Fun in Saratoga

Important Funsaratoga.com news

I received the honor earlier this summer to have Jonathan Greene and Dale Willman of Saratoga Wire, Saratoga Springs' new news web site which will be focusing on local news, approach me and ask me to write for their new endeavor.  I have been wondering for a few years now what to do with this web site Funsaratoga.com. I have appreciated the positive feedback and incredible number of pageviews, not to mention the Saratogian's best blogger award in 2010, but I knew for the past few years I needed to either bring this blog to the next level, find a partner to create something new, or abandon it and move on. 

I hated the idea of abandoning this web site, which I have been operating for almost 6 years.  I had other very important professional pursuits ensuring police officers were effectively represented by honest and effective unions (read: my day job), so it made sense to join on with something that required only limited time from me and was aiming for something big.  Saratoga Wire is something big, and I am thrilled that they asked me to blog for them. 

I will be writing at least once weekly for Saratoga Wire, and you can read my first entry here which will also give you my overview of just what is happening at the Saratogian's first true competitor in several decades. 

I am simply not sure what I will do with this blog, which I truly love writing.  I will continue this rewarding hobby over at Saratoga Wire, and perhaps I will supplement my work for that site with other entries on my Funsaratoga.com site.  Or not.  Perhaps I will just soley blog on Saratoga Wire and shut this blog down.  Time will tell.  Please check on Saratoga Wire regularly for my submissions, give me feedback, and I will try to figure out the future of this blog in the coming weeks. It's all good - Take care folks.

Saratoga Snippets August 26, 2012

Hello folks.  Here we go with some thoughts:

• Well the Travers was sure fun, but man Sunday's crowd on a sunny and hot (but not sweltering) day sure seemed very light.  In any event I'll stay with the positive and compliment NYRA with a great Travers Day and a historic dead heat.
• The biggest rip-off at the track is the "Freshly Squeezed" Lemonade.  It's flavored sugar water with a big slice of lemon in it.  I miss the old vendor who truly made freshly squeezed lemonade right in front of you.
• Last weekend's Arlington Million sure had plenty of Saratoga Jockeys showing up.  That was good to see, especially when Ramon Dominguez took the big prize.  Damn he had a good eight days there - winning two million dollar races plus many more in between.
• The peaches at the Farmers Market sure are delicious.  I don't even remember what vendor I bought them off of, but they sure remind me of this Seinfeld seen:  http://youtu.be/P-sfk3PGQDg (embedding was disabled but that will link it).
• It's still sad to see the empty Borders, Beverly's, Grey Gelding - not to mention most of South Broadway (especially the diner).  On the other hand, the Bonacios new cinema excites me.
• I want to go to Saratoga Polo - but it's tough to go to the races all day and then want to go see polo in the evening.  Too much of a good thing.
• At one point when I wasn't looking the "Toga Tattlers" went from four to three.  Did I miss some drama?
• Again when I wasn't looking NYRA changed the 17-minute bell to the 16-minute bell.  C'mon NYRA I can't take the volatility!
• What happened to Alan Garcia?  Just a couple of years ago he was winning NYRA meets and riding horses in Triple Crown Races - and winning the Belmont Stakes aboard Da' Tara in 2008.  In this year's Saratoga meet he has nine wins on 69 mounts - which places him at 13th on the list.
• I think NYRA is way off base charging $100 for the New Owners luncheon.  Charge them $20, fill up the room and dare everybody to dream, and consider it a loss-leader for the good of not just NYRA but the whole industry. I think you'd get a lot more potential owners that way.
• Can we come up with an ordinance that says there will be no Halloween items out for sale until after Labor Day?
• Speaking of local laws, the 4am bar closing time issue seems to be quiet lately.  But now that I said that there will be three articles on it this week.

OK folks that's it for now.  I will be writing something later in the week - perhaps with some news about the future of this blog.  Have a great week!

