wait, what?! DID THE SUPREME COURT JUST CHANGE HOW WE BET ON HORSES? *{Bugattis are coming, Saratoga!}
JULY 2018
Saratoga After Dark
OW’ ATE SHportfolio ‘THE Ln town a dow DAMS EA BY KYL
THE CIT Y. THE CU LT U R E. TH E LIFE.
“I’ve always tried to live my life being a good person.”
S OMENT OP 5 M ER SPAC T T H IG LL-N ORE A W IE SKIDM V E R ER P SUMM MUSIC
e r o m h c u m o s +
BY RICHARD PÉREZ-FERIA photography by
DORI FITZPATRICK
E V I S U L C X E
exclusively for
saratoga living
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464 Broadway Saratoga Springs New York
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inside
july 2018
features 42
exclusive:
Big Papi Cleans Up
BY R IC HA R D P É R E Z- F E R I A PH OTO G R A PHY BY D O RI FITZ PAT RIC K EXC LUSI VE LY FOR saratoga living
53
Saratoga Summer Rentals
Saratoga After Dark 54
THE LATE SHOW TEXT AND PHOTOGR A PHY BY K Y LE A DA M S EXC LUSI VELY FOR saratoga living
66
WHERE CULTURE COMES ALIVE BY W ILL LEV IT H
70
SPAC’S 5 ‘WOW’ MOMENTS BY W ILL LEV IT H
72
THE HUNGRY THIRST BY N ATA LIE M O O RE P ELLEGRI living
PH OTO G R APHY BY T ERRI- LY N N EXC LUSI VELY FOR saratoga
78
INSIDE THE AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY’S RED, WHITE & BLUE PARTY
This home rents for $4,995 per week!
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THE 10: CAN’T-MISS GALAS
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BAR NONE BY LIZ Z IE H U N T ER PH OTO G R A PHY BY D O RI FITZ PAT RIC K EXC LUSI VELY FOR saratoga living
88
DELICIOUS DESIGN BY B EV ERLY T R AC Y
92
HEY, DJ! STO RY A N D P H OTO GR A P H Y BY N ATA LIE M O O RE
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LOG ON TO TRACKRENTAL.COM OR CALL NOW 518-583-4970
Gardner Cummings, MBA NY Licensed Real Estate Broker/Owner
Carolena Cummings NY Licensed Realtor
inside
features 96
Garland Nelson Believes BY W ILL L E V I TH PHOTOGR A PHY BY L AW R E N C E W H I TE EXCLU SI VELY FOR saratoga living
100
Bugatti: Hello, Gorgeous! BY SIM O N M U R R AY
106
Drink Up, Saratoga! The Wine & Food Festival’s Almost Here BY JEFF DI N G L E R
108
Analysis: What Are The Odds? BY TERESA A. GENARO
110
Meet Polo’s Toughest Star BY JORDAN LEVIN S C OTT TE I TL E R
PHOTOGR A PHY BY
114
saratoga living’s Off To The Races! BY WILL LEVITH PHOTOGR A PHY BY L AW R E N C E W H I TE
Managed by FENIMORE ASSET MANAGEMENT
16 The Team 20 From The Editor
Retirement planning
the front 23 It’s True (We Think) 23 Saratoga By
with no wrinkles
The Numbers
24 Say What? 24 The Answers 25 Biz: Michael Dehn Breault
28 24/7: Up All Night 30 Concierge: The Perfect Weekend
34 In Plain Sight: Jen Dunn
C
M
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38 Power Player:
CM
40 On Campus:
CY
Matt Baumgartner Skidmore “Survival Week”
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116 After Dark 122 Arts: Summer
Music Preview
126 Dressing Up 128 Design: Colin Cowie
130 Road Trip:
specials
139 saratoga living Food + Drink Guide 2018
148 TOP DOCS: Upstate New York
Cooperstown
135 Over There 136 Drink: Harvey’s
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saratoga living Summer! It’s Not Too Late! MBER
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ST AUGU
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ON THE COVER
• saratoga living’s most important issue of the year! It’s the region’s only wall-to-wall horse racing (and polo and horse culture) publication • Our—and this city’s—love of horse racing: then, now, next
• The complete A to Z guide to everything that makes Saratoga Springs the best town on Earth—from the best Art gallery to the best Zen spa and everything else in between • This is one can’t-miss issue!
Get in on the action! Call us at 518.584.7500
DAVID ORTIZ was photographed by DORI FITZPATRICK exclusively for saratoga living. Custom suit: Martín Polanco. Watch: Rolex Presidential. Shoes: Milano Fashion by Salvatore Paterno. Shot on location in Weston, MA.
saratogaliving.com
GIFTS
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MEMORABILIA
CELEBRATING
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The Everything Saratoga Store
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HOSPITALITY + RESORT
CUSTOM RESIDENTIAL
COMMERCIAL + MULTI-USE
Richard Pérez-Feria EDITOR IN CHIEF CREATIVE DIRECTOR Kathleen
Gates Will Levith MANAGING EDITOR Natalie Moore SENIOR EDITOR Anne Newgarden DESIGNER Linda Gates LUXURY EDITOR Marco Medrano DESIGN EDITOR Colin Cowie SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Abby Tegnelia ARTS EDITOR Bill Henning FASHION EDITOR Todd Kingston Plummer LIFESTYLE EDITOR Lizzie Hunter SENIOR WRITER Jeff Dingler PHOTOGRAPHY DIRECTOR Erika Phenner DIGITAL LEAD Monika LaPlante WEBSITE MANAGER Hakan Akyuz CHIEF PHOTOGRAPHER Lawrence White SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER Dori Fitzpatrick EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS Madeline Conroy, Payton Huntington, Chloe Krammel (DESIGN), Sarah Midani EDITORS AT LARGE Greg Calejo, Susan Gates EXECUTIVE EDITOR
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Karen Bjornland, Brien Bouyea, Tony Case, Kyan Douglas, Kate Doyle Hooper, Teresa Genaro, Cornelia Guest Mike Kane, Simon Murray, Octavio Roca, Kevin Sessums, Michael Slezak, George Wayne WRITERS
Rosie Case, Rebecca Hardiman, Jacqueline Kuron, Jordan Levin, Sandy MacDonald, Maria McBride Bucciferro Katie Navarra, Mario Quirce, Mitch Rustad, Lindsey Shumway, Beverly Tracy, Joe “Woody” Wood ARTISTS / PHOTOGRAPHERS
Kyle Adams, Dave Bigler, Tracey Buyce, Pamela Camargo, David Cowles, Francesco D’Amico, Shawn LaChapelle Anna Murray, Terri-Lynn Pellegri, Susie Raisher, Robert Risko, Myrna Suárez, Scott Teitler
Becky Kendall PUBLISHER
Chelsea Moore Lianne Klopfer SUBSCRIPTIONS MANAGER Rachael Rieck SPECIAL PROJECTS James Long MARKETING CONSULTANTS AMPLIFY Partners, New York City ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE FINANCE DIRECTOR
Saratoga Living LLC ANTHONY IANNIELLO Chair
RICHARD PÉREZ-FERIA President / CEO
BECKY KENDALL
Executive Vice President saratoga living is published eight times a year by Saratoga Living LLC. Subscriptions: Domestic, $19.95 per year; Canadian, $24.95 per year. Application to mail at periodicals postage rate is pending at Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to saratoga living 422 Broadway, Suite 203, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. Volume 20, No.4, July 2018 Copyright © 2018 Saratoga Living LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reprinted or otherwise reproduced without written permission from Saratoga Living LLC. All editorial queries should be directed to editorial@saratogaliving.com; or sent to 422 Broadway, Suite 203, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. saratoga living assumes no responsibility for unsolicited submissions. Printed in Saratoga Springs, NY, USA.
architecture interior design construction management
phinneydesign.com 518.587.7120 | 142 Grand Ave | Saratoga Springs, NY
FIND YOUR CENTER AT SPAC!
the team KYLE ADAMS is a documentary photographer based in Albany tasked with capturing Saratoga after dark, literally. “People often ask me how I get such great photos of strangers,” he says. “It’s easy: I ask. Most people are surprisingly chill if you talk to them.”
Pulcinella Variations
New York City Ballet July 17-21
Trinity Irish Dance Company July 30
SCOTT TEITLER
photographer and longtime resident of Saratoga Springs. “Being behind the camera is an opportunity for me to see something from a new perspective—it’s thrilling!” she says.
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Yannick Nézet-Séguin
The Philadelphia Orchestra August 1-18
(Teitler) JASON ALTNEU
TERRI-LYNN PELLEGRI is a
is a celebrated Miami-based portrait photographer. His striking work has appeared in Travel + Leisure, Seventeen and Cosmopolitan, and his clients include The Ritz-Carlton and Bal Harbour Shops. “Working with [polo superstar] Brandon Phillips was a blast,” he says. “He has a great sense of humor— we were laughing the whole time.”
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Discover the journey of a Colin Cowie event.
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JORDAN LEVIN, a Miami-based
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freelance writer and journalist, was a longtime arts critic for The Miami Herald. “Getting to spend a day with Brandon Phillips was a joy,” she says. “He’s so down to earth and genuine, whether he’s talking about coming back from cancer or why he helps kids now. Plus, I got to be around horses—and watching him ride was truly a thrill!”
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from the editor
I
party
’ve always been a night owl. Even as a kid, I was one of those cloying children who begged their parents to let them stay up late “just this once” without much success. It’s not that I’m against mornings, exactly (after decades of being in charge of can’t-miss deadlines, one tends to get up early naturally), but, as someone who has chosen to live almost exclusively in massive, chaotic cities, for me, life really gets good when the sun goes down. That’s when Papi comes alive. Is it any wonder that the last four cities I called home—Manhattan, Miami, Vegas and LA—are famous for a lot of things, not the least of which is their legendary status as places that know what it means to party (and after-party) hard. Now, as I experience my first full Saratoga summer, I think I know what’s headed my way (happy hours, galas, late dinners), but, according to nearly everyone who finds out it’s my virgin tour this Spa City season, apparently, I don’t have a clue. Look, it’s not like I’m some wild Millennial experiencing freedom for the first time, but there does seem to be something bro sox Talking homers and wine with different about a Saratoga summer and, honestly, I can’t wait to baseball’s nicest superstar, David Ortiz. fully find out what that is exactly. Certainly, SPAC’s jaw-dropping mix of impossibly gorgeous ballet and classical music offerings together with Live Nation’s A-List concert series is front and center as is, of course, the Saratoga Race Course, with its global reach luring the betting masses and horse racing elite to our idyllic corner of the planet. Truth is, I have so much work in front of me—editing more saratoga living issues this year than ever in our history, for starters—but, somehow, I have a strong hunch that I’m going to make my initial season in Saratoga one for the record books (it really helps that I live in the heart of Downtown, a three-minute walk to my office, and the delirium known as Caroline Street!). But, again, folks, this isn’t my first rodeo. Yes, I know you throw down with the best of them, Saratoga, but after my long, successful stints in some of the world’s greatest party capitals, you may have just met your match. Tell you what, I’ll even host the after party. Now, let’s have some fun.
EDITOR IN CHIEF
@RPerezFeria
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NATALIE MOORE
Richard Pérez-Feria
LET’S MAKE IT unforgettable
518.583.4653 | www.saratoganationalevents.com | 458 Union Avenue Saratoga Springs Ny 12866
the front Saratoga By The Numbers
12
BOATUPSTATENY.COM
The number of years the Firecracker 4 Road Race has been run in Saratoga on the Fourth of July
17 3
Every weekend is a vacation on a boat!
The number of acres in Congress Park, on which the Fourth of July All-American Celebration takes place
(club sandwich) ERIK FORSBERG/FLICKR; (Canfield Casino) DANIEL CASE/FLICKR
The All-American Celebration’s ranking in terms of crowd size in Saratoga (behind Chowderfest and First Night)
4
The number of babies born on the Fourth of July last year at Saratoga Hospital
2.21
The average price per gallon, in dollars, of gas for Fourth of July weekend in 2017
432
The number of ice cream cones sold last year on the Fourth of July at Saratoga’s five Stewart’s Shops locations
It’s True (We Think)
I
In Da Club
T H E S TO R Y G O E S T H AT T H E C LU B S A N D W I C H WA S C R E AT E D I N S A R AT O G A . I S T H E S T O R Y W R O N G ? n BY N ATA L I E M O O R E
f your plate of Saratoga Chips seems devoid of any real sustenance, and you happen to be on a hyper-local food kick, you’re in luck. It’s only fitting that the famed club sandwich, rightful partner to the potato chip, was also born right here in Saratoga Springs. Or so the legend goes. The most widely accepted birthplace for the now ubiquitous, towering, meat-filled sandwich is none other than the Canfield Casino—which, in the late 1890s, was known as the Saratoga Club House, an exclusive, gentlemen-only gambling den. (Though back then, the traditionally double- or tripledecker sandwich was speculated to have been just a single, measly layer). Some evidence? In New York: A Guide To The Empire State, a book compiled by Work Projects Administration writers in 1940, it states: “In 1894 Richard Canfield…purchased the Saratoga Club to make it a casino. The club sandwich [originated] in its kitchens.” In short, the sandwich derived its name from the venue. If the story sounds dodgy, that’s because it is. “It’s pure rumor,” says Jamie Parillo, Executive Director of the Saratoga Springs History Museum, located in the present-day Canfield Casino. Parillo says he’s searched for concrete evidence of the city’s claim on the sandwich, but so far, has been unsuccessful. But screw concrete evidence—in this decidedly post-truth era, who’s to say what we should believe? There’s plenty of dubious info to be read in the white noise otherwise known as the Internet, some of which fight club The Canfield Casino isn't the points to Saratogians being the first to birthplace of the club sandwich, Saratoga stuff turkey, lettuce, bacon and tomato History Museum Director Jamie Parillo says; between two slices of toast. And for us, (TOP) the now-multi-layered club sandwich allegedly had only one when it was created. dubious may just be good enough.
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the front the
answers WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO GUARANTEE ENTRY INTO A SARATOGA CLUB? “As a general rule, anytime you go out in Saratoga, it’s better to go on the earlier side and stay awhile, versus showing up at the height of activity and having to wait outside. And dress the part; you’re not home watching Netflix.” –WILL WURZBURG, General Manager, Putnam Place
=SA
Y W H AT ? =
illustration by
DAVID COWLES
e x c l u s i v e ly f o r saratoga living
wax poetic Gibson & Dehn Founder
and CEO Michael Dehn Breault named his candle fragrances after Saratoga scents.
Biz
Saratoga Burns Bright
WHAT’S THE ONE THING YOU SHOULD DO TO GET YOUR HOME AIRBNB-READY FOR TRACK SEASON? “One thing we ask of all hosts is that they provide essential amenities to guests—extra toilet paper, soap, linens and at least one towel and pillow per booked guest.” –LIZ DEBOLD FUSCO, Northeast Press Secretary, Airbnb
I “When Tim Reynolds and I played for 20-something-thousand people in Saratoga Springs last summer, the crowd was jumping around and having a great time—and we were having a great time— but it was like ‘Holy sh*t!’ You’re just trying to ride the energy as best you can.” –—DAVE MATTHEWS
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(Wurzburg) BIGLER STUDIO
WHAT’S THE SINGLE BEST WAY TO MANAGE YOUR MONEY? “Find a Certified Financial Planner and get started now, whether you’re college, retirement or estate planning.” –TIM GRANEY, Certified Financial Planner, Graney & King, LLC
M I C H A E L D E H N B R E A U LT H A S A FRAGRANT (AND BEAUTIFUL) C O N N E C T I O N T O T H E S PA C I T Y. BY N ATA L I E M O O R E
f I could make a candle and give it any scent in the world, I’d call it “Adirondack evergreen,” and it would smell like the cool, dew-covered pines that line the trail to the summit of any one of New York’s highest peaks on an early fall morning. Everyone has a certain smell that transports them back to a happier time, and for me, that’s hiking the 46 Adirondack High Peaks with my dad in my teens. For entrepreneur Michael Dehn Breault, who makes a living creating and selling fragrances of all kinds, his happy times include the childhood summers he spent in Saratoga Springs, working for his grandparents in the Dehn’s Flowers & Gifts’ greenhouse. Last August, Breault launched the Gibson & Dehn Namesake Collection, a signature home fragrance brand named after his grandparents, Ida Mae Gibson and Charles Dehn. Already an experienced fragrance creator, with
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high-end clients such as New York City’s Plaza and Pierre Hotels—and Golden Globe-nominated actor Jack Black— Breault created Gibson & Dehn to pay homage to Saratoga. Each of the brand’s six core candle and diffuser fragrances is inspired by a unique aspect of our city: The peony and hyacinth-scented line is called Beekman Street, after the site of the Dehn family greenhouses; the champagne sorbet-scented fragrance line, Fête, after the floral fête parades held in Downtown Saratoga since the 1890s; and the vanilla chiffon-scented line, Polly 1892, after the matriarch of the Dehn family, who made a mean vanilla chiffon cake. “This is really a bit of a passion project that celebrates Saratoga,” Breault says of the collection. “Saratoga gave a lot to my family and we’re very proud of that.” Breault says he currently splits his time between heaven scent Manhattan and Gibson & Dehn sells East Hampton candles, diffusers but tries to get and gift sets. up to Saratoga at least once a year during racing season to visit family (one of his cousins runs Dehn’s). He says he appreciates Saratoga for its support of small businesses. “I’m really passionate about keeping small businesses alive,” he says. “I’ve watched my uncle and cousin, who are operating Dehn’s Flowers today, and the struggles that they’ve faced as Saratoga and online shopping have grown.” For that reason, Breault sells his brand in stores on “main streets” across the country. Currently, it’s only sold at Dehn’s in Saratoga, but Breault is looking to expand to another location Downtown. Besides the six signature fragrances, Gibson & Dehn also has two seasonal scents: Pumpkin Brûlée for fall and Norway Spruce for the holidays. It’s not exactly “Adirondack evergreen,” but it’s pretty darn close. Come winter, you know what candles I’ll be stocking up on.
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the front
24/7
Who’s Up All Night?
A L L O F T H E S P OT S I N S A R ATO G A T H AT S TAY O P E N 2 4 H O U R S . n BY N ATA L I E M O O R E
S
aratoga’s a pretty safe place. But when I found myself walking home alone at 11:30pm after a late night at the office, I was more than a little freaked out. This isn’t Manhattan, where there are people everywhere at every hour. And as someone who still sleeps with a night-light on, I try not to spend a lot of time in the dark. But when I turned onto the final leg of the seven-minute journey from the office to my apartment and saw the warm, luminous glow of Domino’s Pizza, I felt safe. While Domino’s closes at 1am on weekdays and 2am on weekends, there are more than a few 24-hour outposts serving the city’s night owls sprinkled around our zip code. Together, they make up an eclectic mix of businesses that aren’t just around “after dark” but are truly “up all night.”
STORES Walmart 16 Old Gick Road Market 32 3045 NY-50 Price Chopper 115 Ballston Avenue CVS 34 Congress Street G AS STATIONS Stewart’s Shops / Sunoco 521 Broadway Mobil 177 South Broadway Xtra Mart / Sunoco 154 South Broadway HOSPITALITY Spa Motel 73 Ballston Avenue Comfort Inn & Suites 17 Old Gick Road The Saratoga Hilton 534 Broadway Pavilion Grand Hotel 30 Lake Avenue The Downtowner* 413 Broadway The Adelphi Hotel 365 Broadway Embassy Suites By Hilton 86 Congress Street Holiday Inn 232 Broadway The Inn At Saratoga 231 Broadway Stay Saratoga 98 South Broadway The Springs Motel 189 Broadway
Saratoga Turf and Spa Motel 176 Broadway Hilton Garden Inn Hotel 125 South Broadway Homewood Suites By Hilton 3368 South Broadway Best Western Plus 3291 South Broadway Top Hill Motel 3290 US 9 The Gideon Putnam 24 Gideon Putnam Road Courtyard by Marriott 11 Excelsior Avenue Hampton Inn & Suites 25 Lake Avenue Longfellows Hotel 500 Union Avenue Saratoga Casino Hotel 342 Jefferson Street Union Gables Inn 55 Union Avenue
We proudly carry the finest quality outdoor furniture brands: TELECOPE CASUAL, LLOYD FLANDERS, WOODARD, SEASIDE CASUAL, PATIO RENAISSANCE, ROYAL TEAK, AND TREASURE GARDEN
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OTHER Police Department 5 Lake Avenue Fire Department Station 1 60 Lake Avenue Fire Station 166 West Avenue Quad/Graphics [printing plant] 56 Duplainville Road Saratoga Hospital 211 Church Street Four Winds Saratoga 30 Crescent Avenue Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital 63 Henning Road American Natural Gas 34 Cady Hill Boulevard Saratoga Taxi 15 West Harrison Street
KYLE ADAMS
RESTAUR ANTS McDonald’s 197 South Broadway Denny’s 468 Louden Road Dunkin’ Donuts 207 South Broadway
SPORTSPAGEPATIO.COM | (518) 792-1304 | 138 Quaker Road, Queensbury, NY HOURS: Monday: Closed | Tuesday – Saturday: 9:30-5:30 | Sunday: 12:00-4:00
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BRING THE OUTSIDE IN
the front
The home of your dreams starts from the outside in.
