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Published: August 13th 2013
BEV AND CHUCK
HORSES EVERYWHERE! THIS ONE AT THE RACETRACKSARATOGA SPRINGS, NEW YORK
I arrived in Albany from Sarasota as scheduled. I used some of my accumulated miles from previous trips to fly first class. First time I had booked first class (I have been upgraded on a few previous flights) and I know why it’s called first class. My car I booked at Hertz wasn’t ready, so they upgraded me to a bigger car. I only had to wait a few minutes, so the upgrade was a real gift. I got to my sister’s house earlier than she (Bev) expected, so my brother-in-law (Bob) and I checked out some of his home brew (very good) and some good beers from production breweries also. My sister prepared a great dinner featuring grilled steak. Sunday, I went to church at St. Mary’s in Ballston Spa. It is a pretty, older church right on the main street. After lunch at home, we went to a nearby Farmers’ Market and bought some fresh vegetables for dinner and I found a stand for a micro brewery and another stand of a small vinter. I did my best to support the locals and bought some of each. Then we went to the Saratoga Race
Track for a beautiful day of racing at my favorite racetrack. The track, oldest in the country, is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year and several events are scheduled through the meet. There was a good crowd of a little more than 22,000 there, we saw races form the top of the stretch and the grandstand apron. Later in the program we went to the paddock saddling area and watched the start of the post parade. Big time fun and I ended up exactly even at the betting windows; my sister won a few dollars, so it was a great day.
Tuesday was a big day. We planned several activities for the day and left after lunch to begin our itinerary. Saratoga Springs is one of the most charming small towns I’ve ever been in and I feel so fortunate to have been born and raised there. Racing season has more activities, but the downtown restaurants and pubs are active all year. We stopped at the family graves to pay our respects before heading downtown. We parked the car at a city garage near the center and began our walk heading south to the Casino Park, a beautiful city
IN THE PADDOCK
GOING TO THE STARTING GATE park with much history and, on this day, a craft show. The casino is part of the amazing history of Saratoga and is still used for weddings and special events. We then headed north and needed to stop at the Merry Monk Pub for some Belgian Brew and a brief rest. We continued our walk past many vintage buildings I remember from my past, but I was amazed at the number of new buildings, especially the many new condos in the downtown area. I stopped at the brand new bookstore and bought a souvenir book celebrating the 150 years of racing. Many good memories featured in the book. We sat outdoors at the Druther’s Brewery for dinner. The micro brewery had good brews and fine meals. We then headed to North Broadway, the location of several old mansions from the era of large, grand mansions of the wealthy patrons of the racetrack. They are still used in the summer and are joined by several recently built, impressive homes. Back to the car and the final feature of the day, the Yearling Horse Sales. The sale is the main reason I chose these dates to come to Saratoga. I’ve been several
times in the past, but the excitement of observing the magnificent animals and seeing the action of the auction is very entertaining. Only a block away from the sales property is the National Museum of Racing, an outstanding display of the sport’s history. I didn’t go this year because I went last year, but it is not to be missed if you enjoy racing. We walked about 7 ½ miles today (according to my sister’s pedometer) so we were tired when we got home.
1000 ISLANDS, NEW YORK
The commute to Watertown to visit my sister-in-law(Jo-Ann) and her husband (Bill) was uneventful except for my brief stop in Utica to visit my cousin-in-law’s (by marriage) widow. It was a pleasant visit and an opportunity to catch up on the events in each other’s life.
Bill, Jo-Ann and I went to dinner at The Boathouse, a restaurant on the water in Sacket’s Harbor, a pleasant town on Lake Ontario and the scene of battles during the War of 1812. The next day we went to the auditorium at the fairgrounds to see a stage show featuring The Village People and K. C. and The Sunshine Band. The crowd
DOWNTOWN SARATOGA
THE RIP VAN DAM - ONE OF THE VINTAGE HOTELS was enthusiastic and the music was loud. Saturday we went to Alexandria Bay, right on the St. Lawrence River and in the heart of the 1000 Islands tourist areas. We happened to pick the Pirate’s Weekend, so the village was crowded with visitors and with many in pirate costumes. We lunched at Riley’s and had dinner on the way back to Watertown at The Clipper restaurant in Clayton, a small village on Lake Ontario.
We went to Singer Castle on the St. Lawrence River. The boat ride was one hour each way from the dock in Alexandria Bay and a one hour guided tour of the castle, a 27 room structure designed as a retreat and hunting/fishing lodge. Interesting structure and history. It was named Singer Castle because one of the presidents of the Singer Sewing Machine Company used his millions of dollars to build the place. On the way back to the Bay, a stop was made at Boldt Castle, a beautiful structure designed as a gift to a wife by a very loving husband. The wife died before the structure was completed. So sad.
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Melanie
non-member comment
Hi to Bill and Jo-Ann
Hi Chuck I didn't realize you were out of town - and back in your hometown! Great photos. I love the ones of the Yearling sales - it looks like the "Barrett-Jackson" auction but for horses. I toured the 1000 Islands years ago in a top-forty band. Beautiful country up there! Please say hello to Bill and Jo-Ann for me from "Marina Jack". Safe travels - you will be missed at my upcoming performances. Melanie