Social Media Day this Sunday at Saratoga Race Course

 

Social networkers will "like" a day at the races at the inaugural Social Media Day at Saratoga Race Course on Sunday, August 26. The all-new event for the 2012 meet will invite local and regional bloggers, Facebook fans, Twitter followers and other social media gurus to attend a special on-track meet-up and network in-person while enjoying a day of world-class thoroughbred racing. The first 1,000 social media users to register on-track and show that they have "liked" The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) on Facebook or follow NYRA on Twitter will receive a free commemorative Social Media Day T-shirt. The first 300 fans will also receive a program book. "Social Media Day meet-up attendees will have access to a special reserved seating area in the backyard near the Big Red Spring, which will feature a number of activities for social media users, including trivia contests, giveaways, and music from Ernie Munick. A number of well-known NYRA jockeys, broadcast analysts and social media personalities will visit the area to meet fans and followers throughout the day, including: NYRA on-air personalities: Andy Serling (@andyserling), Maggie Wolfendale (@maggiewolfndale) and Richard Migliore NYRA jockeys: John Velazquez, Ramon Dominguez, Rajiv Maragh (@RajivMaragh)and Julien Leparoux (@julienleparoux) NYRA trainers: Christophe Clement (@clementstable), Gary Contessa (@GaryContessa), Mark Hennig (@Hennigracing) and David Donk (@equend) NYRA will host several contests during the event on its Facebook page and Twitter account, including the opportunity to win a signed program from the 2012 Travers and reserved seats for the Grade 1 Woodward on Saturday, September 1; and a photo caption contest on Twitter with the winners being re-tweeted by NYRA and posted on the NYRA Facebook page. Additionally, one racing fan who RSVPs affirmatively to the Social Media Day event page on Facebook will receive a special race day experience. El Verano Taqueria at The Post will offer trackgoers a number of special Social Media Day meal deals, including: small regular Box Frites with one sauce and a regular fountain drink for $6; and tacos or quesadilla and a regular fountain drink for $10. NYRA also invites fans to go behind-the-scenes through the new "Saratoga All-Access" YouTube series. The web video series posted on NYRA's YouTube channel offers viewers an inside look at track places and happenings, including an exclusive tour of the Jockey House with Richard Migliore. The Saratoga All-Access page can be found at http://www.youtube.com/nyravideo.   Fans are invited to connect with NYRA online at facebook.com/thenyra; youtube.com/nyravideo; and @nyranews. For more information on special events at Saratoga Race Course, please visit nyra.com/saratogaevents.shtml.       For more information visit NYRA.com

Saratoga thoughts July 17, 2012

Heeere's Johnny Track season!  And here's what I'm thinking near the eve of the 144th meet of the Saratoga Race Course:

• If you love Saratoga a fraction as much as I do, then give a hand to John Morrissey, whose vision a century and a half ago to make Saratoga Springs a horse racing center (OK, a horse racing and gambling center) really made the Spa City what it is today, and ultimately saved us from becoming another Amsterdam, Utica etc.  Without John Morrissey (and  William R. Travers, John R. Hunter, and Leonard Jerome) we likely would not have a track season in Saratoga. If you don't know who John Morrissey is, then I'll link a Wikipedia entry on him here. That entry doesn't do him justice - and he wasn't all good - but he sure was a thinker and a doer, not to mention a great boxer.   
• The Saratoga Race Course meet may be starting on July 20th, but NBC's TV coverage of Saratoga won't start until three weeks into the season, on August 11th when the NBC Sports Network broadcasts the Grade 2 Fourstardave Handicap. That's a big difference from last year, when NBC was covering races starting on July 23rd.  Tell me again why Time-Warner doesn't carry HRTV? 
• Virgin Alexander, the movie filmed in and around Saratoga Springs, gets released on Amazon today, and presumably will also be available on Netflix as well.  Margarita and I saw it last year at the Spectrum, and you can read my review that I wrote about the movie here.  I'll also post a video of the trailer below - note that the opening scene is Gardiner's Alley behind Uncommon Grounds above Putnam Den.