Finding the best new or replacement windows for your home has never been easier with our streamlined and simplified process. From first consultation through expert installation, the team at GNH Installs will help you realize your vision with precision. Whether you are looking to improve energy efficiency, or add beauty to your home’s interior and exterior, we are your one-stop window installation and replacement center. Visit us today at www.GNHInstalls.com
happiest hour The Horseshoe Inn Bar & Grill is a great post-day-at-the-races stop; (top) Northshire Bookstore is a can’t-miss on Broadway.
Concierge
The Perfect Weekend
FRIDAY 4pm Check in to the Travers Suite at The Adelphi Hotel 5pm Get cocktails at Morrissey’s (downstairs) 6pm Go out for dinner at Osteria Danny 7:30pm Take in a concert at SPAC 11:30pm Drink some craft beer at Henry Street Taproom 1am Grab a nightcap at the Saratoga City Tavern rooftop
L
4 8 B L I S S F U L H O U R S I N S A R AT O G A S P R I N G S
saratoga scene
Don’t miss a chance to see a concert at SPAC; (top) the Travers Suite at The Adelphi Hotel.
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(SPAC) TOM STOCK
et’s say you don’t live in Saratoga Springs— sad face emoji—but every year, without fail, you make it here at least once during track season, and pretend, just for a weekend, that you call the Spa City home. How do you optimize your no-kids-allowed, 48-hour getaway? Find the perfect itinerary here:
SATURDAY 7am Pick up breakfast to-go at Mrs. London’s Bakery 7:30am Bring said breakfast to the track and watch the horses warm up 9:30am Stroll through Congress Park 10am Get a cup of Death Wish Coffee at Saratoga Coffee Traders 10:30am Go shopping at Northshire, Saratoga Candy Co., Violet’s Boutique & Formals, The National, Toga Heritage and Mountainman Outdoor Supply Company
898 New Loudon Rd Latham, NY | 518-313-1229 | www.GNHInstalls.com SHOWROOM HOURS: Mon, Wed, Fri: 9-6 | Tues & Thurs: 9-7 | Sat: 8-4 | Sun: Closed
Congratulations on your 20th, Saratoga Living!
dehnsflowers.com 178 BEEKMAN ST, SARATOGA SPRINGS (518) 584-1880 n (800) 932-0933 15 TRIEBLE AVE, BALLSTON SPA n (518) 885-6222
from siro’s to hero
(top) Siro’s Restaurant is a post-races staple; (bottom) Arias Wine is always a winning choice at Putnam Place in Downtown Saratoga Springs.
Noon Eat lunch at Scallions (al fresco) 1pm Head to the Saratoga Race Course and sit in the newly renovated area, The Stretch 7pm Have drinks at The Horseshoe Inn Bar & Grill 8pm Do dinner at Siro’s 10pm Catch a concert at Putnam Place 11:30pm Get cocktails at Hamlet & Ghost 12:30am Go dancing at Gaffney’s on Caroline St. 2am Grab a nightcap at Sinclair Saratoga
SUNDAY 10am Get brunch at Farmers Hardware 11am Check out of the Adelphi, but leave bags to pick up later 11:30am Take CDPHP Cycle! bikes down Railroad Run to the Saratoga Spa State Park’s Farmers’ Market Noon Dock your bike, and walk to the mineral springs in the Spa State Park 1pm Stop by the Saratoga Automobile Museum 2pm Uber back Downtown for lunch at Cantina 3:30pm Top off the weekend with ice cream or dessert at Kilwins 4pm Pick up your bags and mourn the end of your perfect weekend
(Putnam Place) KIKI VASSILAKIS
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2018
Dave Liebman Group, July 3
Join us for a summer filled with
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DANCE MUSIC THEATER FILM STUDIO ART LITERARY READINGS ARTIST TALKS & PERFORMANCES
swarm weather A bee colony
“bearding,”or clustering outside the hive to keep the honey at the correct temperature, is in full effect.
busy bee Local bee
EXPERT BEEKEEPER JEN DUNN IS HELPING SAVE THE BEES, O N E H O N E YC O M B AT A T I M E . n BY N ATA L I E M O O R E
O
ne of my very first memories is of stepping on a bee. The details are foggy, but I do remember walking around barefoot on my driveway one minute, then sitting down and crying the next. Fast forward two
decades, past countless bee stings while playing in the yard, camping and hiking, and I find myself in a veil, white coat and honey-coated gloves, willingly walking toward a busy beehive. I’m following Saratoga Springsbased beekeeper, Jen Dunn, whose indifference toward
the thousands of bees swarming around us makes me feel a little braver. But I’m still in a cold sweat. “In my experience, knowing a beekeeper is often the gateway to becoming one,” Dunn says. When Dunn was living in Germany in high school, her landlords kept
bees, and the idea of taking up the hobby stayed in the back of her mind. It wasn’t until three years ago when she moved back to Saratoga from Rwanda—where a swarm of bees had taken up residence in her laundry room, making her what she calls a “bee haver” rather than a keeper—that she decided to get her own hive. Now, Dunn keeps 14 bee colonies, each of which can have up
JEN DUNN
The Buzz In Saratoga
MADELINE CONROY
In Plain Sight
keeper Jen Dunn has 14 bee colonies, including a few at her home in Saratoga Springs.
to 70,000 bees in it, in three locations: her home in Saratoga; Betterbee, one of three major bee supply companies in the country, located in Greenwich; and Pitney Meadows Community Farm, where she’s proposing to the farm board a community apiary where people can rent hives for a year and learn beekeeping from her. Out in the backyard, Dunn walks me through a hive check-in, making sure the queen—marked with a white dot—is where she’s supposed to be and that the bees aren’t forming swarm cells, which indicate that the queen’s going to leave to form a new colony. Throughout the process, Dunn chats casually about bee reproductive processes and behavior, all the while fidgeting around in the hive without gloves. I, meanwhile, am focused on making myself invisible. Finally, Dunn puts the lid back on the hive’s box, and I can breathe again. In her kitchen, we extract honey from two honeycombs using a large, barrel-shaped contraption, and fill two mason jars. Dunn sells her honey on Facebook, with the help of her two daughters and to St. Peter’s Church. “I feel like I should share my honey,” Dunn says. “I’ve always felt this. Since I started keeping the bees, I felt like the bees were doing most of the work.” For that reason, she keeps 50 percent of her profits from sales to St. Peter’s, to cover the cost
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www.TheFurntiureHouseNY.com saratogaliving.com ⁄ 35
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comb over The color of pollen, and
honey, is dependent on foraging source.
just banned in Europe; and the Varroa destructor, a parasitic mite that attacks honeybees. Dunn pulls up some photos on her computer of her bees, showing the adverse effects of the mites, including a virus that causes deformities in bees’ wings and abdomens. “I just learned this, and it’s why SNACpack really appeals to me,” says Dunn. “One of the biggest problems caused by the Varroa is malnutrition. Nurse bees get sick and can’t take care of their brood, so the brood doesn’t have enough food to properly develop. I think that’s so sad—bees are starving as babies!” With honeybees dying off en masse, it’s caring beekeepers like Jen Dunn who may ultimately save them. And now that I know her, if what she says is true—if knowing a beekeeper really is the gateway to becoming a beekeeper—I may be joining the bee-saving force, too. Traumatic childhood memories be damned.
JEN DUNN
ICE
438 Dix Avenue • Queensbury, NY 9790 State Route 4 • Whitehall, NY
of production, and donates the rest of the money to SNACpack (Saratoga Nutrition Assistance For Children), an organization that provides food for children in need. Saratoga County’s actually a great place to keep bees, says Dunn, not only because we have a resource like Betterbee so close by, but also because of the diverse flora in our area, which offers bees a number of sources from which to forage. The big picture, though, shows honeybee populations suffering. Between 1947 and 2008, the number of hives in the US dropped 60 percent, from 6 million to 2.4 million, according to the U.S. National Agricultural Statistics. Dunn identifies three main reasons for the decline: monocultures, because they give bees only one foraging source; neonicotinoid pesticides, a type of agricultural insecticide that was
the front gentleman farmer Local
success story Matt Baumgartner is developing new businesses on his bucolic June Farms.
Power Player
Farm-To-Mogul
S U C C E S S F U L C A P I TA L R E G I O N E N T R E P R E N E U R , M AT T B AU M G A R T N E R , C H U C K S I T A L L F O R T H E S I M P L E , M O R E F U L F I L L I N G L I F E . B Y T O N Y C A S E n P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y PA M E L A C A M A R G O
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B
y any measure, what Matt Baumgartner has accomplished by his mid-forties is nothing short of remarkable. After growing up in Utica and graduating from Union College in Schenectady, Baumgartner went to work for the town’s most famous employer, General Electric, before leaving that gig at 23 to open what would become Albany’s beloved burrito and beer joint, Bombers Burrito Bar, in which he sold his interest last year. He’d come to establish 14 restaurants, bars and other businesses across the Capital Region and elsewhere Upstate— including four Wolff’s Biergarten locations, The Olde English Pub in Albany, The Little Rice Ball in Troy and what has become his pet project and dream come true, June Farms. Situated across 120 acres in West Sand Lake, about ten miles due east of the state capital and yet a world away, June Farms is not only where Baumgartner hangs his hat, but it’s also home to an exotic menagerie of draft horses, Scottish Highland cattle, chickens, ducks, goats, pigs, a dog and, as this place sprang from the imagination and drive of one of the area’s most successful entrepreneurs, another business (or, actually, businesses). There’s a lounge, the Pony Barn, which is open to the public in season, as well as a wedding venue (a recent episode of a Bravo show— Baumgartner wouldn’t say which one—was recently
filmed there), plus a number of perfectly appointed private cabins you can rent by the night. As if all that weren’t enough, Baumgartner, who’s openly gay, has been a passionate supporter of LGBTQ rights in New York for many years. Back in 2011, long before the Oscar contender Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, Baumgartner held
saratoga living checked in with Baumgartner to talk about living one’s dreams, lessons learned and farm life. SECRETS TO SUCCESS IN CREATING START-UPS “I’m pretty fearless when it comes to starting new businesses. I never worry about the downside of it or the risks I’m taking. I think even in failure, you can learn
farmers market
“Farming needs a better brand marketing,” says Baumgartner. “Some people feel it’s impossible."
to account—by way of a particularly conspicuous billboard—a state legislator, Republican Sen. Roy McDonald, who at the time was wavering on a vote in favor of same-sex marriage in New York. Baumgartner was recognized by the national newsmagazine The Advocate on its “40 Under 40” list in 2012. He’s also built quite the active—and highly entertaining—social media presence, with thousands of followers on Twitter and Instagram. (His nom de guerre? “@Burritoboy,” naturally.)
a lot about the next business you want to start. It’s also fun to start a business.” WHY HE SOLD HIS STAKE IN BOMBERS “I’d had the business for 20 years. When I was younger, 40 sounded like it was centuries away, and I always said that when I was 40, I’d like to sell and do something else with my life. I don’t have the emotional attachment to the restaurants that you’d think I would. I love them, and I’m attached to them, but I know they’re in good hands. I felt like it was the right time to pursue other dreams, like the farm.”
ON CREATING A REAL, WORKING FARM FROM THE GROUND UP “I was living in New York City and going down three or four days a week because I’d started a menswear line there. The restaurants and all were doing great, but I didn’t feel happy. I wanted to do something to enrich my soul—to work the land and breathe the fresh air. As much as I love the restaurants, this is giving me a lot more happiness than I ever thought it would.” ON THE LOST ART OF AND APPRECIATION FOR—FARMING “Farming needs a better brand marketing campaign. It’s something people feel is impossible, but it isn’t. It’s sad the way we’ve eaten as a culture, and it’s a privilege to see an animal raised in front of you and to know how you raised them and that they were treated well. It’s really easy to grow your own food and for a family to eat for an entire year on what they raise. If people knew that, there might be more people willing to purchase a couple of acres. You know, farming isn’t even listed on the census anymore.” ON JUNE FARMS BECOMING THE NEXT MARTHA STEWART OR THE BEEKMAN BOYS “I respect Martha Stewart and the Beekman Boys so much—the Beekman Boys are my idols! But I’m really focused on just keeping June Farms a simple and happy place.”
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the front On Campus
Skidmore Pulls An All-Nighter “SURVIVAL WEEK” IS NO JOKE, PEOPLE! BY JEFF DINGLER
T
hey call it “Survival Week”—and I should know; I just survived it (and graduated). The week before finals at Skidmore College is when whatever needs to be glued, written,
researched or PowerPointed gets done. It can be a stressful time, but luckily, the college and its Student Academic Services provide a week full of fun and stress-reducing activities. Very necessary. Trust.
HERE’S A PEEK INSIDE A TYPICAL SURVIVAL WEEK: On Thursday afternoon, students were able to take a study break at the library from 3–8pm and enjoy a free chair massage with paraffin hand treatment. Yes, in the library. Also available during all hours (and free!) were coloring packets, and make-yourown cotton candy and origami stations. If a minispa or adult coloring books wasn’t your thing, you could’ve headed over to the Tang Museum Saturday night for a picnic and screening of Ferdinand, starring the voice of John Cena. Students sat on the museum’s lawn while the movie was projected on the side of the building. Free
popcorn and bags of candy were provided too. Finally, to let off a little lastminute steam, Skidmore’s Peer Academic Coaches organized “The Scream” on Sunday night, an open space for students to come, express their frustrations and, well, just scream. At 9pm. around two dozen students gathered on Case Green and let out a communal and cathartic yawp (yes, I participated— and there were more free bags of candy, too). Thankfully, no lungs were hurt in the researching of this article. With all these activities, Survival Week for college Skidmore students has surely gotten just a little more—dare I say it?—survivable.
cinema paraiso
The Tang Museum hosted a movie night during Skidmore “Survival Week.”
Bigg B Papi LEGENDARY BOSTON RED SOX SLUGGER HANGS WITH
saratoga living
DAV ID ORT IZ
AS WE TALK BASEBALL ,
WINE, GIVING BACK AND SO MUCH MORE. IT WAS QUITE A DAY.
E V I S U EXCL
B Y R I C H A R D P É R E Z- F E R I A
photography by
D O R I F I T Z PAT R I C K e x c l u s i v e ly f o r
saratoga living
fame of thrones There isn’t a single credible baseball aficionado who doesn’t believe Big Papi is headed straight to Cooperstown.
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CLEANS UP
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the ever-elusive Fall Classic, just to fail over and over and over again, made me and millions of Red Sox Nation members that much more determined that next season would be the year our boys would win the Series. And so it went, for the entirety of my childhood (1975, Reds) and the better part of my adulthood (1986, Mets). Then, enter David Ortiz. Acquired by the Red Sox in 2003 after intense lobbying by Red Sox pitching phenom, Pedro Martinez, Ortiz was known then as a big potential
talent with a bigger hole in his swing. I’ll never know how, exactly, the Red Sox management saw what most other teams didn’t, but here he was, the pride of Santo Domingo, ready to show the notoriously tough Boston fans how great a player they’d just gotten. And did he ever. My goodness. It’s hard to believe now, after so much has happened, but Ortiz really became “Big Papi” in 2004, only a year after signing with Boston. During the American League Championship Series, against the dreaded (and powerful) New York Yankees, Ortiz carried his new teammates on his back and, not only improbably, but impossibly—as in, it had never happened in the history of the sport—time and time
again delivered the clutch hits and home runs that propelled the single greatest comeback in MLB postseason history. The Sox rallied from a 3-games-to-0 hole and slayed the mighty Yankees 4 to 3 before Papi—again!—led the Red Sox as they won their first World Series in more than eight-and-a-half decades. These are the moments where legends are made, and this incredible man, this David Ortiz, Big Papi, was and remains all about legendary moments. Red Sox Nation then and there fell desperately in love with the smiling Dominican giant with the gentlest of souls. Seriously, what’s not to love? But let’s not get bogged down in Ortiz's Hall Of Fameworthy statistics—I don't know a single credible baseball aficionado who doesn't believe Big Papi is headed straight to Cooperstown. If his raw numbers aren't convincing enough, then Ortiz’s opportunistic and infallible tendency to come up big when it counts the most seals the deal. Yes, the Yankees’ captain, Derek Jeter, has similar qualities to be sure, but Ortiz displays his unrivaled genius in bolder, more audacious, truly explosive circumstances that engulf, delight and overwhelm his millions of fans. No one does it quite like Big Papi, for there’s only one Big Papi. It’s under this haze of being part fanboy, part man-with-a-job-to-do that I first meet David Ortiz on a sunny, hot June day in his impressive, lived-in beauty of a home (“Big Papi’s Castle”) a half hour from Beantown. Surrounded by the people who matter most in life (his wife, Tiffany, is there, as are two of their three children), Ortiz greets me with that smile that could melt icebergs, and I’m hooked. I have to say, it feels unfamiliar, because I pride myself, over a many-decadeslong career, on being aggressively unimpressed by the famous. I’ve met, befriended and written about some
MICHAEL IVINS/BOSTON RED SOX
here do I even begin? OK, so, somewhere between boarding a private jet and spending the day with my baseball hero at his home, while reliving the most iconic moments of his extraordinary career with said superstar, it suddenly hits me: Today, right now, is the moment where I, too, get to be impressed and taken aback by my ridiculous, endorphin rush of good fortune. Think about it: The totality of this day’s events is, by anyone’s standards, exactly what a mind-blowing experience should feel like—I mean, exactly. And, yes, some context is needed. I was born in Boston at Mass General Hospital—in the same room as my other idol, Donna Summer(!)—and quite literally my first memory as a human being was of my father holding my hand as the smell of the freshly cut grass at Fenway Park overwhelmed my senses. Here, at baseball’s holiest of temples, was where I chose to become aware that I was, in fact, alive. Even now, if I close my eyes, I’m back as my two-year-old self, giggling at my Cuban-born dad’s attempt to properly pronounce the name of Boston’s best player back then, Carl Yastrzemski. Jastrim-skeee! Jastrimskeee! my father kept repeating as a sort of reverential mantra while pointing over at Yaz, who was hovering near his firstbase perch. The thing is, I still remember that moment because it mattered so, so much to me. And it still does. From that day, needless to say, I became a lifelong, baseball obsessed, die-hard Red Sox fan. As a kid, seeing the likes of Fred Lynn (that sweet swing), Jim Rice (effortless power), Dwight Evans (right field god) and, most especially, the Cuban pitching ace and huge personality, Luis Tiant, year in, year out, only to get thisclose to winning
of the planet’s biggest stars—Jennifer least of which was launching a wine Arias, much like Big Papi, is swinging for Lopez, Barbra Streisand, Heath Ledger, brand that would go by the name Arias, the fences—and connecting. Eva Mendes, Chris Hemsworth, Sylvester the surname of Ortiz’s mother, who, As my talented magazine team and I Stallone, Zac Efron, Alex Rodriguez, Dan tragically, passed in 2002. Undoubtedly, go from room to room in Ortiz’s home, Marino, Kim Kardashian and so on—and Big Papi’s most recognizable gesture— in search of the perfect spot for our I’ve never before felt like I was in the pointing two hands to the sky after next photo setup, I overhear Big Papi presence of anyone superhuman, just each home run to pay tribute to his engaging in business surrounding his super, super cool. With Big Papi, the mother—became the image on all of incredibly successful and important aura grew bigger, somehow, even as he Arias’ wine labels. This tribute led Ortiz charity, The David Ortiz Children’s behaved in the most low-key, suburban to Arias Co-founder Peter Ianniello, who Fund. You want passion? Ask Big Papi dad way. The more “like us” he acted, shared a similarly devastating maternal about the work his foundation is doing. the bigger the “wow” factor I felt. It was a experience. Arias’ wine lineup consists It’s something that the superstar feels feeling I won’t soon forget. of a Merlot, Chardonnay, Cabernet he must do, cannot not do. This selfless With Big Papi presently in his second Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc and a effort is arguably the most meaningful full year of post-Red Sox life, work of his life, and Big Papi the question I keep telling wouldn’t have it any other myself to be on the lookout for way. In short, The David is this: Who is David Ortiz now? Ortiz Children’s Fund was When I tell a dear friend of mine, created to help kids in New who doesn’t follow sports and England and throughout the wouldn’t know the difference Dominican Republic who between a home run and a don’t have access to the slam dunk, that I’m going to critical pediatric services interview David Ortiz for the they need. The fund partners next cover of saratoga with Mass General Hospital living, she squints a little in for Children and the World the midday sun and says, “Oh, Pediatric Project through its I know who he is! He’s the ‘This work with CEDIMAT. Thus is our f— town’ guy, right?” And far, Big Papi’s charity has just like that, I’ve answered my raised more than $2 million, own question: David Ortiz after saving more than 500 lives retirement is David Ortiz before in the Dominican Republic retirement—he’s a leader, and, yes, countless others in and he cares deeply and New England. boston strong Ortiz makes his signature gesture to emotionally about the people When I mention Saratoga, his mother after a home run, which later inspired his wine of his adopted community. Ortiz tilts his head toward brand’s logo; (OPPOSITE) Ortiz giving his legendary On one of those most painful me, and his expressive mug speech to the crowd at Fenway Park following the Boston of days directly after the builds to a full grin as he says: Marathon bombing in 2013. Boston Marathon bombing, “Oh, yes, Richard—I love it Big Papi not only unified a there! I have so many great city, but energized all of New England. bottle Ortiz calls Christalan, named friends, so many memories from there.” With one sentence, he unbelievably after a statue in Saratoga Springs’ artist Most recently, Big Papi was turning transcended sports and became a retreat, Yaddo. Christalan stands for heads at last summer’s Saratoga nearly mythical figure of epic stature for resiliency and overcoming adversity to Wine & Food Festival at the Saratoga articulating, with his deliciously heavily turn it into a positive. The Arias brand, Performing Arts Center (SPAC). accented growl, on the same field I saw Ortiz says, is all about celebrating the As we wind down this fantasy/dream so many of my childhood heroes play rising of the human spirit, and never of a day, and I say my goodbyes to all on, unequivocally, that: “This is our f— quitting. You can see why Ortiz was involved, I take an imperceptible extra city! And nobody’s going to dictate our drawn to take his place among the wine microsecond of a moment to lean in for freedom! Stay strong!” world’s most unexpected connoisseurs a bro hug with one of my legit heroes. Mic drop. Big Papi style. and moguls…and why Arias is popping “It was great, Papi. Thank you,” I say to Since retirement, Ortiz has pursued up in every bar and fine restaurant David Ortiz, one of the most magnificent several ventures with gusto, not the I’ve been to since landing in Saratoga. baseball players and humanitarians
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friends, so many memories from there.”
