| For well over a century, SARATOGA SPRINGS, just 42 miles north of Albany on I-87, was very much the place to be seen for the northeast's richest and most glittering names. At first, the town's curative waters were the main attraction; then John Morrisey, an Irish boxer, transformed things by opening a racecourse and casino during the 1860s. At one time, the Morgans, Vanderbilts and Whitneys all had houses in the town, and Diamond Jim Brady, the flashiest among the 1920s nouveau riche, was one of its most ostentatious visitors. Saratoga Springs retains the feel of an exclusive vintage resort during the August horse racing season, but for the rest of the summer it is accessible, affordable and fun. Broadway, the main axis, takes in just about every aspect of the modern town from lurid motel signs to the Gothic and Renaissance residential palaces on the northern tip of downtown; most of the town's many good bars are here or in the few blocks just east. The carefully cultivated Congress Park, off South Broadway, laid out for the curistes, remains a shady retreat from town center traffic. Three of the original mineral springs still flow up to the surface here, funneled out into drinking fountains (the water is tepid and salty, but some people swear by it). Also here is the original casino, which when built formed part of a whole city block; it now houses a small historical museum (May–Sept Mon–Sat 10am–4pm, Sun 1–4pm; Oct–April Wed–Sat 10am–4pm, Sun 1–4pm, closed Dec–Jan; $3; tel 518/584-6920). The racetrack (season runs late July through August, post time 1pm; grandstand $2; tel 518/584-6200) still functions in a rather grand, old-fashioned manner, though there is no longer a strict dress code (beyond shirt and shoes) for the grandstand or the clubhouse (no shorts or tank tops). There's no such pretension at the harness track on nearby Crescent Avenue (evening meetings several times a week May–Nov; $2). If you can't get to either, visit the array of paintings, trophies and audiovisual displays at the National Museum of Racing and Thoroughbred Hall of Fame on Union Avenue at Ludlow Street (Mon–Sat 10am–4.30pm, Sun noon–4.30pm; $7; tel 518/584-0400). On the southern edge of town, green Saratoga State Park (daily 8am–dusk; $4 per car) presents opportunities to swim in great old Victorian pools, picnic, hike or even bathe in one of two bathhouses (Wed–Mon 9am–4pm; tel 518/583-2880). The Saratoga Performing Arts Center (tel 518/587-3330) – or SPAC – was built during the 1960s in a successful attempt to revive the town's fortunes. As well as being home to the New York City Opera in June, the New York City Ballet in July and the Philadelphia Orchestra in August, it hosts the Newport Jazz Festival in late June and promotes rock concerts by big-name stars.
|