• Damn they did a nice job on the Route 9P bridge over the Northway.  It looks clean and modern - not to mention roomy enough for bicyclists and pedestrians.
• If you were wondering what happened to Jamie Munks, who recently left the Saratogian, she is now writing for the Post-Star, which I believe is where she originally was working.  She wrote this article this week about the upcoming track season.
• Here's a Forbes article about Philanthropy in Saratoga Springs.  Don't worry, I didn't read it either.
• Did you know the National Museum of (Thoroughbred) Racing and Hall of Fame, located of course here in Saratoga Springs on Union Avenue, has an app that you can download?  I use the RedLaser app, but there are others too, to scan for apps, videos etc.  You can download Red Laser or one of the others and then scan this below to get the Racing Museum app: 

    

• So is Siro's Restaurant ever going to acknowledge on their web site that their original restaurant, you know, the one that's been around since World War 2, is located in Saratoga Springs - and not Manhattan?  Other than the music calendar and some historical references, you'd never know there is a Siro's in upstate NY.  Ditto Siro's Facebook page, which is all about Manhattan - just three days before track season. 
• Speaking of NYC, a reader alerted me to this New York Times article about Genting's Aqueduct Casino, which of course affects NYRA and therefore Saratoga directly.
• Around and about: It's the Final Week of the NYC Ballet at SPAC.  Next year, opening week will be final week.  What a change a few years makes. You have until Thursday to get $20 off a bill (minimum $60 total purchase) at Chianti.  Saratoga Coffee Traders talks about their family and offers a coupon here.  The Silks and Satins 5K will be held this Saturday, and they are still looking for volunteers.

That's about it for now folks.  I have a busy week ahead, so I have no idea if I will get a chance to post more before next week.  Enjoy opening day - the weather looks like it will be absolutely great!

Saratoga Thoughts July 9, 2012

It's summertime, summertime, sum sum-summertime, summertime, summertime, sum sum...you get the idea.  Here's one Saratogian's thoughts a third of the way through July:

• Damn can you believe track season starts at the end of next week?   I'm excited, albeit a bit concerned with how summer is flying by.  I took this pic below off of NYRA's Facebook page.

• I hate to see SPAC reduce the NYC Ballet's residency here to just one week.  I enjoy going, and I enjoy the fact that our city is about more than just horses.  The Saratogian had a good editorial on that important issue here.
• Elizabeth's Table has its outdoor patio set up.  I stopped in with my father-in-law on Saturday for a great lunch. 

• It seems like the Great American Grill restaurant at the Hilton Garden Inn is actually trying to be a....restaurant.  I keep seeing signs out there advertising breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and I think I saw some advertising in the Saratogian.  It just doesn't feel like a dining place that can get traction from much other than the hotel's guests.
• I guess it was pretty obvious that the Post-Star had given up on reporting Saratoga Springs news when they let Tom Dimopoulos go.  If there were any lingering doubts, they were erased when I noticed that the Saratoga Snippets blog is no more.  It only made sense, since Dimopoulos left there was no one left to keep it updated.
• The Firecracker 4 was certainly a success this year.  Both Margarita and I, not to mention my sister-in-law and father-in-law, ran it.  Looking forward to the Silks and Satins.
• It's blueberry season at the Saratoga Farmers' Market.  Don't forget the market is also open from 3-6pm on Wednesdays.  Also don't forget you can take the Saratoga Springs Food Tour at 12:30 from the Saturday market - damn I keep forgetting about that.