CREDIT
papi do preach With his speech after the Boston bombing, Ortiz transceded sports and became a nearly mythical figure of epic stature for articulating, unequivocally, that: “This is our f— city!”
CREDIT
“I love Saratoga! I have so many great
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I will ever meet. “No, Papi. Thank you,” he counters, smiling at me again. At that moment, all I can think of is how proud my actual Big Papi, my dad, would be right now. And how I wish my father were here with me (and not in Miami) to share this moment, and soak in some of this cool bonding with the greatest hero Fenway Park has known in my lifetime. Yeah, this was quite a day. It really was. I can’t wait to call Dad.
That you’re being so humble—and you’re famous for your humility— makes you more lovable. Yeah, I agree with you, you know? You never get your feet off the ground. Keep it humble and you become a more likable person.
while making the gesture? Just thinking about my mom—always. That’s my first thought when I touched home plate and looked up at the sky. I’m just thinking about the blessing from God, and the true blessing that was my mom.
And a happier person. Yeah.
If you’d never played baseball, what other job would you do that you think you’d be the very best at? Auto parts. Cars.
Tell me a Big Papi story most people don’t know. I could pretty much say anything about me. [Laughs] I have two books out there that basically talk about everything I do.
Detailing? Yes, both sides. Detailing for sure. That’s my thing. I love it!
Tell me your thoughts about Saratoga. It’s a great town, a lot of good people around. It’s a very nice place to be. I have friends out there that show me around. It’s a fun place to be.
There are so many children’s charities— thousands of them. Tell me why yours is different and so important. Well, there are different diseases out there. That’s one thing, you know. But the most important thing is, you want to make sure that the one that you work on gets properly funded so that we can do the necessary kinds of surgery that we do for the kids.
Any chance in the future that you might have a place up in Saratoga or maybe Lake George? You never know! Look, I never thought about living in Boston for 17 years, and here I am. So, you never know.
So, you’re tough and sensitive? Yeah.
tiffany & co. (from top) Ortiz with his wife, Tiffany; Ortiz flanked by fellow MLBers Chris Young and Adam Jones at Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic for the David Ortiz Children's Fund; Ortiz with fellow Arias Wine Cofounder, Peter Ianniello, in Reading, MA.
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When you wake up, what’s your first thought about what lies ahead that day? Do you wake up excited or tired or filled with gratitude? No, I’m always in a good mood when I wake up, you know, knowing where I come from and looking at myself where I’m at and what I’m surrounded by. It brings nothing but happiness. Do you see yourself the way others see you? Are you your own hero? Nah, not really. I stay humble; I try not to think about fame or money much, because I know a couple of people who focus on that too much.
Arias Wine—why did you go into the wine business? Wine is pretty much the product that comes with a lot of personality, and that’s me. That’s what I feel like I am. One package with different things. And with wine, you can express yourself in so many different ways. And that wine label is so iconic. Definitely. You know, they came to me with an idea, talking about my history, my family history, you know… And the name of it. And the name of it, yeah, exactly. There’s things involved in it that really caught my attention. The gesture that you make to heaven…I’ve always wondered, after a home run when you crossed home plate, did you say anything
(Arias) GOPAL PATEL; (Tiffany, foundation) CHAZ NIELL
Describe yourself in one word. Um, I can call myself…I’m a strong person, but I can be soft at the same time.
And it’s also impacting the community that you’re from, too. Exactly! You know, like a lot of people approach me with different types of things, but there’s only so much that you can do, you know? And I want to be basically strong at what we do, and that’s why I focus on that and on healthcare so much. Because the big problem is, it’s very expensive and there are a lot of poor people out there who can’t provide for their children. We have to do everything we can to help. And they see you as an inspiration. Yeah, I think so. Shifting gears: Are you the greatest clutch hitter in modern baseball? [Laughs] Hmmm… There’s an ongoing debate about this, you may have heard. I don’t know, I mean…
The answer, to me, is “yes.” Now, whether you acknowledge that or not, Papi, is, well... [Laughs]
papiriffic “I have so many greatest moments. God blessed me with a lot of wonderful moments,” Ortiz says.
Well, I want you at the plate when there are two outs in the ninth. There you go! You got your answer, Richard! [Laughs]
That would’ve been scary/powerful: You, Jeter, A-Rod. Yeah, that would’ve been crazy.
If you had been signed by the Yankees instead of the Red Sox after the Twins, do you have any notion what your life would be really like? Well, I think it was going to be good, because, I tell you, I dedicate myself to getting better every day, and it didn’t matter where I was going to be at. I was just going to give everything I had. But I’m happy things worked out so well.
It would’ve been like LeBron, D-Wade and Bosh [Miami Heat]. [Laughs] Tell me about the greatest moment in your life. The moment you think back on and go, “Wow, this is me.” Ah, I don’t know. I have so many greatest moments. God blessed me with a lot of wonderful moments, but you know, I think, you know, every time one of my
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children was born, I think it was one of the best things to happen to me. And as a Red Sox player? For the Red Sox, I can tell you probably winning the World Series—the first one in 2004. Now that was something. That world championship changed people’s lives. Fundamentally. Yeah, yeah, it’s true. I never thought that a sport was so big before we won that 2004 World Series. I can’t really believe the impact that sports have on everyone, you know? I believe the greatest moment was the broken-bat single against the Yankees in the 2004 ALCS at Fenway.
Honestly, that changed the whole course of history. Yeah, man. It did. How do you feel about J.D. Martinez, my fellow Cuban, and Mookie Betts this year? Happy, very happy. They’re good players, good kids. Is it funny that it takes two superstars to replace you? [Laughs] They’ve been doing really well; I’m happy for them. I’m in touch with all of them. And I get to talk to them once in a while. You look like you could still play. I feel good.
Want to tell me a joke? I’m not good at jokes. [Laughs] I’m terrible at jokes. I laugh at my own jokes, and nobody else’s!
see what his reaction was going to be, and the guy picked it up and chased him and gave it back to him. And this is a guy that’s asking for money on the street. And he gave him his money back. And the guy who dropped his wallet was really grateful that that was the decision that the homeless man made. He gave him his wallet back, and then the guy who dropped the wallet takes the money out of his wallet and gives it to the homeless guy, and they have a cameraman chasing the homeless guy to see what he was going to do with the money. The guy with the wallet was prepared, just to see. You know what he did? He went and bought food and gave it to the rest of the homeless people. That really got me; it was such a beautiful and powerful story.
Papi, what’s the best advice you’ve ever received? I got really good advice from Warren Buffett. He said, “Do not invest your money in things you don’t know.” [Laughs] Keep it simple, brother. You’re such a happy, optimistic guy. When was the last time you cried? Two nights ago, watching a movie. [Laughs] Matter of fact, I was watching a commercial where it was a guy that, on purpose, dropped his wallet in front of this homeless guy, just to
BIG PAPI: 5 HUGE MOMENTS
April 20, 2013
So, you’re an emotional person. I am, I really am. I’m very emotional.
Before the Red Sox’s first game following the Boston Marathon bombing, Ortiz gave a short, rousing speech to the fans in attendance—which included the line that brought Beantown to its feet, “This is our f— city!” It was nationally televised—and though more than two dozen viewers complained—the FCC decided not to fine Big Papi or the team. Good call.
That’s why you always played with such undeniable passion. Yep. That’s true. Like, with your unbelievable speech, “This is our f— city!"” [Laughs] I was joking with my team that I was going to walk in here, and you were going to say, “This is my f— house!” “These are my f— kids!” [Laughs] That’s so funny.
October 13, 2013
October 17, 2004
Ortiz sinks the New York Yankees with a beyond dramatic walk-off home run in Game 4 of the 2004 American League Championship Series. Ortiz would (of course) also hit a walk-off single in the 14th inning to win Game 5.
October 28, 2007
Although his regular season
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home run and RBI totals dipped from 2006—and there weren’t any late-inning heroics or walk-offs during the ALCS or World Series—this date marks when Ortiz won his second championship ring in three years. He made his presence felt that postseason, dotting the field with 17 hits— 6 doubles, 3 homers and 10 RBIs. Another Papi gem.
September 12, 2015
Blasting his second of two home runs at Tropicana Field in Tampa, Ortiz joined the 500 home-run club, all but solidifying his one-way trip to immortality in Cooperstown. — WILL LEVITH
Tell me your favorite television shows that aren’t sports. I like Power and Game Of Thrones. (Fenway) BILLIE WEISS/BOSTON RED SOX
They don’t call him “Big Papi” for nothing. David Ortiz might be the best clutch hitter in baseball history. His career is a blur of highlight reels. Here are his top five colossal, mind-blowing moments—in chronological order—according to saratoga living.
With the bases loaded and two outs, Big Papi ripped a game-tying grand slam in Game 2 of the American League Championship Series. The Sox would win the series 4-2, and go on to win the World Series, with Ortiz being awarded MVP. Amazing.
papi got a brand new bag “I just want to continue getting better, staying busy and giving back,” Ortiz says. Here, he sits in his backyard in the genuine Fenway Park seats the Red Sox gave him when he retired; (inset) fitting sign hanging in Ortiz’s home.
What’s your all-time favorite movie? Scarface—I've watched that movie, something like, 25 times. So good. What’s favorite kind of music? Is there one? I like all kinds of music. I like everything really. I like hip-hop, salsa, merengue, reggaeton—all of it.
What do you consider your single greatest achievement? You know what? I’ve always tried to live my life being a good person, because that adds more good things to you than bad things. You’re still young and have many lives left to live: What’s coming up next for Big Papi? I don’t know. I just want to continue
getting better and giving back and learning and working. I like working and staying busy and just being able to help whenever I can. And now for the single most important question of the day: If I played for the Red Sox, what position do you think I’d play? Richard, I think you’d be a really, really great coach! [Laughs]
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Saratoga After Dark time to play
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9:22pm
THE WESLEY FOUNDATION GALA AT THE SARATOGA GOLF & POLO CLUB Red light soaks the interior of a party tent where guests in Spanish-themed cocktail attire dance, eat, socialize and drink. On the checkered dancefloor in the center of the tent, a young couple performs a tango routine. Outside, men smoke cigars in small groups, and a silent auction is under way. I’ll run into some of the same couples later that night, as they continue the party at The Adelphi Hotel and in the bars on Caroline Street.
The
Late Show
Did we see you tonight? saratoga living set out to find what really happens in Downtown Saratoga Springs after dark. We weren’t quite ready for the results. Prepare yourselves. TEXT AND PHOTOGRAPHY BY
KYLE ADAMS e x c l u s i v e ly f o r
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10:36pm
1:15am
THE ADELPHI HOTEL The waitstaff closes down the dining room as the bar slowly fills up on a Saturday night. A neatly dressed bartender mixes me a Sting Like a Bee and sets it on fire as he discusses the rhythms of Saratoga nightlife. In the lobby, parents of Skidmore College students—from Buenos Aires, Miami, Caracas— celebrate graduation weekend.
THE NEWBERRY MUSIC HALL The Newberry is one of the few spots of activity on Broadway at this time of night.
1:03am
9:07pm
PARKING GARAGE AT PUTNAM & SPRING STREETS It’s the beginning of the night, and Aidan Gregory, Sina Kum and their friends have just arrived in Downtown Saratoga. They hang out in the car for a few minutes before heading out.
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CORNER OF PHILA & BROADWAY As the sun sets, Broadway’s packed with people finishing dinner on patios and strolling past the storefronts. By midnight, it’s nearly vacant, save for people on their way back to their cars, couples finding a secluded place to talk or fight and the busker playing acoustic Pink Floyd covers on the corner of Broadway and Caroline.
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11:15pm
SINCLAIR SARATOGA The hot spot’s signature neon sign throws fuchsia light over the crowds at the bar and on the dancefloor.
10:55pm
THE ICE HOUSE I’m on the trail of Tony Weils (pronounced “wails”), the accurately named singer, when I come across Jon Zinter and Elaina Rando at The Ice House. It’s a warm night, so everyone’s enjoying the fresh air. I run into Zinter again later, around 2am, on the roof of The Saratoga City Tavern with a different group of people.
9:24pm
PUTNAM PLACE The Melting Nomads open for Melvin Seals & Terrapin Flyer at Putnam Place on a Friday night. Seals, a longtime member of the Jerry Garcia Band, drew an enthusiastic crowd later that evening.
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PUTNAM PLACE Sierra Fancher, Charli Morgan and Hailey Bugaj listening to The Melting Nomads, the opening act for Melvin Seals & Terrapin Flyer.
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12:02am
PUTNAM PLACE The mostly young crowd sways gently and quietly during Let's Be Leonard’s first few songs.
12:25am
GAFFNEY’S It’s been a cold spring, so there’s a particular zeal among the crowds finally able to enjoy a warm night on Caroline Street. It’s also wedding season. While I shoot photos of this wedding party, they tell me there’s another, and possibly a third, already inside the bar.
12:01am
PUTNAM PLACE I show up hoping to catch the tail end of a show by Let’s Be Leonard; it turns out they’ve just started. When I walk in, the band is nearly motionless, in the middle of a glacial jam led by the saxophonist.
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12:20am
SINCLAIR SARATOGA Sinclair hooks me with its fuchsia glow, courtesy of a neon sign on one wall that reads, “Together is a beautiful place to be.” There’s an arcade in the back room and a beer garden, both low-key alternatives to the dancefloor, which, while I was there, was stormed by a bachelorette party.
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10:15pm
HAMLET & GHOST Cook Bryan Nitsche serves up some of the last dishes before closing the kitchen for the night. When I ask the owner for the name of the cook with the cleaver tattoo, he says, “Which one?”
10:04pm
HAMLET & GHOST
Hamlet & Ghost is packed with couples and groups finishing dinner and transitioning to drinks. George and Tea Varghese enjoy cocktails in front of the picture window with a broad view of the crowds arriving on Caroline Street.
12:42am
PUTNAM PLACE Steve Callander, who calls himself a CeeLo Green look-alike, works the door at Putnam Place. He’s a popular guy— every time I raise the camera to shoot, someone jumps in the photo with him.
9:35pm
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PUTNAM PLACE Melanie Ryder pours a drink for a customer while The Melting Nomads play an opening set for Melvin Seals & Terrapin Flyer. It’s early, and the place is only just starting to fill up. Ryder and the other bartenders have time to talk with the customers, many of them apparently friends and regulars.
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after midnight
CORNER OF CAROLINE AND PUTNAM I spend some time here watching people come and go from the bars on Caroline Street. Early in the night, it’s mostly couples and groups in good spirits. After midnight, things get drunker, messier and more dramatic, with the occasional Saratoga police intervention.
11:09pm
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9 MAPLE AVENUE This alley and its various frames make for a good place to hang out and wait for a photo. Apparently, I’m not the only one who thinks so. The bouncer, who chats with me for a while, says it’s often used for photo and video shoots.
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WHERE CULTURE COMES ALIVE A D O Z E N AW E S O M E V E N U E S T O W I T N E S S T H E A R T S R I G H T I N O U R B A C K YA R D .
I
BY WILL LEVITH
spent most of my weekends in the 1990s with my lipstick red Fender Stratocaster Squier plugged into my 10-watt Marshall amplifier, jamming with friends. One session stands out, because it was the first and only time I ever jammed with the guy. That was Jimmy Huntley, who invited me over to his house one night to play with his band, and I remember fumbling embarrassedly through The Doors’ “Riders On The Storm,” not being able to figure out a single lick or chord change. Back then, Jimmy was sort of a big deal: He was the first kid in my high school class who got serious about a genre of music other than classical or jazz and decided to make a go at a career in it. I’m pretty sure the first time I ever went to Caffè Lena was to see Jimmy play there, and I sat through the entire show jealous as hell. The guy was living my dream. And he was doing it at one of Saratoga Springs’—and arguably, the world’s—greatest folk clubs. And he was good. Damn. Saratogians have long been blessed with innumerable choices when it comes to enjoying their culture, whether it be Caffè Lena, Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), Proctors in nearby Schenectady or the acoustical wonder that is Troy Savings Bank Music Hall. Below, find a dozen of the area’s top arts venues (in no particular order)—and what you can expect from each of them.
royal digs The Stones,
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The Boss and Seinfeld have all played Albany’s Palace Theatre.
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SARATOGA PERFORMING ARTS renovate and expand its existing space. Spa City’s next great arts venues. It’ll CENTER (SPAC) So now even more of the local hipsterati rain live music and feed hungrily from LOCATION: Saratoga Springs can snap their fingers in applause and the partnership it has with Proctors. It’s CAPACITY: 25,000 (with 5200 sheltered shout “Dig it, Daddy-o!” set to open to the public in 2019. seats), 20,000 on lawn THE INSIDE SCOOP: Caffè Lena takes THE INSIDE SCOOP: “UPH is going to be a NEED TO KNOW: Think of SPAC as a cross a three-pronged approach to artist year-round cultural anchor in the heart between Central Park, Carnegie Hall bookings, says Executive Director of Saratoga, and we’ll be filling the and Madison Square Garden—without Sarah Craig. First is catching the artists room with great live music of all stripes all the ride-sharing nightmares getting on the rise early on in their career—the on every night we can. We’ll also offer there. (It actually has a real parking ones who’re “probably going to be the Broadway, cabaret and some live theater lot.) At SPAC, you can get and children’s programming. And your high-society fix with The the School of the Performing Arts Philadelphia Orchestra and at Proctors will have a presence “WHEN FANS TELL ME THEY CAN’T New York City Ballet, while here as well. We can’t wait to BELIEVE THEY JUST SAW MEMBERS its Live Nation lineups of pop, open the doors!” —Teddy Foster, OF PHISH OR BLUES TRAVELER country, hip hop and classic Campaign Director, UPH OR WYCLEF JEAN IN THEIR rock acts offer more than a BACKYARD, AT A BEAUTIFUL, few opportunities to do your INTIMATE VENUE, I FEEL A SENSE best Auto-Tune impression or OF PRIDE AND GRATITUDE.” work on your air guitar skills. PROCTORS –TI F FA NY AL BERT, THE INSIDE SCOOP: “Our LOCATION: Schenectady CO-OWNE R , PU TNAM P L ACE incredible, best-in-class CAPACITY: 2646 venue, perfectly situated NEED TO KNOW: First opening among towering pines, in 1926 as a vaudeville venue, healing waters and exquisite, historic festival and concert hall headliners in Proctors, a grand old theater built in the architecture, provides a unique and the coming few years,” she says. Next is Italian Baroque style, changed hands a transformative experience that keeps landing the folks that have already made number of times throughout its history, both artists and audiences wanting to it and pitching them on performing at the switching from a live venue to a movie come back for more. Top artists from all historic venue. (They almost always say theater. (That’s how my mom remembers genres—from Kendrick Lamar to The yes, she says.) Lastly, they bring in artists it from her childhood.) Eventually, it was Philadelphia Orchestra, Dave Matthews who’ve had “a tremendous amount reborn as the multi-genre event space to New York City Ballet, Zac Brown Band of history with the venue,” such as Bill we know today. Patrons can now catch to the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Staines, who’s been playing at Lena a range of shows at Proctors, including Center—love the Saratoga experience: since the ’60s. Catch him there on July 6. on-tour Broadway musicals (sizzling-hot a perfect confluence of man-made and shows, such as The Book Of Mormon natural beauty, adjacent to an exceptional, and Hamilton, are coming in 2019), culturally vibrant Downtown.” —Elizabeth dance concerts and movies. Sobol, President and CEO, Saratoga UNIVERSAL PRESERVATION THE INSIDE SCOOP: Is Proctors still in Performing Arts Center HALL (UPH) reinvention mode? Not so much, says LOCATION: Saratoga Springs CEO Philip Morris. “We’re applying CAPACITY: 200 (balcony), 50-150 our dreams to current circumstances, (additional seating) which, I feel, is a different thing, a CAFFÈ LENA NEED TO KNOW: Erected in 1871 in different approach. We have a very LOCATION: Saratoga Springs Downtown Saratoga, complete with specific mission and we apply it to CAPACITY: 110 stained-glass windows and a 3000today’s environment.” NEED TO KNOW: Everyone from Bob pound bell cast in nearby Troy, the Hall Dylan and Emmylou Harris to Don was a fixture before falling into disrepair McLean and Ani DiFranco have played and being condemned in 2000. (It was early gigs at Caffè Lena, the oldest arguably one of the better-looking HOME MADE THEATER (HMT) continuously operating folk venue of its edifices in need of repair in town, LOCATION: Saratoga Springs kind in the US. While it’s always been an though.) UPH is now undergoing a CAPACITY: 496 (at the Spa Little Theater) intimate affair inside, the nonprofit arts multimillion-dollar renovation, that will NEED TO KNOW: Founded in 1985, HMT venue got a $2 million boost in 2016 to no doubt transform it into one of the got its start on the tiny stage at the
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THE PALACE THEATRE LOCATION: Albany CAPACITY: 2800 NEED TO KNOW: You get a similar sense of awe walking into the Palace for the first time as you do Proctors. It’s a gorgeous auditorium—one that makes you feel like you’re in the presence of something great or powerful. First opening its doors in 1931, The Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and Jerry Seinfeld have all played there. It’s also high note (from top): Zankel
Music Center provides Skidmore College and Saratoga with a classy arts venue; The Voice winner Sawyer Fredericks (left) played early gigs at Caffé Lena; Proctors is Upstate New York’s answer to NYC’s Broadway theater; Putnam Place has been reinvented as Saratoga’s premier after-hours hot-spot; Albany’s The Egg is as entertaining on the outside as it is on the inside.
