotting community gardens around town and seeing what other people are growing is lovely.

It's lovely sitting in the seats at Alive at Five listening to great free music, sampling the food and feeling the fresh summer breeze.

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