• Saratoga Springs Supervisor Matt Veitch was quoted in yesterday's Times Union about his appreciation for the Louden Trail, in Wilton, just outside the city limits.  It was a nice article that asked "three long-time Saratogians about their favorite Summertime Pursuits", but I can't find a link. The piece also included answers to that question from City Center President Mark Baker and Hatties Owner Beth Alexander (who incidentally did not list the Race Course Carousel as one of her favorite Spa City places).   In any event the article prodded Margarita and I to trek out to the country, strap on the high-end hiking gear (old running shoes and cotton shorts), spray on liberal doses of bug spray, and go on a long journey to find the Louden Trail.   The reality is that it was about 10 minutes away off the BJ's parking lot, but what a great little trail it was.  We enjoyed our 1 mile hike through the woods - where it was hard to believe that there was a shopping mall just hundreds of yards away.  It's a nice little gem and Matt Veitch should be proud of his accomplishment in getting that trail built.  If you haven't checked it out it's worth going to. 

• Margarita and I also made hopped on the Congress Park Carousel. No matter how old you are you should take a few rides per summer on the historic carousel, which is so perfectly situated in the park off of Springs Street.
• Margarita and I also stopped out to the Ice House Saturday night and danced a little to Garland Nelson and Soul Session.  That's a great band and! The Ice House used to seem so obnoxious to me (read: crowded) but that place is starting to grow on me.
Around and about:  Chianti is offering $20 off between now and Racing season. Maestro's counters that by announcing "Every Hour is Happy Hour".  The Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation announced its summer events.  Here is a listing of the NYC Ballet nights at SPAC.  Here is the July update from Saratoga Arts.  There is some sort of big poker tournament event at The Parting Glass on Sunday, July 15th.  The Saratoga YMCA will be closed Wednesday from 9-11am for a "scheduled power outage".  Saratoga Olive Oil is offering July savings and a free gift basket. Putnam Market is offering Montgomery Cheddar - which they feel is "one of the best cheeses in the world."  OK, I'm there soon!  That's it for now folks, have a great week!

Saratoga Thoughts July 3, 2012

And let's see if I can start the week off with getting the ol' blog updated.  Here are one Saratogian' thoughts two and a half weeks away from track season:

• Speaking of track season, it sure is starting to feel like it already arrived with the crowds, traffic etc. It's not quite up to August levels, but you can feel the proximity.  That is a good thing.
• Catching up on some old news, despite the limited reassurances from the Saratogian, I can't help but feel sad to know their building got sold and they'll likely be out of there in three years.  I get it, it's cheaper to park someone at Uncommon Grounds on a laptop than to pay for an office in a valuable building - I just don't like it. 
• Speaking of the Saratogian, Jamie - we hardly knew ya!  Recently departed reporter Jamie Munks was there for about a cup of coffee before she left.  Let's hope they are able to find someone who sticks around for a while - JRC upping the paltry salary may help.
• I missed strawberry season at the Farmers' Market!  Damn.  I went there a couple of weeks ago later in the morning and they were sold out.  I went early on Saturday, but it's the very end of the season and the pickings were slim.
• There is a pasta dinner at the Holiday Inn tonight (7/3) for those running in tomorrow's Firecracker 4.  $12 will get you a dinner that Includes tossed salad, pasta with or without sauce and meatballs, rolls and iced tea or lemonade.  There will also be a doughboy eating contest right after the race with 7 Esperanto customers facing off against 7 chosen Firecracker 4 runners. 
• When did the Mexican Connection become a "Tequilaria"?  I ran by there last week and saw the sign said it was a Tequilaria and I didn't know if that was a new branding thing or something that's been around for years that I didn't notice.  I found some old pics online where the Mexican Connection sign said "Cantina", so there was a change somewhere along the way.  I see Mannix Marketing is handling their web site - well someone is doing a sloppy job along the way because the web site and Facebook Page alternately refer to the Nelson Avenue Restaurant as a "Tequilaria" and a "Tequilera". 