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hosted ballet, Broadway plays and movies. It’s not to be missed. THE INSIDE SCOOP: “We certainly cast a wide net in respect to who we’d love to see perform here, but do so keeping in mind the size of the theater and what artists and genres tend to perform best in this market.” —Sean Allen, Director of Marketing, The Palace Theatre
THE EGG LOCATION: Albany CAPACITY: 982 (Kitty Carlisle Hart Theatre), 450 (Lewis A. Swyer Theatre) NEED TO KNOW: If you’ve ever driven by Albany, you’ve probably had a tough time wrapping your head around the oddly shaped building on the city skyline. That’s the one-of-kind structure known as The Egg, completed in 1978, which was designed by Wallace Harrison, who had a hand in planning NYC’s Rockefeller Center. Nowadays, it serves as one of Albany’s top event spaces, luring in everyone from jazz-rock acts the Squirrel Nut Zippers to the Ajkun Ballet Theatre, which does a three-week residency there annually. It’s the only venue in town that’s as entertaining on the outside as it is on the inside. THE INSIDE SCOOP: “It’s harder for us to get noticed in the summer, but we still have two wonderful, beautifully airconditioned theaters here, which some people enjoy a little bit more than the big outdoor spaces. The majority of the programming that we do is roots, rock and jazz, with a little comedy thrown in, which people have come to expect from us.” —Peter Lesser, Executive Director, The Egg
TIMES UNION CENTER LOCATION: Albany CAPACITY: 17,500 NEED TO KNOW: Whereas Saratogians are most likely to catch mainstream music acts in the summer months at SPAC, the Times Union Center in Albany has
us covered for the rest of the year. As a sports arena, it hosts college basketball games (it’s Siena Men’s Basketball’s home court) and doubles as an Arena League football stadium (it’s the Albany Empire’s home field). As far as music is concerned, in the coming months, fans will be able to catch jam-band powerhouse Phish; he who brought sexy back, Justin Timberlake; and longtime heavy metal gods, Metallica. THE INSIDE SCOOP: “The reality is most tours either decide that they want to play the outdoor amphitheaters in the summer, or they’ll play arenas instead. It’s not that the TU Center is a better play than SPAC. It all depends on the size of the production going out on tour and where the artists feel comfortable performing.” —Bob Belber, General Manager, SMG/Times Union Center
(Proctors) RICHARD LOVRICH; (Putnam Place) KIKI VASSILAKIS; (Caffé Lena) JOSEPH DEUEL
pre-renovation Caffè Lena. It’s since become the resident theater company at the Spa Little Theater—near SPAC in the Saratoga Spa State Park—upping the seat-age to just under 500. (HMT’s in season from roughly September to May.) Over the years, HMT has staged productions of everything from Dial “M” For Murder and Hair to The Wizard Of Oz and Charlotte’s Web. Famous Saratogian David Hyde Pierce has even leant a hand raising funds for it over the years. (Hey, if it’s good enough for Dr. Niles Crane, it should be good enough for you). THE INSIDE SCOOP: “Home Made Theater is a community-based theater company that uniquely fits between the worlds of true community theater and a semiprofessional company. We try to provide people who want to be involved in theater with a professional and positive experience. And, hopefully, we’re bringing quality theater to this community.” —Stacie Mayette Barnes, Producing Manager, Home Made Theater
TROY SAVINGS BANK MUSIC HALL LOCATION: Troy CAPACITY: 1253 NEED TO KNOW: Built in 1875, the Music Hall is renowned in the area for its incredible acoustics—which sort of appeared there by accident, the result of the space being upgraded with a gigantic concert organ. Because of its sonic wonders, the Music Hall is able to book a wide variety of artists, the majority of whom favor hollowover solid-bodied instruments (i.e., classical, folk and Americana performers). Recent shows have included everyone from Black Violin and Ray LaMontagne to Randy Newman. THE INSIDE SCOOP: “There’s a connection that happens between the performers on stage and the audience that is deeper than in other halls. The Music Hall is one of the best preserved 19th-century concert halls in the country. Even the seats are original—including racks for gentlemen to place their top hats and ladies to hang their shawls on. You just don’t find those sorts of details in many other theaters.” —Jon Elbaum, Executive Director, Troy Savings Bank Music Hall
COHOES MUSIC HALL LOCATION: Cohoes CAPACITY: 460 NEED TO KNOW: The Cohoes Music Hall first swung open its doors in 1874 and hosted what can only be described as a circus-sideshow-act’s worth of talent, which included Buffalo Bill Cody, one of P.T. Barnum’s prized elephants and John Philip Sousa (it’s the fourth oldest operating music hall in the US). These days, it hosts solo artists, theater troupes, jazz acts and tribute bands. The venue—and its town—have got a bit of that little-train-that-could going for it, too, and I can’t help but respect that. THE INSIDE SCOOP: “While it’s important to book headliners, it’s as important to support up-and-coming acts as well as our local and regional artists by bringing them to the stage. I’ve always felt that it’s necessary for venues to be a community resource, and to actively support the needs of the community. Downtown Cohoes is seeing the opening of new restaurants, residential projects and improvements that are making it more livable and beautiful. It’s an exciting time to be in business here.” —Holly Brown, Executive Director, Cohoes Music Hall
ARTHUR ZANKEL MUSIC CENTER LOCATION: Saratoga Springs CAPACITY: 600 NEED TO KNOW: I grew up going to Skidmore College orchestra concerts at Filene Recital Hall. Capacity was 235, and it always felt like it was on the verge of bursting at the seams. Students got a huge upgrade when the college built the Arthur Zankel Music Center, which seats more than twice as many patrons and has the big-boy look the college’s arts program long deserved. While its lineup shades more toward the highbrow, with its list of Who’s Who in the classical and jazz worlds, it’s hosted the occasional mainstream heavyweight: Paul Simon, father to Skidmore alum Lulu Belle Simon, taught a master class there last year.
“Summer concerts at Skidmore College are designed to inspire Skidmore students and engage and entertain audiences from throughout the greater Capital Region. Most of the artists we present also teach in our summer music institutes, which gives our students the unique opportunity to study with internationally known musicians.” —Maria McColl, Associate Director for Summer Institutes, Skidmore College THE INSIDE SCOOP:
PUTNAM PLACE LOCATION: Saratoga Springs CAPACITY: 500 NEED TO KNOW: When I was growing up, the local pool hall, where everybody went after high school let out, was this place called Putnam Den. It was a little rough around the edges, but it certainly had character. It’d later morph into a full-blown event space, and I remember seeing Saratoga band, The Figgs, play there at least once. Just this past winter, though, the venue got an extreme makeover, with upgrades hither and yon—including an epic (and huge) LED wall high atop the back of the stage. It’s now a classy music venue, nightclub and event space—its new bar is truly a thing of beauty. (saratoga living had its re-launch and recent 20th Anniversary parties there.) Hey, you might not be able to play pool there anymore, but it’s about as close to a banging pool party as you’ll get in landlocked Downtown Saratoga. THE INSIDE SCOOP: “Unlike a lot of the spots in Saratoga, we’ve successfully become a year-round location. Our goal is to be a welcoming spot for all and not alienate anyone. It’s my hope to foster a sense of inclusion while elevating the nightlife and music scene in our great city. When fans tell me they can’t believe they just saw members of Phish or Blues Traveler or Wyclef Jean in their backyard, at a beautiful, intimate venue, I feel a sense of pride and gratitude.” —Tiffany Albert, Co-owner, Putnam Place
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3 M
usic lists are pretty subjective. I should know; I’ve written about a thousand of them in my career. I’ve done lists on the most influential rock bands, the druggiest Beatles songs and the greatest Eric Clapton guitar solos. I even did one on the Phil Collins tunes that “secretly rule.” Here are the top five musical moments (in no particular order) in the history of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center— according to us.
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BY WILL LEVITH
(Houston) ED BURKE; (Grateful Dead) ELLEN DELALLA; (Ormandy) BURNS PHOTOGRAPHY
FROM WHITNEY TO BEL AFONTE AND THE DEAD, S PA C ' S S E E N T H E M A L L . H E R E A R E T H E B E S T.
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Drivers know to stay away from the various roads near SPAC when the Dave Matthews Band or Phish is in town—but on June 27, 1985, all traffic bets were off. The Grateful Dead, which had lassoed in a stunning 37,801 fans the previous June, logged a record-breaking audience of 40,231 Deadheads on that day. Aside from the band pleading with one fan to stop hanging over the balcony, the affair was one of peace and love— and great music. The Dead ended their set, aptly, with a cover of Bob Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue.”
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THE PHILADELPHIA ORCHESTRA [AUGUST 4, 1966] Maestro Eugene Ormandy, who spent a jaw-dropping 44 years conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra, first raised his baton at SPAC on August 4, 1966, for the venue’s opening night event. Patrons were treated to the Overture in C Major from Ludwig van Beethoven’s The Consecration Of The House, which includes a march and trumpet fanfare. In other words, perfect welcoming music. HARRY BELAFONTE [JUNE 29, 1967] Showing off its early progressive roots—the Civil Rights Movement was in full swing at this point— SPAC invited Jamaican-American superstar Harry Belafonte, best known to modern audiences for his take on the Jamaican folk standard “Day-O (The Banana Boat Song),” to be its first nonclassical act to perform there on June 29, 1967. That year, Belafonte had released his Belafonte On Campus album, which featured a pair of songs written by Caffè Lena regular Tom Paxton—who’d be part of a packed folk festival lineup there the following month.
[JUNE 27, 1985]
JACKSON BROWNE [SEPTEMBER 1, 1977]
Live albums are a dime a dozen, but it’s not every day that a song that’s cut elsewhere at a music venue works its way into the grooves of an LP record—and subsequently gets listened to by millions of adoring fans. That’s exactly what happened on September 1, 1977, when Jackson Browne brought his tour to SPAC. He and his band recorded the piano ballad “Rosie”—you can hear someone joke, “It’s Mozart, at two years old,” at the beginning of the recording—in the backstage area. Three months later, it would wind up as the third track on the critically acclaimed, platinum-selling 1977 album, Running On Empty.
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SPAC’S ‘WOW’ MOMENTS the greatest show of all Superstar Whitney Houston made SPAC a household name in 1987—twice.
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THE GRATEFUL DEAD
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WHITNEY HOUSTON [SEPTEMBER 2, 1987]
I grew up on Whitney Houston music, so she makes the list. That September 2, 1987, she was touring in support of her greatest album, Whitney, which included four No.1 singles—two of which landed her on this list. At the MTV Video Music Awards, which aired nine days after her SPAC show, the cable channel ran Houston’s performance of “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)” that she taped at the gig. Also, her official music video for “Didn’t We Almost Have It All” was filmed at SPAC, too. How cool is that?
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OSTERIA DANNY
FOOD: Grilled pork belly [with
grilled peach, red shrimp and Little Field Farm micro-greens in an agrodolce demi-glace] DRINK: Palermo Old-Fashioned [Saratoga Bourbon, Caffè Amaro, blood orange juice, Saratoga Sparkling water and muddled blood orange, garnished with an orange slice and cherry]
THE HUNGRY THIRST
Some of Saratoga’s finest restaurants pair up sexy cocktails with dazzling culinary offerings.
BY NATALIE MOORE TERRI-LYNN PELLEGRI
PHOTOGRAPHY BY
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DUO MODERN JAPANESE CUISINE & HIBACHI
FOOD: Yellowtail Jalapeño
[Yellowtail tuna with a myrtle berry in a Yuzu truffle soy vinaigrette] DRINK: Rose Kiss [Malibu rum, lychee juice, champagne and strawberry mix]
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on’t get me wrong: I love Saratoga Race Course as much as the next person. I love a night at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center and walks through the Saratoga Spa State Park. I even love learning about the city’s rich history, despite my indifference to high school social studies class. But the one thing—no, make that two things—that brought me to Saratoga full time (besides saratoga living) are: (1) the food and (2) the drinks. Whenever I have friends visit, the first thing they say about my adopted city is that they can’t believe how many bars and restaurants there are in such a concentrated area. From my apartment Downtown, I can get to no fewer than two dozen topnotch restaurants and bars by foot in less than ten minutes. To celebrate our city’s can-eat attitude (where else could a mere 26,000 people support so many culinary spots yearround?), saratoga living wanted to highlight food-and-cocktail pairings from a few of our favorite restaurants. But we’re not in the Napa Valley or living among the rolling vineyards of Sicily. While we may enjoy a nice Merlot from time to time, Saratoga is booze country. And delicious foods, we’ve learned, pair just as well with the hard stuff as they do with an oaky Cab. So raise your glasses—and your forks— to these food-and-drink pairings from some of Saratoga’s finest restaurants. The hunger (and thirst) is real. THE MOUZON HOUSE
FOOD: Mouzon Buddha Bowl [with
jasmine rice, fried chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, avocado, eggs and seasonal vegetables in a lemon-herb dressing, topped with toasted sesame seeds] DRINK: Mouzon-Rita [tequila, beet and jalapeño-infused agave, fresh lemon and lime, served on the rocks]
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HATTIE’S RESTAURANT
FOOD: Dixie Chicken Schnitzel
with green tomato and red pepper chow chow DRINK: Back Porch Lemonade [Stolichnaya Razberi vodka and Hattie’s house-made lemonade] reporting by
T E R R I - LY N N P E L L E G R I
FISH AT 30 LAKE
FOOD: Lobster pierogies [potato,
cheddar and green onion dumpling with lemon and cracked pepper sour cream] DRINK: Blueberry Cucumber Moscow Mule [Tito’s Vodka, blueberry cucumber simple syrup, ginger beer and lime juice]
This Is Pizza + Beer Done Right
DRUTHERS BREWING COMPANY
FOOD: Wood-fired Margherita pizza [with red sauce,
sliced mozzarella, torn basil and parmesan] DRINK: Druthers’ New England IPA
OK, sure, we love a frothy brew as much as we do a delicious cocktail. I mean, who doesn’t? And we all know one of the best places in town for killer grub and a cold beer is Saratoga’s own Druthers Brewing Company. So we asked them to pair a perfect pint-and-dish duo for us. As always, Druthers didn’t disappoint. –NATALIE MOORE
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A L L AC C E S S
the hunter games American Cancer Society Community Development Manager, Lizzie Hunter, starts planning the annual Red, White and Blue Party almost a year in advance.
Inside The r e c n a C n a c i r Ame , d e R s ’ y t e i c o S y t r a P e u l B White & t Manager gives you
ity Developmen ACS’ Senior Commun
a
t. e popular annual even th an pl to s ke ta it t wha point-by-point view of ER BY LIZZIE HUNT
T
BY PHOTOGRAPHY
(Hunter) ACS
or e x c l u s i v e ly f
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GO PA M E L A C A M A R
saratoga living
ing dream job of plann he day I landed my er nc for the American Ca “distinguished events” of e an overwhelming sens Society (ACS), I felt ing s. I knew that plann excitement—and nerve fun, s going to be a lot of parties of this caliber wa ry ve s also going to be and it is…but that it wa s llar cs to coordinate, do difficult. So many logisti S’ people in need of AC to raise—and above all, ts. d through these even services that are funde use let’s be ’Ca do lists. en consumed with tobe s ha life my y, da ttin t it’s not ge g done. Ever since tha at Saratoga ne, if it’s not on the list, do be to s ed ne t Red, White & Blue Party tha al all nu an r ou ing honest, with nn pla myself of on u behind the scenes of ind you of what I remind rem to nt wa I Now, before I bring yo n— tio ac in : This is who at my to-do list looks like emingly never-ending list se s thi off s ng National—i.e., to see wh thi k ec ch we know overwhelmed trying to ntly. We do this because iste ns co y, ntl ige ell days when I get totally int ly, ate charge at . We fight cancer. Passion are enabling the ACS to we ts, en ev se the we are and what we do at e on courage, until community together as sion, commitment and as mp co r ou h wit that when we bring the bit by , no matter nts, breaking it down bit to conquer any to-do list dy rea I’m t, tha cancer from multiple fro like t jus d nning ACS’ against this disease. An k at what goes into pla loo a e tak ’s let , we all stand victorious So . be y or ever-changing it ma Blue Party. how long, challenging ganza, the Red, White & va tra ex er mm su a og rat Sa d me he all-American-t
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Create a budget and remember to check it every day. ★ Set goals for the event, including sponsorships, ticket sales, auction and night-of donation goals. ★ Check expenses for the venue, decor, food and drinks, printing and photography; make sure the expense ratio—the annual fee charged to our stakeholders—stays under 25 percent. Remember: One less decoration purchased could mean one more ride to treatment for someone in need. ★ Start securing sponsors. (No, it’s never too early; making our mission a reality wouldn’t be possible without these generous people and their organizations!) ★ Shout out to our presenting sponsor, saratoga living! Not to mention our other distinguished partners for 2018: Anthony Ianniello, Putnam Place, SEFCU, Prime Companies, The Lia Family, Bouchey Financial Group, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and DeCrescente Distributing Company! ★
JULY 2017 Yes, we start planning for the event the month after the previous one ends. ★ Thank everyone who helped make the year’s event possible. ★ Collect as much feedback as possible from sponsors, guests and volunteers who were at 2017’s event (and be prepared to take criticism; it will make next year’s event even better!). ★ Host the committee wrap-up meeting and party! (Have you thanked the committee members again and again?) ★ Start recruiting more volunteers to participate in the planning committee. Remember: The more volunteers we have helping us, the larger our circle of influence will be. AUGUST 2017 ★ Reevaluate sponsorship opportunities—and make any necessary changes. ★ Remember: Make the event look pretty—but less is always more. Don’t make it too confusing or difficult for people to understand. (Not everything needs to have sparkles.) ★ Secure a venue/date and make an indoor plan, even though it won’t rain like it did last year. ★ Get contracts ready to go and send them to ACS’ legal team for approval. ★ Work with the planning committee to determine the night’s honorees.
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SEPTEMBER 2017 ★ Schedule one committee meeting per month from now until the event. ★ Start planning the auction: How many items should there be? (Seek quality over quantity!) Draft the auction letter, forms and donor lists. Update the website with ticketing information, add sponsorship opportunities, logistics, logos and everything else. (Thank SM2 Dev a million for our beautiful website!)
OCTOBER 2017 ★ Start working on the design for our vision. (Hey, Lauren Childs, you’re amazing!) ★ Hold a status meeting with the planning committee: Where are we at? What’s our plan to get to where we want to be? Who’s responsible for what? Go, team! ★ Secure the entertainment. (Get on Funk Evolution’s calendar ASAP; start looking for dancing shoes!) ★ Stay up to date with sponsorship opportunities and the auction.
Order all the equipment needed for registration, mobile bidding and everything else.
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FEBRUARY 2018 ★ Hold a committee meeting to review the event’s progress and brainstorm ways to fill in the gaps. Secure vendors, a photographer, a photo booth, a videographer and an audiovisual crew. (Get all the contracts to legal ASAP!) ★ Secure the members for our honorary committee (and double- / triple-check the spelling of all their names). ★ Don’t forget about sponsorship requests, meetings and follow-ups.
NOVEMBER 2017 ★ Hold a committee meeting to figure out never-before-seen revenue enhancers for the event. What do we need to do to make this sort of thing happen? ★ Keep up with sponsorships and the auction: Don’t send too many reminders. Think of new people. Who else might want to support us?
MARCH 2018 ★ Hold a committee meeting to discuss the event’s day-of experience: menu, signature drink, activities, etc. ★ Figure out all of our setup and rental needs, and place the requisite orders to secure them. ★ Make sure our social media and website are up to date. ★ Follow up on our honorary committee and sponsorship requests; print deadline is next month!
DECEMBER 2017 ★ Schedule a committee meeting and begin planning how to incorporate ACS’ mission into the event. (Make sure people leave knowing they made a difference, but don’t make it too sad.) ★ Start uploading the auction items to prep for online bidding. (Don’t put this off until the last minute, because it takes forever, and you’ll regret it during crunch time!) ★ Start designing the invitation. (Send Lauren nine million emails so she knows what needs to be included!) JANUARY 2018 ★ Schedule a committee meeting and launch personal fundraising pages for each of our committee members. ★ Launch our media plan: social media, radio, TV and print. (For 2018, that equals getting everyone else thinking “red, white and blue.”) ★ Stay on top of sponsorships! Who are we forgetting to invite and/or partner with?