 

• On that same run, I noticed that the South Broadway Mobil is now a Red-Kap store.  As is the case with all Spa City gas stations, the gas there is still overpriced, in case you were wondering.
• 
  I'm damn excited about the new theater planned for the old Price Chopper location.  Tom Dimopoulos had an interesting idea when he tweeted that he'd like to see the Theater open up showing Saratoga films on all 11 screens.  The Times Union also had an article last week about the movie theaters that were in the Spa City decades ago.
• The You Idiot blog had a couple of interesting posts recently.  One was about the new 28 Tables keeping a full menu available until midnight, the other was the rumor about Orange County Choppers possibly opening in the old Borders location.  I got a kick out of reading the back-and-forth comments on his post about Chef Mark Graham going to Max London's.
• Another blog I like is Saratoga Mama, but she has gone back to family-friendly posts like "Vacation Bible School in Saratoga County – 2012 Roundup" and "More Perks from the Libraries in Saratoga County".  C'mon Colleen!  You have to utilize both of your talents, the first of course being the ability to write well on parenting issues in the Saratoga region, and the second to get fired up and go off on sub-par Saratoga Springs restaurants, and Ellwood Commons being a bust so far. Sigh.  I guess I'll go back to reading You Idiot for controversy and drama. 
• Speaking of Ellwood Commons, I see BBL Construction is opening a Recovery Sports Bar there.  Maybe they read Saratoga Mama's blog.

OK folks, that's it for now.  See you at the Firecracker 4!

 

 

Saratoga Thoughts June 13, 2012

Here's what's in one Saratogian's mind as he wonders how summer snuck up on him yet again.

• Geez what a shame I'll Have Another didn't run in the Belmont. On the positive side, at least the injury was something that's manageable and wasn't a tragedy.   I'll Have Another's running would have been great for NYRA too, although I guess they had a strong crowd and tremendous betting nonetheless.  Well congratulations to Union Rags and his Team.  Let's hope we see him at the Travers. 

• I wonder what the sales figures are at the new Price Chopper, and if it will spur similar Golub family ventures in other urban areas.  Hello Golubs, are you reading this?  Downtown Albany, near my office please.

• The Chestnut Tree Inn is back on the Market - this time for $649,000.  It has been on and off the market since 2009, when it was originally listed for $725,000.

• Meanwhile, the Batcheller Mansion price has been lowered yet again to $2.7 million, less than half its original $5.5 million asking price.  At some point, and I am afraid that will be this summer, it will be priced to sell.  Margarita and I really love that place and we're sad to see it for sale.
• Not far away from those two B&Bs, the Westchester House B&B, over at Five Points, is still for sale for $799,000.
• And still not far away from those three places, over on South Broadway, the Pizza House/Alexandra's Ice Cream was sold to Adirondack Trust for $410,000.  I assume that is a foreclosure or another less aggressive bank takeover of a mortgaged property.  The Fun Saratoga field agent, who has apparently been on strike because this is the first good tip he's given me since winter, alerted me to that one in the Saratogian.
• Boy that old Beverly's location sure looks...empty.
• Is that patio in the back of the West Side Stadium new?
• I sure wish the Wednesday Farmer's Market would go from 4-7pm, instead of 3-6.  Those of us coming from Albany have a tough time making it there by 6. 
• Man, Saratoga Mama sure exposed Ellsworth Commons for being a flop so far, especially on the commercial side of things.  The Saratogian credited her via Twitter with that post and did a story of their own on the slow going there.
• I had a nice pizza dinner with some friends out at Harvest and Hearth on Fish Creek two weeks ago.  The place was doing pretty good business on a Wednesday night.
• I'm looking forward to trying the newest Zechini Restaurant, Boca Bistro, but I'll give them a few weeks to work the kinks out. 

Around and About:

• Click here to learn about Longfellow's Summer Wine Dinner.
• And here to read Saratoga Coffee Trader's summer newsletter, which has some coupons.
• And to work off some of those calories from Longfellow's Summer Wine Dinner and the goodies from the other places, click here to learn about the Saratoga Regional YMCA's Summer Tennis programs.
• SPAC is pushing gift certificates for Father's Day.  I love SPAC, but not sure if I'm feelin' that one.
• If Dad's not into SPAC, maybe he'll be into Saratoga Olive Oil's Fathers Day specials.
• After Dad gets excited about the Phish show and the basil olive oil, maybe he'll want to go to Duo for their sushi class or Father's Day blunch. Orrrrrr not.  Don't blame the messenger.
• The Saratoga Springs Food Tour seems like a fun thing to do.  It is on Saturdays at 12:30 starting at the Farmers Market.  I am hoping to check it out one of these Saturdays.
• I've never been to The Wishing Well, but I've heard good things about it.  They have a number of specials for Father's Day and beyond.