(Infographic) CHLOE KRAMMEL
crowd sourcing The Red, White & Blue Planning Committee at a meeting in June— just weeks before the big night.
APRIL 2018 ★ Hold a committee meeting; the print deadline is fast approaching! Do we need to confirm any invitations? Who’s picking up what auction items? ★ Secure emcees; work on the program layout and start writing scripts. (It should be short and sweet!) ★ Organize all the information needed on the invitation, copy edit it thoroughly and send it to our designer. ★ Order the awards for our honorees (and make sure everything’s spelled right on the awards when they arrive). ★ Start pushing ticket sales!
ACS: The Digits $20 provides free access to
24-hour information and support for one person via phone, email or online chats
$10 provides a newly
diagnosed cancer patient with a personalized information kit
$25 provides a wig
to a patient in treatment
$35 provides two rides to
and from treatment or a follow-up appointment for a cancer patient
$100 provides women
with a workshop to help them feel more empowered and confident in dealing with appearance-related side effects from treatment
$150 could help provide a newly diagnosed cancer patient with a trained navigator to remove barriers and guide them through their cancer treatment
$500 could
women with a cancer patient and their caregiver five nights of free lodging at an American Cancer Society Hope Lodge when having to travel for treatment
DATA: AMERICAN CANCER SOCIETY
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JUNE 2018 Eleven months ago, we began planning the event, and we’ve finally reached party month! ★ On June 1, start checking the weather—today and every day until the event, because it’s outdoors. Knowing what the weather will be will make all the difference. ★ Schedule a committee meeting and begin crafting the big night! (Try not to spray-paint Mom and Dad’s garage red, white or blue or break their sink this year.) ★ Start collecting our sponsors’ names and uploading them into our system so they’re available at check-in; make sure our sponsors have everything they need and know all the details of the night. ★ Send all of our night-of signage needs to our designer and printer. ★ Schedule a venue walk-through, confirm the set-up day, make sure the Wi-Fi works and attend to all the other minutia. ★ Remember: Sleep! ★ Tickets: Sell, sell, sell! And ramp up media: record radio PSAs, do on-air interviews, etc.
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women at work Lizzie Hunter and Aspen Witt talking party details after a recent committee meeting.
Make a packing list: Organize and get everything in the storage room ready to pack (registration materials, decor, auction items, set-up supplies and more). Plan how to get everything to and from the venue. ★ Prepare the auction: Upload the items and open mobile/online bidding; package all of the physical auction items to make them look nice. (Buy more bows and baskets!) Make display sheets that include item descriptions and values, donor names and photos. (Get each one in a frame before the event; you won’t be happy if you’re doing it the morning of the event again!) ★ Make PowerPoint presentations for all of the event’s screens. (Test them all to make sure they look good on the big screen and that nothing’s spelled wrong.) ★ Get more sleep! (Get a notebook to put next to your bed for all the things you wake up remembering to do in the middle of the night.) ★ On June 20, start checking the weather hourly, not daily; try not to call the local meteorologists again to ask them about the weather. ★ Schedule a logistics meeting with all ACS staff and volunteers; make sure everyone’s comfortable in their role, and remember: People can’t read your mind, and won’t know what to do if you don’t tell them. ★
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65 ROSES: THE OPENING DAY SOIRÉE when: July 20 from 6pm to 11pm where: Saratoga National Golf Club hosted by: Saratoga National Golf Club cost: $190, $150 (if under 35) benefits: Cystic Fibrosis Foundation reasons to attend: Enjoy specialty cocktails while overlooking the picturesque golf course and Owl Pond— and it’s all for a good cause.
FRIDAY, JUNE 29 (Day Of The Red, White & Blue Party) ★ 9am Start setting up, and don’t panic when it looks like it’s a mess (Mazzone will make everything better and look amazing). ★ 1pm Go home and get ready. ★ 4pm Return to the venue and get all the audio-visual aspects sorted out. ★ 5pm Volunteers arrive for dinner and training. ★ 6pm PARTY TIME! ★ 11pm Party’s over; start cleaning up. ★ 12am Go. To. Sleep.
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NYC BALLET GALA LAWN PARTY when: July 21 at 5:30pm where: SPAC hosted by: SPAC’s Junior Committee cost: $55 benefits: SPAC reasons to attend: Bring a picnic. With admission, you get lawn tickets to NYCB’s opening night, which includes fireworks, post-performance dancing and more.
SATURDAY, JUNE 30 ★ Wake up at 9am feeling sad that it’s all over—and email the photographer to ask if he or she has edited all the photos yet. (Just kidding…kind of!) ★ Start thanking all the talented people who contributed to our big ACS celebration. ★ Start brainstorming ideas for next year’s event. Now, three years in, whenever I have a spare minute to think about my career, I still feel the same overwhelming mix of emotions. It’s one of those jobs that doesn’t get easier as you go—you can’t plan the same party every year or everyone will get bored. However, one thing this job has that all the others don’t? A goal of bringing the community together for an incredible evening with the sole purpose of eliminating the pain and suffering caused by cancer. And that’s why I feel so incredibly grateful. Thank you to of our volunteers, sponsors, party guests and community partners who make this possible!
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THE WHITE PARTY when: July 21 from 6pm to 10pm where: Saratoga National Golf Club hosted by: Saratoga Bridges, NYSARC Inc., Saratoga County Chapter cost: $200, $150 (if under 35); after June 30th, price increases by $25 benefits: Saratoga Bridges reasons to attend: Mazzone Hospitality’s providing the delicious food— and Ketel One Vodka, the drinks. Plus, live entertainment from GRAVITY and an auction, a cigar hand-roller and fireworks to end the night!
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AN UNBRIDLED AFFAIR: 10TH ANNUAL GALA when: July 26 from 6pm to 10:30pm where: Holiday Inn Saratoga Springs hosted by: CAPTAIN Community Human Services cost: $125, $100 (if under 30) benefits: CAPTAIN Community Human Services reasons to attend: Enjoy elegance and glamour just days after the Saratoga racing season kicks off. Plus, dancing, live and silent auctions and more than a few suprises. CREDIT
MAY 2018 ★ Hold a committee meeting to discuss day-of sponsorships and the auction details*. ★ Pull mailing lists and make sure all the addresses are up to date. (Goal: no returnto-senders!) ★ Get a proof of the invitation. (Have someone else edit it before approving it!) ★ Print the invitations and mail them. (Woo-hoo!) ★ Confirm the evening’s scheduling; make sure everyone who needs to know, knows. ★ Assign volunteers their roles for the night of the event and train them so they know what to do. ★ Sell, sell, sell tickets!
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FROM SIRO’S CUP TO THE WHITE PARTY, THESE CAN’T-MISS PHIL ANTHROPIC EVENTS ARE ABSOLUTE MUSTS THIS SAR ATOG A SUMMER.
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SARATOGA HOSPITAL FOUNDATION’S 36TH ANNUAL SUMMER GALA when: August 1 from 6pm to 9pm where: The Polo Meadow at Saratoga Casino Hotel hosted by: The Saratoga Hospital Foundation cost: $175, $125 (if 21-35) benefits: Saratoga Community Health Center reasons to attend: With Saratoga’s royal couple, Marylou Whitney and John Hendrickson, serving as honorary chairs— and its highly successful charity auction— this is a gala that you can’t miss. This year’s theme: Havana Nights. ¡Vamos!
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HEALTH, HISTORY, & HORSES CHARITY GALA when: August 16 from 6pm to 9pm where: Longfellows Restaurant hosted by: Longfellows Hotel, Restaurant and Conference Center cost: $75 benefits: The poor of Saratoga, Warren, and Washington counties reasons to attend: Enjoy food, cocktails and live music while contributing to an amazing cause. Take part in a silent auction and basket raffle. Make it count!
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20TH ANNUAL TRAVERS WINE TASTING when: August 24 6pm to 10pm where: Saratoga City Center hosted by: Senior Services of Albany cost: $140 benefits: Senior Services of Albany reasons to attend: Held the night before
the Travers Stakes, the event offers wine tastings from more than 100 wine selections, as well as craft beers from the around the globe, live and silent auctions and gourmet food galore. It promises to be the “highlight of the summer season.”
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SARATOGA WINE & FOOD FESTIVAL AND BUGATTI RALLY (THE GRAND TASTING) when: September 8 at 12pm where: SPAC hosted by: Saratoga County Chamber cost: TBD benefits: SPAC reasons to attend: Guests at Saturday’s Grand Tasting get to kick back with expertly curated food options and wine tastings, an exclusive Bugatti showcase, live music and an Iron Cheflike cooking competition. Allez cuisine!
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25TH ANNUAL NEWTON PLAZA AND MARINI HOMES SIRO’S CUP when: July 19 from 6pm to 11pm where: Siro’s hosted by: The Center for Disability Services cost: $125 in advance, $150 at the door benefits: The Center for Disability Services reasons to attend: Looking to rub elbows with a Who’s Who of the horse racing industry? This is the place to do it. Held on the eve of Opening Day at the Saratoga Race Course, the Siro’s Cup is also known as the “unofficial kickoff” to Saratoga’s social season.
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15TH ANNUAL J. MICHAEL FITZGIBBONS MEMORIAL GOLF CLASSIC when: July 23 from 10:30am to 6pm where: The Edison Club, 891 Rexford, NY hosted by: Saratoga Bridges, NYSARC Inc., Saratoga County Chamber cost: $175 benefits: A portion of the proceeds benefits the J. Michael Fitzgibbons Memorial Scholarship fund in honor of Michael, a board member, who passed away unexpectedly in 2005. reasons to attend: Hit the greens and network with more than 100 golfers from area businesses. The event also includes contests, prizes and a buffet dinner.
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Bar None Meet three of Saratoga’s stellar servers who’ve definitely earned their tip. BY LIZZIE HUNTER PHOTOGRAPHY BY
D O R I F I T Z PAT R I C K e x c l u s i v e ly f o r
saratoga living
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’m not gonna lie. As much as I love a good night out in Saratoga—happy hour, dinner, drinks into the wee hours (you know the drill)—sometimes my couch tempts me more than the delicious scents wafting from Downtown. But on those nights, when food and cocktails aren’t enough, it’s the people serving them that get me out the door. Only great service can turn a good meal or drink into a memorable one, and luckily, in this town, we’re blessed with a huge roster of top-notch servers. saratoga living just nicked the tip of the iceberg by selecting only three amazing representatives this round. These folks, we’re sure, will make you feel as comfortable in their restaurant or bar as you do on your sofa. So swap those slippers for dancing shoes, for goodness sakes, and get out! We’ll meet you there. Promise.
BROOKE FARRINGTON Max London’s ☛ What’s the best thing about the customers at Max London’s? “You never know who’s going to sit down at your bar—could be your average person, or a jockey. You never know. I’ve forged some great relationships with the people here.”
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What’s the best thing a customer’s ever told you? “When a customer asks what your shifts are or the next time you’re going to be here. Because anyone can make a vodka soda, but when they ask that, you know they’re coming back because of you.”
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How are you preparing for the Saratoga summer? [laughs] “By enjoying every last drop of Saratoga during the ‘calm before the storm.’”
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RICHARD MACK salt & char/The Blue Hen (The Adelphi Hotel) ☛ What’s the best thing about the customers at both salt & char and Blue Hen? “They’re very loyal. They really remember your name, who you are, the great service and really appreciate the work that we do. On a craftsmanship level, we take a lot of pride in being really, really great servers and people appreciate it, so it’s nice to see.” How are you preparing for the Saratoga summer? “A lot of training and menu knowledge: making sure we’re able to answer all of the questions that people are going to ask in a timely manner to make sure we have enough time to take care of the guests.” What’s the best thing a customer’s ever told you? “When a dining experience helps make their day better, that’s probably the best thing.”
ERIKA DIGGINS Bailey’s Saratoga ☛ What’s the best thing about the customers at Bailey’s? “All of the different personalities that I’ve met— people from all walks of life. There’s not an age range, or a clique here. It’s young to old. I love the people that come in here.” How are you preparing for the Saratoga summer? “You can never really prepare. I’ve worked here almost five years. You’re never going to be prepared for your ass being kicked.” What’s the best thing a customer’s ever told you? “A lot of my guests know my background and history and they’re proud of who I’ve become in my five years here. They’ve seen me grow mentally, emotionally, physically… It’s nice because it’s people you don’t really know outside of here, but they still care about me in that sense.”
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Delicious Design Our interior design expert reveals how she transformed The Brook Tavern into a welcoming neighborhood hot spot.
love going out in Saratoga Springs, because I always run into lots of friends, and before I know it, it’s a big party. There’s just so much to do here and big fun to be had. But sometimes it’s nice to go to a cozy neighborhood restaurant for a quiet meal and close conversation, and I needed a spot like that in town. That’s why I was super-excited when I was asked to come up with a design concept to transform the former Springwater Inn restaurant (it also had a few other unsuccessful incarnations) into something new. The owners, Bob and Mary Alice Lee, wanted a place that “captured the spirit of a Saratoga neighborhood, combined with the functionality of a working restaurant.” And that’s precisely what I’d done, when it opened its doors as The Brook Tavern. We all know that the quality of the food is critical when we consider restaurants (five stars for the Brook’s skillet cookie—it’s de-lish!). But if you’ve ever sat in an uninspired space, been stuck straining to hear conversations or accosted by bright lights even while eating mouth-watering food, then you know that the decor’s pretty important
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ROB SPRING too. And, having its roots as an 1800s horse-carriage factory, the space needed to be warm and cozy and happy and new, with a nod to the past and to the Saratoga Race Course, which, as it happens, is just a short walk away. The first time I walked into the space, I looked at the knotty-pine walls, dated bathroom and dingy carpet and envisioned, instead, shiny black wainscot, wide-plank hardwood floors and modern light fixtures. If it was going to be a place Saratogians wanted to (frequently) frequent, it needed to feel reminiscent of a beautiful home, so we added cozy banquettes with Burberryesque tan plaid upholstery, crocodile leather wall coverings, navy blue walls, tailored shades, shiny polished nickel everything, antique mirrors and beautiful, oversized horse photos. Four months later—and after countless design meetings, gallons of paint and numerous deliveries—the space was transformed into a Saratoga-worthy spot. It felt good. I recall with great pride The Brook Tavern’s opening party. It was a beautiful day, and as I approached the restaurant, walking past flower boxes and freshly cut grass along Union Avenue, I saw that a crowd of locals was pouring out
brook’s shield (clockwise from top left) The Brook Tavern’s interior design upgrades made it into a cozy, neighborhood restaurant; the restaurant was given flourishes reminiscent of a beautiful home, such as this burlap horse pillow; the restaurant’s navy blue walls, horse images and tailored shades make it homey and racetrack-crowd friendly; silver trophies, old books, racing photographs and black wood gild the lily.
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photography by
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FEEL tr ansfor med.
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shiny penny Polished-nickel light fixtures add to The Brook Tavern’s interior design charm.
onto the porch, having filled the restaurant. It was the perfect party. The restaurant was comfy and inviting, with a cool vibe and great neighborhood feel. The owners knew the proximity to the racetrack would mean a busy July and August, challenging us to make the restaurant a yearround destination. That meant creating “a comfortable neighborhood place,” according to Bob Lee, who knew the welcoming attitude of the staff, combined with good food and an inviting interior, would make the restaurant “a fun spot after the races, and a great place to perhaps sit on the porch or find a warm seat in the winter when it’s snowing to listen to live music next to the fire.” It was at that opening party that my son TJ, then 12, declared with certainty that when he was old enough, he’d work at The Brook Tavern. Being a determined kid who makes stuff happen, he presented them with his working papers and applied for a job when he turned 16, and was hired (yay!) and trained on the fine art of pouring water and stacking dishes (very helpful life lessons). This has made it even more fun for us to eat there, and when, a few weeks ago, my other son Josh and I were in the mood for a burger, we tucked into a cozy booth at The Brook Tavern. I love having dinner with the boys. We always set aside an hour or two and cell phones are kept in pockets. This, with the added new pleasure of teasing my adorable busboy, and the lively bar full of friends, makes it a place we always want to return to. And we do. You should go, too.
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HEY, DJ! When Saratoga turns up, the night never ends. #lit
THE NEWBERRY MUSIC HALL VIBE: Latin-y SPECIALTY DRINK:
Five are advertised on the menu, including The Lucille Ball, a Shirley Temple for grown-ups BEST NIGHT TO GO: Friday MUSIC: Latin CROWD: Couples 40+ OVERHEARD: “Everyone generally seems to know what they’re doing out on the dancefloor.”
The Newberry used to be kind of a mystery to me. Located underground, it shares its main door on Broadway with The Comedy Works, and hosts Next Level Church on Sunday mornings. But the Newberry itself is a club, with a U-shaped bar, giant dancefloor and stage. The night of my club crawl, a comedy performance was in session, so the dance club wasn’t operating, but I was told to come back on a Friday for the weekly Latin Night. When I came back the following week, this time on a solo voyage, I found close to a dozen couples tangoing to Spanish music by DJ Frankie Ramos. (The Newberry hosts tango fusion classes at 7pm and 8pm on Fridays before open dancing at 9pm). As someone who generally tries to stay away from can’t-hardly-breathe, crowded clubs, this is definitely my kind of place—at least on Fridays.
STO RY A N D PHOTOGRAPHY BY N ATA L I E M O O R E
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his past May, two of my friends, both recently single, decided to hold their own Saratoga Springs bar crawl, because they “didn’t have time to wait around for an organized one.” Caught in the trenches of saratoga living’s 20th Anniversary issue deadline, I didn’t think I’d be able to participate. “Tell your editor he has to cover the crawl for the magazine!” one of my friends suggested (obviously joking—a three-person bar crawl isn’t exactly compelling feature material). Though SL didn’t cover the crawl—I was able to slip out of the office long enough to hit five bars—the seed was planted, or so my friends claim. A week and a half later, I was assigned a
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story about club-going in Saratoga: one that required me to go on, yep, a club crawl. Coincidence? Maybe. Serendipity? Probably. Pure fun? Definitely. Saratoga’s club scene isn’t exactly as wide-ranging as that of larger cities, but we have a solid handful of bars, taverns and clubs where dancing’s permitted and encouraged. The first weekend in June, I rallied four of my friends—two of the OG crawlers and two newbies—for the second biweekly Saratoga crawl. What I found was an array of options for clubbing in our small city, from dark, crowded rooms to open-air dancefloors, all of which bring a unique flavor to the nightlife capital of Upstate NY: our home, Saratoga Springs.
SINCLAIR SARATOGA
VIBE: Upbeat, young SPECIALTY DRINK: Jell-O shots BEST NIGHT TO GO: Saturday MUSIC: Dance mash-ups CROWD: Ages 21-35 OVERHEARD: “I don’t like Jell-O.”
Sinclair is one of the Spa City’s newer nighttime hotspots. Opened in 2017, the place quadruples as a bar, dance club, cornhole range (in the summer), and vintage arcade. The crowd is young, the lights are neon pink and the DJ spinning on the patio the night I was there was one of the best I’ve heard in town for dancing. The word on the street about Sinclair is either (1) “I’ve heard that place is cool!” or (2) “I love that place!” Both are true.
GAFFNEY’S
VIBE: Party time SPECIALTY DRINK:
We’ve heard the Lake George Cider Project is very popular BEST NIGHT TO GO: Saturday MUSIC: Variety (country, pop, ’90s); mix of live music and DJs CROWD: Festive, ages 21-55 OVERHEARD: “You look better with your shirt unbuttoned.” At its enviable prime perch on the corner of Caroline and Putnam, Gaffney’s has long been a Saratoga institution. Its range of atmospheres—the crowded patio area, always bumping with live music; the darker indoor bar and dancefloor; and the quieter upper floor, where you can catch the hockey game over a bag of free popcorn—make it a bar you can spend the entire evening at. (And I would’ve, had I not had a full night of crawling ahead of me.) You’re bound to run into someone you know and be left with a permanent smile on your face. This is what Saratoga’s all about!
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THE SARATOGA CITY TAVERN (4th Floor)
VIBE: Very loud Another local staple and crowded is The Saratoga City SPECIALTY DRINK: Tavern. Rising high $5 Bud Light, as above its neighboring advertised bars on Caroline BEST NIGHT TO GO: Street, the tavern has Saturday five floors (including MUSIC: Pop/techno a roof-deck), each CROWD: Singles with its own vibe. OVERHEARD: “Get a For clubbing, you Vodka Red Bull—you want the fourth floor. know you want it.” The lights are dim (besides the colored strobes), the music is deafening and the floor is as slick with spilled drinks as you’d expect, given the number of bumping bodies in the room. The fabled fourth floor is the true club experience in Saratoga, and you don't want to miss it.
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PUTNAM PLACE
VIBE: Concert dependent SPECIALTY DRINK: Tito’s Vodka
Formerly the Putnam Den, Putnam Place has recently undergone a is the most-ordered spirit major, stunning facelift, introducing BEST NIGHT TO GO: Depends on a brand new mirrored bar, a giant who’s performing LED screen and killer patio area. MUSIC: Various (jam bands, pop The venue’s vibe changes with the DJs, jazz, open mic nights) performers of the night: Jam bands CROWD: Concert dependent bring in the older hippie crowd, rap OVERHEARD: “This Miller Light artists appeal to Skidmore College tastes like a caramel smoothie.” students and saratoga living’s 20th Anniversary party, with music by Cuban quartet ALTA HAVANA and DJ Trumastr, welcomed the entire city. The night of my club crawl, it was the first option, with psychedelic patterns shifting on the LED screen behind the band Dr. Jah and the Love Prophets, and people in tie-dyes head-bopping to the music.