OK that's it for now folks.  I've been enjoying reading Saratoga Mama and the You Idiot Blog, so keep an eye of them for breaking news and opinion. 

Saratoga Thoughts June 4, 2012

Well I was sure busy last week, and therefore have not done much blogging.  I had a little bit of extra time this weekend, so here are one Saratogian's thoughts to start off the week:

• The Thirsty Owl Wine Tasting Room, at the former Kimberly Inn, sure is coming along.  The owners told the Saratogian back in October that they hoped to open by July 1st.  I'm not sure if they'll make that date, but track season seems like a go.    You can link Thirsty Owl's Facebook Page here.  That's good to see new signs of life on South Broadway - now if only the diner would open back up.

 

• Speaking of out of town businesses opening Spa City locations, I checked with Spot Coffee, the Canadian company with several locations in Buffalo that is planning on opening a location in the Market Center Building.  It looks like that location won't open until fall.  I recently stopped by one of the suburban Buffalo locations -it's a clean bright store that looks like it will fit in well on Railroad Avenue. 

• The vacant Peppers Market on Lake Avenue sure is looking...abandoned.  I think it's leaning even more than ever.   I'd like to see someone go in there and open it back up - I love cool neighborhood delis where you can get some good prepared food, the newspaper, and even a few groceries. 
• Did you see Universal Preservation Hall profiled in the Times Union in their front page article headlined "Old Churches Still have Prayer"?  Good for Teddy Foster and UPH for some positive press!  Check out the pics with the article.  Click here for UPH's monthly newsletter.
• The movie Virgin Alexander, filmed in and around Saratoga Springs, will be released on DVD on July 17. Well it wasn't a great movie but it was still filmed in Saratoga.   
• I attended a function at Longfellows recently - damn they have a good operation there.  The food was served to 70 people quickly and it was hot and delicious.  I was at a different catered event recently in a supposedly nice place (out-of town) and the food was cold and not good.  Good for Longfellows for being a great place - as well as its sister restaurant The Olde Bryan Inn. 

That was sure a rough storm last Tuesday. What a shame that old tree at Empire State College fell down - those big old trees are treasures and really add to the feel of Union Avenue.  Oh well I guess it's just Mother Nature again showing us who's boss.

Around and about:

The Final Deadline for the Firecracker 4 is June 4th - that's today folks. 

Check out Saratoga Olive Oil's June newsletter, which includes discounts, Fathers' Day specials, and more.

Check out information here on the Turf Club's Happy Hour and breakfasts.

Click here to read about SPAC's Gala.

OK that's if for now folks.  Have a great week.

Rumor Mill: A movie theater will be built on the old Railroad Ave Price Chopper location

If you want a blog spreading rumors with at least an 80% record of that rumor actually being a fact, then check out the You Idiot blog.  So with that being said, this blogger heard on the street that there will be a movie theater, possibly an IMAX, built at the location of the old Price Chopper on Railroad Avenue next to the new Market Center Building.  I don't have the impressive rumor-to-fact ratio as the You Idiot blog, who incidentally is reporting a rumor of a new cajun restaurant coming to town possibly at the aforementioned Price Chopper site, but my source has his ear to the ground here in the Spa City.  So it's only a rumor, but one that I would think most of us would like to see come true. 

ESPN blog: NYRA is necessary

I read an interesting ESPN blog post yesterday, convincingly stating that NYRA is necessary for the good of horse racing and that a governmental takeover would be a bad thing.  You can read that here.