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M
y mother, Tina Levith, is one of the most caring, personable people you’ll ever meet. That’s what made her the perfect fit for a job working with students at Skidmore College in the Dean of Studies Office in the early 1990s. Though I know the job weighed on her at times, she ultimately loved it and was constantly befriending talented students around campus. When I was a teenager, I remember her excitedly telling me about this one student, Garland Nelson, who had a larger-than-life personality and a beautiful singing voice. He was one of the college’s rising stars. Now long since retired, she recently told me that whenever she runs into him in Downtown Saratoga, he gives her a big hug. That should tell you everything you need to know about him; he’s still the same effervescent person my mom met all those years ago—and he’s never forgotten the people who helped shape
none of the members of my family were musicians,” he says. His path to music was actually paved by his uncle, who had a turntable and a massive record collection. He remembers rifling through his uncle’s stacks of LPs on the floor as a young child, marveling at the colorful album covers, listening to the music and mimicking everything he heard. His uncle was a funk connoisseur, a fan of groups such as B.T. Express, The Commodores, and especially, Earth, Wind & Fire. Nelson can actually pinpoint the song he first sang along with on a loop: “Sun Goddess,” from the eponymous 1974 Ramsey Lewis/ Earth, Wind & Fire collaboration album, which features the type of album cover that would mesmerize a curious child: It shows a woman’s face—eyes closed, lips pursed—painted in glittery gold, with golden rays emanating from it. “I used to take it out of the sleeve and put it on his wooden floor and spin it,” says Nelson. “Needless to say, my uncle went through quite a couple of copies of that album.”
Garland Nelson him into the man he is today. As the leader of Saratoga band Soul Session—and an all-around musical polyglot—Nelson’s one of the area’s most successful and sought-after musicians. But it wasn’t such an easy road getting there. Born and raised in the projects in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn—the same neighborhood that spawned hip-hop giants such as The Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z— Nelson tells me that a career in music wasn’t really in the cards for him early on. “You’d be surprised to know that
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By the 1980s, Nelson was at Washington Irving High School in Manhattan “trying not to be a statistic,” with the mean streets in full effect. “Fortunately for me I had a very strong mother and grandparents that were like, ‘We will not only whup your ass, but we’ll throw your ass out on the street if you don’t keep it moving,’” he says. “I was able, by God’s grace, to keep it moving enough to finally catch fire.” By that he means that his grades started improving, and he actually began believing that there was a future for him
music man Garland Nelson, leader of hugely popular Saratoga band Soul Session, is an all-around musical polyglot.
Believes How the leader of Soul Session—and proud Skidmore grad—saved himself. BY WILL LEVITH PHOTOGRAPHY BY E X C L U S I V E LY F O R
L AW R E N C E W H I T E
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years serving the capital district
outside of the city. By senior year, he back to living in the ’hood with his mom. actively doing it,” he says. That turned was looking at a range of colleges and Also, being the first person from his out to be his ticket to success on the universities—some historically black family to go away to college, he had no local music scene—and for a minute, and others, such as Marist College and one to talk to about what post-graduate the national stage. In 1999, Nelson won Temple University—when his advisor life looked or felt like. He was lost. an early American Idol-type karaoke suggested he check out Skidmore (a What saved him was music. He DJ-ed competition and was named the top friend of Nelson’s, one year ahead of at the college radio station—and spun singer in all of New York State. He was him, had gone there to study dance). records in the Downtown Saratoga flown down to Nashville to compete in Nelson remembers thinking “Skid scene too, at now long-closed venues a national sing-off championship. He Row College” at first. “It just didn’t such as The Trattoria, Golden Grill and didn’t win, but it provided him with a compute,” he says. “Skidmore was The Metro. After graduation, Nelson big takeaway: that there had been tons absolutely not even on the of talented people there at radar whatsoever.” So he the competition, all of whom traveled up to Saratoga to were hungry for success— check it out, and something and just “being who they clicked. “Something about really were.” That was the the environment coinciding turning point for him. He with my Black Pantherism came back to Saratoga at the time made me want with a purpose: He was to see how the other side going to go all-in on being lives,” says Nelson. “It just a professional musician. He felt so welcoming, across auditioned for and landed a the board, not only from slot in a relatively new local other students of color, nine-piece band called but also the faculty, who the New York Players, and seemed like regular people, within a year, they were the New York City-style; there most sought-after act within was no pretentiousness or a three-hour radius of their hierarchical kind of thing.” home base in Albany. And After a second trip to the he was their frontman. What saved Nelson was music. He DJ-ed college, everything fell into at Skidmore and long-closed Saratoga place. Unexpectedly, he ast-forward to felt strangely at home. 2003, and Nelson venues such as The Trattoria, Golden Grill got the itch to and The Metro. At an open mic at Bailey’s elson says he break out on his really enjoyed own. That’s when he discovered his passion for live music. his first two years he founded Soul Session, at Skidmore. “I a project that started as a was one of those guys who moved Downtown, living in a studio soul singer-fronted acoustic outfit and did 40 million things,” he says. He did his apartment above Impressions of morphed from there. The band has best work, academically, during those Saratoga. The way he looked at it, he since opened for Boyz II Men, Rock years and was an RA his sophomore was just buying time in order to get to and Roll Hall of Famer Bootsy Collins year, a rarity for an underclassman on the next step of his life. He was singing (of Parliament-Funkadelic) and even campus. He made fast friends with two a lot too. “All of a sudden, music came ’70s/’80s hit machine Eddie Money. “It brothers who were star players on the screaming back into my life,” he says. was the weirdest pairing,” says Nelson Skidmore College Men’s Basketball He decided to go to an open mic night of the latter gig. “That was one thing team, and he says his room was a at the newly opened Bailey’s, which we didn’t listen to in the ’hood.” Soul constant hip-hop dance party. “But year was run by local musicians Rick Bolton Session has become a mainstay on three was the first one where it was like, and Jeff Walton. Again, an epiphany. “It the fundraising and wedding circuits ‘I don’t feel like I belong here anymore,’” was those open-mic environments with in Saratoga and the greater Capital says Nelson. He was getting closer to these key people—they took me in and Region—they played the American graduating, and it began to dawn on put their arms around me, and that gave Cancer Society’s Gala of Hope in May him that his future could easily be going me an opportunity to learn from people and are gearing up to play the Saratoga
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Performing Arts Center’s Ballet Gala on July 21. While some local bands might not think twice about their audience at a fundraiser or wedding, Nelson says he takes every single gig “deathly serious.” Here’s how he puts it: “When people come to me and ask for my leadership to deliver one of maybe two or three greatest moments of their existence, outside of children, that’s pressure like a motherf—. There’s no other way for me to put it.” Taking that a step further, he says that each client comes away knowing that his band will be at their function to “blow sh— up.” In other words, he’ll bring them nothing short of his all. Turning it around, he asks, rhetorically, “What would I want?” Most bands don’t have much of a story behind how they got their name. Even diehard fans have to admit that “The Beatles” is a pretty lame name for a band. Soul Session, on the other hand, is anything but a throwaway. Nelson says the word “soul” came to him in the context of the Bible: “God breathed into man the breath of life, and he became a living soul,” he says, paraphrasing the passage from Genesis. The other half, “session,” is less a synonym for what a musician does in a recording studio than it is about providing therapy to the audience. “This was literally downloaded into me,” says Nelson. “It wasn’t a matter of us to you; it was more like us being in a circle, and everyone in it having just as much importance as the person who was leading the discussion.” Nelson provides a powerful example of that ethos: He once received a letter from a fan who’d been at one of his shows that said, had he or she not been caught up in Nelson’s energy, they would’ve probably ended their life that night. That’s the kind of power few of us get to wield or harness during our lifetime. And it brings us back full circle to that young, impressionable college student, full of dreams and aspirations, who left the big city for a small school in a small town—and wound up, years later, owning it. The next time I run into Garland Nelson in Downtown Saratoga—and I know I will— I’ll be sure to give him a big hug back.
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Hello, Gorgeous!
pace car The 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Atlantic is one of the most highly sought-after vintage luxury automobiles in the world.
Bugatti, one of the most celebrated luxury auto manufacturers in history, prepares to invade Saratoga this September.
I
B Y S I M O N M U R R AY
don’t know if it still is, but attending the Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall in New York City as a kid used to be a rite of passage. It was also an event. Seeing the Rockettes explode onto the stage in a flurry of choreographed kicks for the very first time was enough to put Santa on notice. The exact seat number where I sat next to my family has been lost to memory, but the vantage point has been seared into my skull: front right, close enough to take in the theatrics but also the architecture. Radio City, with its gorgeous concentric golden circles, blood-red seats and walls, is like staring into the angry iris
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saratoga surprise Another angle of the Bugatti Type 57; the International Bugatti Tour and Grand Prix is bringing its 80-plus autos to the Saratoga Wine & Food Festival this September at SPAC.
(house) AMERICAN BUGATTI CLUB
it at auction. A 1937 Type 57S Atalante was found covered in dust in a garage in England. The engine hadn’t been fired up in more than 50 years, and the odometer read under 27,000 miles. These are cars in the same way that the Mona Lisa is a mere painting. Bringing the past to life this fall is the 2018 International Bugatti Tour and Grand Prix. Hosted by the American Bugatti Club, the exclusive, weeklong rally draws Bugatti enthusiasts from around the world—this year, the tour will be visiting the US for the first time in more than a decade. While the last few Atlantics will probably not be on display,
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owners in vintage and modern models will nonetheless be taking a winding tour along Adirondack roadways. The rally will descend on the Lake George Club just in time to kick off the Saratoga Wine & Food Festival, a three-day epicurean showcase at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, and pop up at Saratoga Spa State Park’s reflecting pool for a “Bugatti Ballet” auto display. What is it about the Bugatti brand that elicits such patronage? History has something to do with it, though I would be flat-out lying if I said that other Italian carmakers such as Ferrari and Lamborghini don’t have their own
CREDIT
First appearing on the Bugatti Aérolithe in 1935, the design scheme called for a lightweight but flammable magnesium alloy. As such, the body panels had to be riveted externally—giving it the prominent dorsal seam that produces the complex, exquisite shape. Though the Aérolithe was never recovered— some believe it was scrapped for parts during the war effort—lucky for us, the design survives today in a few Atlantic models. These cars continue to make everything around them seem obsolete. Only a few of the originals have survived to present day, one is on display at the Mullin Automotive Museum in California. Another belongs to Ralph Lauren, who reportedly paid upwards of $40 million for
CREDIT
of a god. But then, that’s Art Deco for you. When you stare at Art Deco, it seems to stare back, assessing your sophistication and worth (like Saturday Night Live characters Wayne and Garth, whose answer is usually an emphatic, We’re. Not. Worthy). It wouldn’t be until a while after my wintertime pilgrimage that I would be able to put a style to a name. Longer still, before I grasped that Art Deco—a style influenced by a hodgepodge of decorative arts united by modernity— didn’t just influence the designs of buildings, but furniture, jewelry, fashion and, yes, cars, too. Unfortunately, I was 80 years late to the party: The style effectively died with the onset of World War II. But before it dissolved, it inspired some, including Jean Bugatti, to create some of the most stunning designs, Art Deco or otherwise, in the world. That is, roadsters more artwork than automobile, highly prized today by car collectors everywhere: The Type 57 Bugatti Atlantics.
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all i want for christmas The Bugatti Chiron is a badass, inside and out.
storied legacies. What then? Since the very beginning, when Ettore Bugatti left the German auto industry to create the brand bearing his name, the marque has been about melding high speed performance and exquisite styling into road-bound creations. Famously, Ettore was said to have told a customer complaining about the brakes in his Bugatti, “I make my cars to go, not stop!” Seldom seen in recent years, many of
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these cars have taken on an almost mythical status. Designed by Jean Bugatti, Ettore’s son, the Bugatti Royale Type 41 became one of the most soughtafter luxury cars of all time—in its day competing with the leading Rolls Royce cars of the era. In the world of auto racing, the Bugatti Type 35 dominated the scene for years while facing tough competition from Fiat, Mercedes and Bentley. Even the modern cars are unicorns. More recently, when the Bugatti Veyron was being built, its design brief was simple: The car had to have more than 1000 horsepower;
it had to be able to accelerate to 60 mph in less than three seconds; it had to have a top speed of 250 mph; and it had to be stylish enough to be a car you’d want to take to the opera. The design brief for its successor, the Chiron, was even simpler: be better than the Veyron in every way.
Today, the Chiron is the fastest, most powerful and exclusive production super sports car in Bugatti’s history. Each one is a masterpiece of art and performance: a nod to the Art Deco styling of Jean Bugatti, and the engineering of Ettore. To have so many Bugattis descend on Saratoga at once
is like having your home decorated by the contents of the Louvre. It’s nothing less than a head-exploding event of fabulosity. A chance to look back at multiple design generations of the past, and look ahead at the blazingfast future. Just don’t blink. (I still kind of miss the Rockettes, though).
road scholar The 1936 Bugatti Type 57SC Competition Roadster was a racetrack-ready stunner in its day.
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The Wine & Food Festival’s Almost Here! Event planning superstar Colin Cowie and the American Bugatti Club team up at SPAC. BY JEFF DINGLER
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h, there’s nothing I love more than fine wine, delicious food and…priceless vintage autos. (What can I say? I have expensive taste.) This year’s Saratoga Wine & Food Festival will be expanding on its already can’tmiss format with partners the Saratoga Automobile Museum and Colin Cowie Lifestyle. (Cowie, the planet’s most celebrated event planner, is also saratoga living’s Design Editor.) The annual festival will be held September 7-9 and will include a display of more than 80 luxury Bugatti cars, as part of the American Bugatti Club’s International Bugatti Tour. All that, and it’ll include a farm-to-table brunch personally hosted by Cowie himself. Held every year at the end of SPAC’s classical music season, the festival is a three-day showcase of so much wineand food-related fun that I’m already stuffed—and more than a little bit tipsy— thinking about it. Patrons can participate
brunch bunch Event planning luminary Colin Cowie will host a farmto-table brunch at this year’s Wine & Food Festival at SPAC.
in numerous wine seminars, cooking demonstrations, a wide variety of tastings and of course, the Bugatti show, which is visiting the US for the first time in a decade. “Through our partnership with the American Bugatti Club, guests of the Saratoga Wine & Food Festival will be able to experience the legendary exclusivity of the Bugatti brand,” says Carly T. Connors, Executive Director of the Saratoga Automobile Museum. As elegant as a vintage car can be, in my humble opinion, there’s no spectacle quite as gorge as an event planned by Colin Cowie. (I should
know; I was at saratoga living’s Cowie-hosted 20th Anniversary soirée at Putnam Place.) “It’s no secret that I adore Saratoga Springs,” says Cowie. “We’re using our signature five-sense approach to ensure everything guests smell, touch, taste, see and hear reflects the DNA of Saratoga, SPAC and the American Bugatti Club.” The festival’s not just a big deal for event-goers: Ticket sales are a main source of fundraising for SPAC and the Auto Museum’s educational programming, so it’s also for a great cause. Mark your calendars for September—and get revved up to have an unforgettable time. You can find me at the festival, ogling a Bugatti, wine glass in hand and soaking in the ambiance. I’ll try to say “Hello” back—if my mouth isn’t full of culinary delights.
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What Are The Odds?
[ A N A LY S I S ]
The recent Supreme Court decision on sports betting has everyone speculating what it means for horse racing and Saratoga. The answer matters. BY TERESA A. GENARO
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think I was in my 30s before I realized that some people thought gambling was bad. My parents started taking my brother and me to the racetrack before we were in kindergarten; in fact, it was horse racing—harness racing—that led my family to move to Saratoga in the late 1970s. Dreams about numbers that turned into winning trifectas with four-digit payouts, that long shot hunch bet that improbably came in and an annual family picnic at Saratoga Race Course are as much a part of our family traditions as Thanksgiving dinner. There were card games, too, and maybe a football pool, and the hope of a life-changing score with a lottery ticket. But for the most part, when we gambled, we gambled on horses— and not only because, until not so long ago, horse racing was the only legal gambling game in town.
“SARATOGA IS INSULATED BY THE NATURE OF THE EXPERIENCE. IT’S AN EXPERIENTIAL PLACE, A VACATION DESTINATION, AND THE NEW YORK RACING ASSOCIATION HAS PROVED ADEPT AT KEEPING THE QUALITY OF RACING HIGH. IT’S THE MOST ATTRACTIVE HORSE-RACING BETTING SPOT IN THE COUNTRY.”
A recent Supreme Court decision may be about to change all that. In May, the high court struck down a 1992 federal law that prohibited sports gambling pretty much everywhere except Nevada. The decision doesn’t make sports betting legal, but rather gives states the opportunity to decide for themselves whether they want to expand gambling options. When the decision was announced, there were two reactions from the horse racing community: “Yay! This is going to be great for horse racing!” and “Boo! This is going to be terrible for horse racing!” There may be truth in both reactions, but given Saratoga’s unique position in the world of horse racing, whatever New York ultimately decides isn’t likely to have an adverse effect on the summer racing meet—and quite possibly, no effect in the near future. A little history: In 2013, the state legislature passed a law allowing new casinos to open in New York. A provision of that law is that, if sports gambling were to become legal in New York, only four of those casinos—Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady, del Lago Resort & Casino in the Finger Lakes, Resorts World Catskills near Monticello and Tioga Downs Casino Resort near Binghamton—would be permitted to take sports gambling bets. Unsurprisingly, other entities, including the New York Racing Association (NYRA), which runs Saratoga Race Course, Belmont Park and Aqueduct Racetrack, is positioning itself to have that law amended so that other facilities could take sports bets, and two bills recently introduced in the legislature would allow just that. Does this mean that we could see a sports betting facility at Saratoga Race Course? Or that people will stop betting on horses and shift their summer gambling dollars to other sports? “My sense is that it’s not going to hurt horse racing or Saratoga,” says Joe Appelbaum, President of the New York Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, who speaks also with the authority of an accomplished gambler (in 2016, he won the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge and last summer was an agonizing nose away from scooping a Pick 6 pool at Saratoga). “Saratoga is insulated by the nature of the experience. It’s an experiential place, a vacation destination, and the New York Racing Association has proved adept at keeping the quality of racing high. It’s the most attractive horse-racing betting spot in the country.” Additionally, says Appelbaum, the summer racing season doesn’t face a lot of competition from other sports. Baseball’s pretty much the only sport running concurrently with the Saratoga meet, and even the major tennis tournaments take place either before or just at the end of the season.
Appelbaum was one of few people willing to speak on the record about this subject matter. Neither the offices of Assemblyman J. Gary Pretlow nor State Senator John Bonacic, the men who’ve sponsored the proposed legislation in their respective chambers, responded to requests for comment. The New York State Gaming Commission, which would be charged with regulating any new gambling, responded this way to saratoga living: “At this point we are not able to agree to an interview. Commission staff is currently reviewing the Supreme Court decision to fully understand the potential implications on State law.” In early June, Governor Andrew Cuomo indicated that he thought it unlikely that any bills in favor of sports wagering in the state would be passed by the end of the legislative session (June 20), making academic any discussions of the impact of the Supreme Court decision, at least for the time being. As for a year-round sports betting facility at Saratoga? Let’s just say that it would face its own unique hurdles. The harness track, barely a mile from the flat track, already has a year-round simulcast center, and while no one from Saratoga Gaming was available to comment on its plans, it seems unlikely that a competing facility at Saratoga Race Course could move forward without significant opposition and renovation, as the flat track has no areas suitable for use beyond the summer. And to be clear, NYRA has expressed zero interest in pursuing that option. But what about Internet gambling? If people can bet on sports on their smartphones and computers, won’t that take money away from horse racing? Great question, and another one without an answer, because no current legislation makes any provision for Internet sports wagering. So if you’re worried that sports betting is going to turn Saratoga into a ghost town, or that Saratoga Race Course is on the verge of the kind of decline it experienced during the ’60s, fear not. Back then, the track was saved from a complete renovation, because it was difficult to reach prior to the Northway being built, and NYRA’s focus was on Belmont and Aqueduct. Now the legendary inaction of our state government seems to suggest that it will be a while before anyone in New York will be betting—legally, that is—on anything beyond the State’s current offerings. So for now, my family and I will continue to set up shop in the backyard, search for that viable long shot and teach newcomers my brother’s $7.20 five-horse superfecta key bet. For now, the traditions live on.
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MEET POLO’S TOUGHEST
STAR BRANDON PHILLIPS CONQUERS THE RUGGED SPORT—AND CANCER—WITH STYLE.
game on “I’ve always looked at things, especially since my cancer diagnosis, as, you get through it and you go on,” Phillips says.
BY JORDAN LEVIN PHOTOGRAPHY BY SCOTT TEITLER
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pretty tough Phillips is based in Wellington, FL, the country's epicenter of polo, and was in Saratoga Springs last summer for a fundraiser; (opposite) Phillips doing what he does best.
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rowing up in Vermont, horses were the love of my early adolescence. I loved taking long rides down back roads alone or with my best friend—and the sense of emotional and physical communion whenever I rode one of these formidable, beautiful animals. Just being on a horse made me feel like I could handle anything; it forced me to be aware of the powerful, majestic creature beneath me. Although I seldom get to ride these days, every time I have the chance to saddle up, I do, and it makes me feel alive (if incredibly sore). Which is why I leaped at the chance to interview superstar (and former teenage phenom) polo player, Brandon Phillips.
Horses have been more than just a sidecar to Phillips’ successful sporting life. They helped him recover from a brutal boyhood battle with cancer, and that struggle inspired Phillips to become a champion for sick children, using his elite status in polo to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for cancer research. “I’ve always looked at it that God was testing me,” says Phillips of his early bout with cancer. “Many thousands of people get tested and don’t make it. I was the lucky chosen one to get through it, so I have to try to help others.” In 2014, Phillips, who’s based in Wellington, FL, the epicenter of polo in North America—and who was in Saratoga Springs as recently as last summer—founded Polo For A Purpose, a fundraiser for the Wellington-based Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS), using his connections to bring on sponsors and top players for an exhibition game that has become a wildly successful charity event. Last year’s edition raised half a million dollars for LLS, a top privately funded researcher on blood cancers, which also provides services and education for patients and their families. “He was our entrée to the polo world,” says LLS Executive Director Pam Payne. “He’s unpretentious, kind, passionate and committed—a joy to work with. I don’t think he’s in it for ‘Look what I’m doing.’ He’s in it for all the right reasons.” She couldn’t have read his intentions better. Says Phillips of his charity work: “I don’t want a kid to go through what I went through.” He also mentors children with cancer and brings groups of them to polo matches at the luxurious International Polo Club Palm Beach. “It’s also bringing kids out to take their minds off it. Every kid loves a horse.” Phillips certainly did. Now 40, he was raised just outside of Toronto, and was an avid athlete as a child, with a horseloving family to boot—his father and brother were amateur polo players, two uncles were Olympic show-jumpers and his mother and sister were fox hunters. Then, when he was just 14, he was stricken with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and doctors gave him six weeks to live. He spent months in the hospital enduring relentless, painful treatments, but his tough athletic
spirit enabled him to beat the odds. “It was just what you had to do,” Phillips tells me. “I’m not going to die, so OK, I’m going to have to go through hell. I’ve always looked at things, especially since then, as, you get through it and you go on.” When he recovered, Phillips was too weak to play ice hockey, which had been his favorite sport. He turned to polo, where horses provided nonjudgmental companionship and compensated for his now-skinnier frame. At 16, a family friend took him to see the US Open Polo Championship in New York on White Birch Farm, the estate of celebrity Publisher, Producer and White Birch Team Owner, Peter M. Brant. Incredibly, the following year, Phillips launched his career at the top of the sport, playing in the US Open with White Birch and some of the world’s best players. “It was like I went from throwing a baseball in my backyard to playing for the Yankees in the World Series,” Phillips says. “I got very lucky. And I didn’t know enough to be intimidated.” These days, Phillips is unquestionably a top-tier player in the sport. “He’s a wonderful teammate, a very good horseman and he’s very, very quick,” says Frederic Roy, Editor and Publisher of The Morning Line, a top polo publication. “He has a classic style.” Although Phillips has become something of a polo world celebrity and hunk, favored by area society columns, he’s kept his down-to-earth attitude intact. He’s got a country drawl, drives a pickup truck, wears jeans and dons a baseball cap. He plays for and manages Annabelle Gundlach’s Postage Stamp Farm team, and his personality was part of the draw for his patron, whom he mentored to become one of polo’s rare female players. “It was his character and honesty and integrity and who he is as a person,” says Gundlach. “He was always there and doing the right thing. For some people, it’s all about
ADOLFO CAMBIASO (Argentina) Cambiaso’s the No.1 player in the world—and it’s easy to tell why. He started his dominant ways in 2001 and has won 14 Argentine Opens, 11 Hurlingham Opens, 8 US Opens, 7 British Opens and 5 Sotogrande Gold Cups, among many others.
NACHO FIGUERAS (Argentina) While he might not be as highly ranked on the World Polo Tour as his countryman Cambiaso,
the money. It’s not like that with him.” So what about Saratoga’s polo scene? “Sadly, polo is almost obsolete there now. It was such a great place to play, but in the last eight years or so, Saratoga has gotten somewhat beat up. There’s the odd polo school, but nothing competitive,” he says. Now, as Phillips turns the corner into middle age, he knows that an accident in an arena thundering with horses could end his career—or worse. But the drive that enabled him to beat cancer keeps him devoted to the game that’s brought so much excitement and fulfillment to his life. When I ask how long he’ll keep playing polo, he doesn’t hesitate: “’Til my body breaks in half. I don’t see myself doing anything else.” As a lifelong lover of horses (and now, polo), I’m glad that he’s made up his mind.
THE PRINCES OF POLO BY WILL LEVITH
Ignacio “Nacho” Figueras keeps up appearances, literally. Known as one of the world’s sexiest men—sorry, folks, he’s off the market as he’s married to model Delfina Blaquier—he’s a supermodel himself for, fittingly, Polo Ralph Lauren, and has friends in high places, such as Prince Harry, whose wedding ceremony and ultra-exclusive, invite-only after party he attended.
TOMMY BERESFORD (United Kingdom) Just 21, Beresford’s the next generation of polo star in the UK. From a family of polo stars—his mother and father were both successful players— he’s already won a number of key matches, including the 2018 C.V. Whitney Gold Cup and the 2017 Prince of Wales Trophy. Did we mention he signs his checks with his left
hand but whacks the ball with his right? Talented guy.
JARED ZENNI (United States) Originally from Lake Bluff, IL, the 21-year-old Zenni is one of the top US amateurs in the world, and won this year’s US Open Polo Championship as part of the undefeated Daily Racing Form squad. He’s a big fan of Adolfo Cambiaso— and dreams of winning the Argentine Open—so he’s got his sights set on the top. Adolfo better guard his flank. RANKINGS: WORLD POLO TOUR
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{ NEXT UP }
THE HOMESTRETCH
saratoga living is off to The Races!
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photo finish saratoga living will be covering all aspects of the horse racing world, equine culture and beyond in our next issue “The Races!” (August 2018). It’s simply wall-to-wall horses.
L AW R E N C E W H I T E
hen I was on summer vacation from Saratoga Springs High School, many of my friends were waiters, busboys and program-sellers at Saratoga Race Course. It was the quintessential summer job if you were a kid from this part of the world. I, ever the outlier, was anxious about dealing with upscale out-of-towners and big, scary cash registers, so I took a part-time position at the track doing something I knew I could never fail at: washing dishes in the steamy underbelly of the Grandstand. It was a daily Dirty Jobs episode, but I enjoyed it immensely. There was something so soothing about scrubbing plates clean—and it was educational, too, working with a staff of guys that mostly spoke Spanish. Because I grew up here, horse racing was always there, so I took it for granted. It wasn’t really until my early 30s, when I was hired by the Daily Racing Form, that I could call myself a bona fide horse-racing fan. Just months into my tenure there, I was in Las Vegas with a couple of friends and hit a massive jackpot on a few well-handicapped horse bets at the Hard Rock Cafe’s sports book. My friends were flabbergasted. (My boss at DRF later called it “beginner’s luck.”) But it felt right. In those first 18 years I’d spent in Saratoga, I didn’t really pay attention to track conditions or Beyer Speed Figures or any of that high-level gobbledygook. Now I was in the trenches. It was my job to know how to construct a Pick 6 and have a black belt in all things Saratoga Race Course. Now, as the Executive Editor of saratoga living, it’s again my job (and the editorial team’s) to be an expert in all things horses and Saratoga—but luckily, we have help from an arsenal of veteran writers and photographers who are covering all aspects of the racing world, equine culture and beyond in our upcoming “The Races!” issue. It’s simply wall-to-wall horses. We’ll be profiling world-famous jockeys and trainers. We’ll be following Thoroughbreds as they get shipped across the country. We’ll look back at the time the Travers Stakes was fixed. We’ll be honoring the grande dame of Saratoga racing, Marylou Whitney, and reserving you a private table at Siro’s. You’ll find out how horses get their wittily crafted names—and where all those noble creatures go after their careers are over (and the organizations that make it happen). In short, you’ll come away from this issue knowing more than you ever thought you’d know about this town and its greatest sport. Ready to saddle up, Saratoga? The Races! (August 2018) will be available July 19. It’s gonna be a keeper. –WILL LEVITH
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after dark A L I T T L E R A I N D I D N ’ T K E E P T H E C H I C C R O W D AT T H E S A R ATO G A P O LO F I E L D F R O M G I V I N G B AC K . n
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night games Happy guests crowded together under the tent at the Polo Field to avoid the rain; (inset, from left) Avi Edelson, Georgie Nugent, Christine Dixon.
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he rain didn’t stop some 500 guests from coming out for a night of food, drinks, music and, yes, mingling at the 8th Annual Music & Mingling gala at the Saratoga Polo Field this past May. “It’s a mingling party. Obviously, I think that people come because they want to support the Senior Center, but I do think it’s a great business networking event that people look forward to every year,” says
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Lois Celeste, Executive Director of the Saratoga Senior Center, the event’s beneficiary. Trust me, the event’s highlights—a delicious buffet by Old Daley Custom Catering, an open bar, a photo booth with beautiful hats from Saratoga Trunk for
accessories, music by Grand Central Station and a Veuve Clicquot tent, where guests could open champagne bottles with a sword (yikes!)—were just as enticing as the mingling. “Eighty-five percent of our funds go toward programming,” Celeste says.
“We’re making sure we try to meet the needs of the growing senior population. These fundraisers are just critical to that support.” With $135,000 raised—almost $25,000 more than at last year’s event—the Senior Center is poised to offer great programming to Saratoga’s seniors in the coming year. As for me? I’m looking forward to the great programming (not the least of which is the champagne sabering) at next year’s event.
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1. (from left) Diane Gable, John Gable, Mike Billok, Tricia McGovern, Greg Champion, Joyce Wolf; 2. Becky Kendall; 3. Patricia LaRosa, Joe LaRosa; 4. Guests mingling under the tent; 5. Antoinette Jackson, Jesse Jackson; 6. Brittany Foley, Ian Robison; 7. (from left) Marco Medrano, Becky Kendall, Richard Pérez-Feria; 8. Jacob Gazaway, Ashley Lonardelli; 9. Sabine Rodgers, Paul Gleasman, Elizabeth Macy, David Peters, Zoe Rodgers.
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saratoga
BY SARAH MIDANI
¡Hola, Saratoga! On Saturday, May 19, The Wesley Foundation hosted its annual gala, this year with an “Evening in Spain” theme, at the Saratoga Golf & Polo Club on Church Street. The nearly 300 guests sported Spanish regalia at the photo
booth, such as Spanish flags and paper fans, and Fine Affairs provided the event’s Spanish-tinged decor. While The Accents brought the house down with their tunes, guests enjoyed dinner catered by Executive Chef John Ireland of the Golf & Polo Club and a complimentary sangria bar. By the end of the evening, bolstered by ticket sales and a successful silent auction, the event raised nearly $100,000 to pay for the upcoming renovation of the Wesley Health Care Center’s Resident Activities Room. As Wesley residents reap the benefits of the project, the generous people in attendance can look back on their “Evening in Spain” with mucho pride.
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4 1 & 3: KYLE ADAMS; 2 & 4: NIKI ROSSI
after dark Wesley Gala Says ‘¡Olé!’
1. Guests take to the dancefloor; 2. (from left) Mollie Flynn, Eliza Whipple Bianco, MacKenzie Zarzycki; 3. Wesley Foundation Executive Director Greg Dixon, Lesley Dixon; 4. Trevor Porter, Amy Snider Porter.
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BY N ATA L I E M O O R E
ou could say that the night of May 30, 2018, was two decades in the making. To celebrate saratoga living’s 20th anniversary— and the release of our latest must-read issue—we partied at the newly renovated Putnam Place in Downtown Saratoga, with hundreds of our closest friends: the amazing people of Saratoga. And while we certainly live in a city of exceedingly generous and unbelievably kind people, saratoga living chose 20 of them— “The Saratoga 20”—as the night’s special honorees. Stunning, framed blackand-white portraits taken by Senior Photographer Dori Fitzpatrick of the all-star roster lined the walls, and CEO, President and Editor in Chief Richard Pérez-Feria and Publisher and Executive Vice President Becky Kendall paid tribute to them onstage. (Each of the 20 got to take their over-sized portrait home that evening.) The event couldn’t have been pulled off without our presenting sponsor, Putnam Place, and our co-sponsors, Colin Cowie Lifestyle, Luizzi Bros. Sealcoating & Paving,
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Upstate Distilling Co. and DePaula Auto Group. Cuban musician, Jorge Gómez, who’s been nominated for multiple Grammys, and his
incredible quartet, ALTA HAVANA, as well as DJ TruMastr provided the highenergy music, and local culinary pop-up Buddha
Noodle kept guests full and happy. saratoga living had a party that was, unquestionably, well worth the wait.
BIGLER STUDIO
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saratoga living Had A Big Birthday Bash 20 Years In The Making
1. Becky Kendall, Richard Pérez-Feria; 2. (from left) “The Saratoga 20” members Teddy Foster, Elizabeth Sobol; 3. (from left) Molly McCormack, Natalie Moore, Lindsay Bynon, Molly Gallagher, Erica Ziskin, Maddy Halverson; 4. “The Saratoga 20” member Ken Rotondo (at right) and friends; 5. ALTA HAVANA founder and band leader Jorge Gómez (second from right), Alexander González (right) and the rest of the quartet; 6. Autumn Wright, Waqas Pervaiz; 7. “The Saratoga 20” member Lizzie Hunter and her dad Jon Hunter; 8. Tony Ianniello, Marco Medrano, Beverly Tracy, Elizabeth Sobol, Richard Pérez-Feria, Josh Tracy, TJ Tracy.
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Saratoga Summer Just Got Awesome I S T H I S T H E G R E AT E S T L I V E S U M M E R M I X TA P E E V E R ? H E R E ' S W H AT YO U N E E D TO K N O W.
PARADOX SAINTS (Album Release Party) Putnam Place, Saratoga • JULY 7
BIG DADDY KANE “Alive At Five” at Jennings Landing, Albany • JULY 12
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hen I was growing up here, summer in Saratoga Springs meant three things: tourists, the races and concerts at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC). Because I had nothing in common with the high-rollers—and wasn’t much of a horseplayer— what really did it for me was going to SPAC to see all the acts I’d only read about in Rolling Stone or heard on 102.7 WEQX. I saved a lot of my ticket stubs, so I know that I went to see the H.O.R.D.E. Festival (I was a huge Barenaked Ladies fan at the time), Tom Petty (#RIP), Neil Young (Silver & Gold tour), the Steve Miller Band (multiple times), a double-bill featuring Beck and Ben Folds Five (I may’ve inhaled for the first
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dr. spac The Dave Matthews Band has been a Saratoga summer staple at SPAC for decades; (bottom) Aussie Courtney Barnett brings her indie chops to MASS MoCA in July.
time later that night), John Mellencamp (I actually went for the opening band, Son Volt), Counting Crows and countless others. And, yes, if you’re wondering, I broke my (Saratoga) maiden— that’s a horse racing term; look it up—seeing the Dave Matthews Band several times throughout the years. As much as I enjoyed going to SPAC shows, I also patronized a number of other local venues. Below, we’ve assembled the ultimate summer music preview featuring as many venues (and musical genres) as we could muster. Music is in our DNA. Enjoy.
COURTNEY BARNETT Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA), North Adams, MA • JULY 12 Grammy-nominated Aussie indie rocker Courtney Barnett is coming to nearby North Adams, MA (one-anda-half hours southeast of
Saratoga). In the last three years, Barnett’s released a trio of critically acclaimed albums, including her most recent one, Tell Me How You Really Feel, which came out in May. You don’t want to miss this one, mate. SPIN DOCTORS “Schenectady County SummerNight,” Schenectady • JULY 13 DAVE MATTHEWS BAND SPAC, Saratoga • JULY 13-14 I’d be remiss not to put DMB—or simply “Dave,” to superfans—on this Saratoga summer music preview. If you want to experience what it’s like to grow up in the Spa City, buy a ticket to one of
these shows, pregame way too hard before going and annoy the family next to you by singing all of the songs you know at the top of your lungs. Then you’ll crash…into bed, baby. MILLER MOBLEY
• JULY 5
BY W I L L L E V I T H
(Barnett) POONEH GHANA
DRIVE-BY TRUCKERS Colony, Woodstock, NY
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ten-gallon hit Jason Aldean was recently named the Academy of Country Music's Entertainer of the Year.
OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW Brewery Ommegang, Cooperstown • JULY 14
M. WARD Bearsville Theater, Woodstock • JULY 14 JASON ALDEAN SPAC, Saratoga Springs • JULY 15
This guy’s a true survivor. Aldean was the artist caught in the crossfire at the 2017 Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas, when a mentally
ill gunman opened fire over the crowd, killing nearly 60 people and wounding more than 500. The 2018 recipient of the Academy of Country Music's Entertainer of the Year, Aldean is sure to put on a great show. TAB BENOIT Cohoes Music Hall, Cohoes • JULY 20
AMANDA SHIRES The Egg, Albany • JULY 25 An Americana gem, fiddler and singer-songwriter Shires is one of the brightest young stars out there today, and man, can she belt it out. It also doesn’t hurt that she’s married to the Presidentelect of the genre, Jason Isbell, formerly of the DriveBy Truckers, who’s now
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THE CAPITAL REGION’S PREMIER PAVING COMPANY
JANET JACKSON SPAC, Saratoga • JULY 26 All wardrobe malfunctions aside, I’ve been a part of the rhythm nation for most of my life—and I can tell you, it feels pretty good. Fifty-two-year-old Janet— sister to the late King of Pop, and a recent mom— doesn’t tour all that often in our neck of the woods, so this’ll be a rare treat for Saratogians. I’m going to guess that she’ll be hitting her hits hard, including “Nasty” and the previously hat-tipped “Rhythm Nation,” all while wearing some sort of bondage gear and
looking incredible. She’s still supporting her most recent album, Unbreakable, which came out (astonishingly) three years ago. KENNY WAYNE SHEPHERD BAND & BETH HART BAND Palace Theatre, Albany • JULY 27
SYLVAN ESSO Upstate Concert Hall, Clifton Park • JULY 30
NEW YORK PLAYERS Putnam Place, Saratoga
RUBBLEBUCKET “Rockin’ On The River” in Riverfront Park, Troy
ADIRONDACK INDEPENDENCE MUSIC FESTIVAL Various Locations, Lake George • SEPTEMBER 1-2
• AUGUST 1
SIR SLY “Alive At Five”, at Jennings Landing, Albany • AUGUST 2
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BLONDIE MASS MoCA, North Adams, MA • AUGUST 3
makes total sense Talking Heads frontman, Former David Byrne, brings his solo act to the Palace in September.
SQUIRREL NUT ZIPPERS The Egg, Albany • AUGUST 4
• AUGUST 10
RINGO STARR & HIS ALL STARR BAND SPAC, Saratoga • SEPTEMBER 14 The closest a Beatle has come to Saratoga in recent years is Albany, when Paul McCartney played the Times Union Center in 2014. That’ll change this September, when Fab Four drummer Ringo Starr rolls into SPAC with his All Starr Band, which features supporting players such as twotime Rock Hall of Fame inductee Gregg Rolie (Journey, Santana) and Colin Hay (Men At Work). There’s nothing like a little help from your friends.
DAVID BYRNE Palace Theatre, Albany • SEPTEMBER 9
As the lead singer/guitarist and co-songwriter for the new wave band Talking Heads, Byrne penned a number of radio classics, including “Psycho Killer,” “Burning Down The House” and “Once In A Lifetime.” As a solo artist, Byrne’s been a mainstay on the avant-garde scene—and has won a Golden Globe,
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an Oscar and a Grammy for his work. He’ll be swinging through Albany on a tour supporting his 2018 album, American Utopia.
GINUWINE Vapor at Saratoga Casino Hotel, Saratoga • SEPTEMBER 27 JODY ROGAC
BERMUDA TRIANGLE Featuring Brittany Howard (of Alabama Shakes) Colony, Woodstock • JULY 25
good moon rising CCR frontman, John Fogerty, headlines at SPAC this July; (bottom) heavy metal powerhouse Slayer is playing at the TU Center in August.
SLAYER Times Union Center, Albany • AUGUST 1 I can pretty much guarantee that the majority of saratoga living’s readership has never strapped on headphones and turned a Slayer record up to 11. But area metalheads need an outlet too, and this is the Grammywinning band’s farewell tour. Don’t bang your head against the wall for missing out, just bang your head.
(Fogerty) MYRIAM SANTOS; (Slayer) MARTIN JAUSLLER
become a Grammy mainstay as a solo artist. The happy couple performed together earlier this year at Albany’s Palace Theatre. Shires’ new album, To The Sunset, will be released on August 3.
JOHN FOGERTY SPAC, Saratoga • JULY 29 As a member of Creedence Clearwater Revival in the ’60s and ’70s, Fogerty scored nine Top 10 singles, including “Proud Mary” and “Fortunate Son.” As a solo artist, he busted the charts again in ’85, with comeback album Centerfield, penning one of the greatest baseballreferencing songs of all time in its title track. He’s been working the Vegas residency circuit of late, so the fact that he’s coming to the Northeast is a pretty big deal. I’ll be there singing the wrong “Bad Moon Rising” chorus lyric— subbing in “bathroom on the right” for “bad moon on the rise”—just as Fogerty’s been known to do during his live shows. (I’ve heard it with my own two ears; he even points to “the right.”)
THE WEEPIES Troy Savings Bank Music Hall, Troy • SEPTEMBER 29
FAMILY OWNED AND OPERATED ✦ CATERING TO HOMEOWNERS ✦ ATTENTION TO DETAIL
Call and speak to Dan OLeary directly Serving Glens Falls, Saratoga, Clifton Park, NY and surrounding areas
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518-321-2736
olearyoverheaddoor.com
Up the back Dressing ⁄
NYCB PERFORMS PROKOFIEV’S ROMEO + JULIET A T S PA C . n B Y J E F F D I N G L E R
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rom July 19-21, the New York City Ballet will return to Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) with three performances of Sergei Prokofiev’s Romeo + Juliet. Written during a time of great duress in the composer’s life—and with an alternate happy ending— the Russian composer’s modernist interpretation of the Shakespeare classic remains one of the most enduring ballets in music
history. Choreographer Peter Martins has streamlined the action into just two acts with one intermission (as opposed to the usual three-act ballet with two intermissions). The performances will also get half-hour, pre-show talks given by a different speaker each night, including Jay Rogoff, poet, dance critic and lecturer at Skidmore College. Virtuoso ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro is coming to Caffè Lena on Monday, July 30. The
hawaiian punch Jake Shimabukuro brings his virtuoso ukulele skills to Caffè Lena.
coming to the Arthur Zankel Music Center on July 3. The Liebman Quintet’s performance is one of the highlights of the two-week Skidmore Jazz Institute. With nearly a half-century career, Liebman has recorded more than 20 albums and was
PAUL KOLNIK
Dance Dance Revolution
Hawaiian has transformed the tiny, stringed hollowbody into a legitimate solo instrument. With an impressive array of original compositions and powerful arrangements, Shimabukuro’s style and musical tastes blur the spectrum between jazz, blues, rock, funk, pop and, yes, classical. After a video of him covering The Beatles’ “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” went viral 12 years ago, Shimabukuro went on to release more than a dozen albums, complete two movie soundtracks and collaborate with musical luminaries such as Yo-Yo Ma, Ziggy Marley and Cyndi Lauper. Brooklyn-born saxophonist and flautist Dave Liebman and his Quintet will be
mentored in the ’70s by legendary jazzman Miles Davis. In 2011, Liebman was named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts—its highest honor for jazz artists. Members of Opera Saratoga’s acclaimed Young Artist Program will present Vienna, City Of My Dreams at the Spa Little Theater on Thursday, July 12. The concert of indelible compositions from Vienna’s Golden Age will include arias, operetta and ensembles by Oscar Straus, Emmerich Kálmán, Franz Lehár and Franz von Suppé. The program is just one of a number of musical events planned over the course of the eight-week season (including four operas).
On the main stage at Proctors from August 3-4, Broadway Camp, a youth program for young people ages 14-19, will present Aida—but probably not the version you may be familiar with. Based on the popular opera of the same name by Giuseppe Verde, this one’s actually a musical composed by Elton John, with lyrics by Tim Rice. The reinvented Aida originally premiered on Broadway in March 2000 and went on to garner four Tony Awards and a Grammy. Part of the School of the Performing Arts at Proctors and the Capital Repertory Theatre, Broadway Camp will give just the two performances after nearly a month of rehearsals. Don’t miss out.
pas de deux The New York City Ballet will be performing Prokofiev’s Romeo + Juliet at SPAC over three nights in July.
LAKE GEORGE
OUTLETS www.saratogaportraitstudio.com | 518.290.0816 | 368 Broadway, Saratoga Springs
the back Design ⁄
It’s Getting Hot in Here saratoga living’ s D E S I G N E D I T O R TA L K S B A R S ,
PA R T I E S A N D C O C K TA I L AT T I R E — E V E R Y T H I N G T H AT M A K E S A S A R AT O G A S U M M E R S I Z Z L E . n BY C O L I N C O W I E
HOW DO I ASSEMBLE THE ABSOLUTE PERFECT HOME BAR? There’s nothing like a wellstocked bar to keep you and your guests well fueled and keep you able to entertain at a moment’s notice. Set the bar up on a cocktail trolley with all the proper essentials that follow: • equipment: ice bucket, wine cooler, martini shaker, tot measure, cocktail napkins, toothpicks, stirrers, wine and alcohol decanters, coasters and, always, a sharp knife. • glasses: 6-12 of each, depending on your entertaining style. Include all-purpose wine, red wine, white wine,
champagne flutes, rocks glasses, tall glasses and martini glasses. • alcohol: best quality Vodka, Gin, Scotch, Tequila and Whiskey • wine: Have an assortment of wines—red, white, rosé and Champagne at several different price points. Always keep some Champagne and white wine in the refrigerator, so you can celebrate at any given moment. • ice: Keep your freezer loaded with a couple of different ice styles. I like big ice cubes or spheres to keep my cocktails icecold without diluting them. • perishables: limes, lemons, oranges, fresh mint and olives to be used as a garnish or for added flavor.
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〔2〕 WHAT’S THE BIGGEST MISTAKE PEOPLE MAKE WHEN HOSTING PARTIES? There are three reasons people don’t entertain: 1) They don’t think they know how to do it; 2) It will take too much time; 3) It will cost too much. The single biggest mistake is when someone makes a menu with dishes that have multiple steps and keep them in the kitchen versus at the table. Select a menu that allows you to do all the preparation in advance (i.e., serve a main course that goes from oven to table). Or better still, today’s savvy host is resourceful and knows where to buy
Always keep some Champagne and white wine in the refrigerator so you can celebrate at any given moment. fabulous prepared gourmet food and how to serve it elegantly at home.
〔3〕 IF THE INVITE SAYS “COCKTAIL ATTIRE,” WHAT D O YOU WE AR TO NEVER BE UNDERDRESSED? Cocktail attire for men is a dark suit with or without a tie. Add a stiff collar and a good pair of leather shoes (no sneakers!). For ladies, a chic, little black dress fabulously
accessorized. It’s easy to remove a tie or piece of jewelry, so I always advise people to arrive overdressed versus underdressed.
〔4〕 WHAT IS THE PERFECT COCKTAIL HOUR ALBUM TO PL AY AT A PARTY? Ask Alexa…or find a cocktail or dinner playlist on Spotify. They really do an amazing job, and it takes minimal effort.
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the back Road ⁄ Trip
THE UPSTATE NEW YORK TOWN IS MUCH MORE T H A N B A S E B A L L’ S M E C C A . BY WILL LEVITH
M
y road to baseball superfandom was paved by an out-of-control baseball card habit and an incredibly mediocre (but shockingly satisfying) career on the Little League fields of the East Side Rec. Sometime in the early 1990s, I was finally ready for the big leagues. My dad packed my older brother and me into the family car and drove us the hour and 45 minutes from Saratoga Springs to Cooperstown, where the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum is located. It was
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there that the second era of my baseball education began: that of sheer reverence. First opening its doors in 1939—with an inaugural class that
included icons of the game such as Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner and Ty Cobb—the Hall, like the name of the town itself, has become synonymous with the best-
diamond in the rough The Otesaga Resort Hotel is one of the most luxurious places to stay in Cooperstown.
(Statue) FENIMORE ART MUSEUM, COOPERSTOWN, NY; (Jerseys, crowd, Hall of Fame) MILO STEWART JR./NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM; (Dawson) JEAN FRUTH/NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM
Cooperstown: A Whole New Ballgame
of-the-best of baseball, and annually plays host to an induction ceremony, during which giant throngs of fans and their baseball heroes descend on the tiny Upstate New York town for a weekend of festivities, culminating in the enshrinement of the chosen few in the hallowed institution. (This includes the inductees giving a speech to their adoring fans and getting a bronze plaque, emblazoned with their likeness, mounted in a gallery within the Hall’s walls.) This year’s class is one of the most crowded to date—and offers fans from a wide swath of the country—and even Canada—the opportunity to honor some of their favorite players. This July
(Doubleday) JEAN FRUTH/NATIONAL BASEBALL HALL OF FAME AND MUSEUM; (Otesaga) THE OTESAGA RESORT HOTEL
field of dreams Doubleday Field at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, where the Hall of Fame Classic is played annually.
jersey score (clockwise from top left) Baseball memorabilia on display at the Hall of Fame; crowds gathering at the induction ceremony; Hall of Famers Andre Dawson and Jim Rice; the Hall of Fame.
27-30, baseball devotees will watch as players Jack Morris, Alan Trammell, Vladimir Guerrero, Trevor Hoffman, Chipper Jones and Jim Thome punch their HOF tickets. But if you just never got into “America’s Pastime” (it’s really OK), Cooperstown actually has a number of other, equally compelling attractions to offer summer road-trippers. For culture junkies, look no further than the Glimmerglass Festival, featuring one of New York’s premier opera companies, which kicks off on July 7 and runs through late August. This year’s lineup will feature everything from a classic Broadway show (West Side Story) and opera (The Barber Of Seville) to
a one-night event starring enigmatic actor Bill Murray. Glimmerglass’ venue, the Alice Busch Opera Theater, is located right on the shores of the picturesque Otsego Lake. Make your plans now, because the festival is extremely popular, and there’s a constant sellout risk. If you tend more toward the ripped-jeans crowd than the pleated khakis one, I’d suggest heading over to Brewery Ommegang, which not only brews its very own lineup of beers, but also has a summer concert schedule jampacked with many of the nation’s top music acts. (It’s actually pretty late in the season, but there are still shows to catch.) The
yankee doodles The American Painting Gallery in the Fenimore Art Museum.
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THE FARMERS' MUSEUM, COOPERSTOWN, NY
brewery’s visitors’ center, which includes its café and store—and which books its tours and tastings—just reopened after a $2 million renovation. Upgrades include new indoor seating and a 4000-square-foot covered patio. Given that Cooperstown gets its name from author James Fenimore Cooper, who famously penned The Last Of The Mohicans, it makes sense that there’d be at least one museum dedicated to his good name. The New York State Historical Association first began building the Fenimore Art Museum’s
“I Do!”
“The big day was amazing, like a dream you want to relive over and over.”
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“venue” is basically a giant, open plot of farmland, so depending on the weather, it might be best to wear old shoes or hiking boots. Next month’s fare includes modern-era troubadour Ray LaMontagne (I first saw him when he was an opening act in New York City, and even back then, his smoky pipes blew me away) and critically acclaimed Americana band Old Crow Medicine Show (their version of “Wagon Wheel,” which was cowritten by Bob Dylan, got retooled by country star Darius Rucker and turned into a No.1 single). The
collection in 1899, and local aristocrat Stephen Carlton Clark—a major art collector and also the guy who founded the Baseball Hall of Fame—provided it with a home in Cooperstown (it was built on the site of Cooper’s former farmhouse). These days, the Fenimore Art Museum houses extensive collections of Native American and folk art, and American fine art and photography. It’s a must-see. Just a three-minute car ride away from the Fenimore Art Museum is the wonderful Farmers’ Museum, built on a working farm once owned by— you guessed it—James Fenimore Cooper. It didn’t become a museum until 1944, but by that point, it had pieced together a collection of 5000 farming tools and implements, and that number has since ballooned to more than 20,000. Besides being a fascinating museum with expertly crafted exhibitions, The Farmers’ Museum also hosts seasonal events, workshops and lectures. In early July, it will host the 71st Annual Junior Livestock Show. Moo! Since some of you may be staying in Cooperstown the entire weekend—and even tacking on a Monday for good measure— accommodations are everything. For the golfing fanatic, look no further than the award-winning Otesaga
Resort Hotel, which has a top-rated course and that requisite spa for when your legs finally give out from all the museum-going (did we mention it’s located on Otsego Lake too?). The Landmark Inn, The Cooper Inn and The Inn At Cooperstown are also worthy alternatives—call them, the “inn” crowd—each with its own unique helping of small-town charm. And while it wouldn’t be wrong to suggest a steady diet of yellow-mustarded hot dogs, peanuts and Cracker Jack while you’re in town, there are a number of dining options in Cooperstown that don’t have a baseball theme and still hit a home run. Since Otsego Lake is so darned picturesque in the summer months—and you’ll likely need a good, healthy breeze to fan away temps of 80 and 90 degrees—the Lake Front Restaurant & Bar has delicious pub fare kicked up a few notches by sensational lake views. For those looking for a little bit finer fare, try Mel’s at 22, with its array of uppercrust bistro picks (steaks, chops and the like); Alex’s Bistro, with its wide array of delicious dishes; or Bocca Osteria, known for its crispy, thin-crust pizza. So if you find yourself with an open weekend this summer, gas up your steed or hog and jet southwest. You’ll be batting a thousand in no time. And if you happen upon a guy in a weatherworn Boston Red Sox hat, it’s entirely possible it’ll be me. Say hello.
a n n iv e
hammer time A blacksmith at The Farmers’ Museum shows off his craft to visitors.
THE C I TY. THE C ULTUR E . THE LI F E .
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the back Over ⁄ There
Want Some LOLs?
W
Your Ice Cream Shop
(Even after dark!) FOR A GREAT ICE CREAM EXPERIENCE try any of our creative ice cream flavors in a cone, milkshake, sundae or float. Don’t miss out on our 2018 LIMITED EDITION flavors, in shops now!
(festival) VIVIEN GAUMAND/JUST FOR LAUGHS FESTIVAL; (dish) JOHN CARNESSALI
BY N ATA L I E M O O R E hen was the last time you did something just for laughs? More importantly, do you know when the next time will be? Suggestion: Book a trip to the 2018 Just For Laughs comedy festival in Montréal this July. Founded in 1983, the international comedy festival takes place over the course of the month in a number of locations across the city, with most acts performing the last full week of July. Highlights include a keynote address by Kenya Barris, creator of the hit comedy series Blackish and last year’s Just For Laughs Comedy Writer of the Year, on July 26; comedian Kevin Hart, who’s on his Irresponsible Tour (which made an appearance at SPAC this May), on July 27; and The Tiffany Haddish Gala, hosted by the titular breakout comedy sensation (and featuring multiple other comics). A range of ticket options are available, from a single-act pass to two-, threeand five-show passes and even a $320 VIP pass. So ready your best knockknock joke, pile into your clown car, drive to where I-87 ends and keep going. Why? Just for laughs, silly.
magnifique! Montréal’s Just For Laughs Festival is the world's largest international comedy festival.
Food For Thought B Y PA Y T O N HUNTINGTON
E
at, drink and give back” is the mantra of Philanthropic Foodies, a forwardthinking culinary showcase taking place on July 29 in Syracuse (about two-and-a-half hours west of Saratoga Springs). Founded in 2012, the fundraiser benefits several Central New York nonprofits, including Friends Of Dorothy House, which supports people living with AIDS, and Shamrock
Animal Fund, which provides animals with affordable veterinary care. Of course, the event will also feature food tastings from local culinary experts, as well as loads of beer, wine and spirit pairings. Philanthropic Foodies will also include entertainment from top local musicians Jimmy and
Ashley Cox and Tim Herron, and silent and live auctions. Standard tickets cost $100 a pop, or you can purchase a VIP experience for $1200, which includes your own dedicated food and drink server—and a bottle of Champagne ready for you on arrival. Hungry (and thirsty) yet? eat pay love Philanthropic Foodies is all about eating and drinking for a good cause.
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the back Drink ⁄ The Saratoga Spring INGREDIENTS
INSTRUCTIONS
1.5 oz. G’Vine grape Gin 0.75 oz. Aperol 0.5 oz. dry Curaçao 2 dashes of grapefruit and celery bitters 0.5 oz. fresh-squeezed lemon Splash of simple syrup Dash of green Chartreuse Burnt lemon peel
Chill a Collins glass, add all the ingredients except for the green Chartreuse as listed above and shake with a full tumbler of crushed ice (these spirits are dominant flavors; the shake is important on this one). Fill the Collins glass with two-inch king cubes, strain, top with that dash of green Chartreuse, and finish with the burnt lemon peel.
Matthew Brian Bagley BAR: Harvey’s Restaurant & Bar COCKTAIL: The Saratoga Spring
Summer’s ‘Spring’ Break H A R V E Y ’ S D E L I V E R S A C O LO R F U L TA K E F O R I T S “ N E X T G R E A T S A R A T O G A C O C K T A I L” E N T R Y. P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y D O R I F I T Z PA T R I C K
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I’ve decided to name our spirit-forward cocktail “The Saratoga Spring”—mainly because I’m terrible at naming cocktails and figured, why not just drop an “s” from our city’s name? We opted for G’Vine Gin for the subtle nuances of grape, dry Curaçao and Aperol for the contrast of bitter and sweet citrus spirits (an added bonus is the coloration), celery and grapefruit bitters to enhance the dryness of the dry Curaçao—while adding a touch of spring and summer flavors. And to top it off, a dash of green Chartreuse. Add in a splash of simple syrup and a blast of fresh lemon, and you’ve got an amalgam of flavors that screams summer. (On the tail end, you’ll be left with a dry yet sweet finish.) While labor-intensive—and definitely breaking the “rule of five”—if you love what you’re drinking, who really cares? Sláinte!
CREDIT
MIXOLOGIST:
saratoga sparks Harvey’s Co-owner and Head Mixologist, Matthew Brian Bagley, works his magic while making his sexy cocktail contender, The Saratoga Spring.
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Birthdays • VIP Suite SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL SECTION
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Osteria Danny
un by Executive Chef and Co-owner Danny Petrosino, Osteria Danny specializes in Italian-American cuisine with an emphasis on simplicity and creative development. As such, the menu is updated frequently to encompass new culinary concepts and locally sourced ingredients when they’re available. Although the menu is continuously evolving, original recipes remain a pivotal influence in the dishes that Osteria Danny produces. For example, the menu advertises a simple dish called
“Shrimp the way my father liked,” which is accompanied by lemon risotto, butter garlic and “a bunch of other stuff.” The restaurant’s wood-fired ovens are used for baking pizzas and other Italian dishes, and they contribute to the warm, friendly ambiance. Osteria Danny also offers a variety of wines to complete a truly Italian meal, including Zenato Amarone and J. Christopher Pinot Noir. Open seven days a week, the restaurant’s located at 26 Henry Street, within walking distance of Broadway, and has ample off-street parking. 518.423.7022
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SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL SECTION
SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL SECTION
Dunning Street Station
L
ocated on Rt. 9 in Malta, about ten minutes from Downtown Saratoga Springs, Dunning Street Station, with its various soups, entrées, desserts and drinks (including 16 beers on tap), is a prime location for a hearty meal, slightly outside the bustle of the Spa City’s nexus. Bob McKenna and Chef Scott Ringwood purchased the restaurant in 2015, envisioning a more casual counterpart to Lake Ridge Restaurant, their fine-dining destination in Round Lake. Despite the laid-back environment, McKenna and Ringwood take pride in maintaining their highquality dining and customer service standards, and have won multiple awards for the restaurant, including Best Newcomer in the 2017 Saratoga Chowderfest. 518.587.2000
Gaffney’s
A
longtime Saratoga Springs staple, Gaffney’s is a local favorite for casual American dining and bar fare. Its Caroline Street location in the heart of Downtown Saratoga solidifies its status as a go-to spot for late-night dining, drinking and dancing. Patrons can enjoy regular DJ and live music performances, as well as halfpriced beers on Tuesdays beginning at 4pm. In addition to the burgers, wings, nachos and specials available on its dinner and late-night menus, Gaffney’s offers its Belvedere Brunch from 9am–3pm on weekends, featuring eggs, sandwiches, pancakes, waffles and other griddle confections. 518.587.7359
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Henry Street Taproom
W
ith its extensive selection of beers, whiskeys and cocktails, Henry Street Taproom in Downtown Saratoga Springs is a choice location for craft beer connoisseurs looking to try something different. This relaxed restaurant and bar not only has some of the best (most fun) servers, bartenders and hosts in the city, but also one of the best draft lists, as well as a wide selection of imported wines (including Sydney Ann
Pinot Grigio, a white wine from Italy, and Pie de Palo Malbec, a red wine from Argentina). In addition to its more traditional bar fare, the Taproom offers several charcuterie plates and imported cheeses, including Tomme Brulee, a soft French cheese made from sheep’s milk, and Roomano (not to be confused with Romano), a hard Dutch cheese made from cow’s milk. The Taproom’s cheeses are served with three special sides: house-baked sourdough bread, fresh fruit and house-made chutney. 518.886.8938
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SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL SECTION
SPECIAL PROMOTIONAL SECTION
Hamlet & Ghost
Mama Mia’s Pizza & Cafe
A
small Downtown cocktail bar and restaurant on the corner of Caroline and Putnam, Hamlet & Ghost’s current home has an interesting history. The location was originally a grain shop during the 1870s, then became a hardware store to disguise gambling activities during Prohibition. Today, owners Brendan Dillon and Dennis Kiingati oversee the establishment’s operations, while Michele Hunter serves as Executive Chef. Patrons enjoy the various cocktails, wines and draft beers available at Hamlet & Ghost, and Hunter’s menu contains numerous seafood, meat, chicken and vegetarian entrées. The Japanese-inspired Grilled Spanish Octopus proves an intriguing choice, served with onigiri, miso cucumbers, leeks, kimchi puree and plum dashi. 518.450.7287
J
ust outside Downtown Saratoga, Mama Mia’s, a familyrun Italian restaurant, is situated in the Ballston Avenue Price Chopper Plaza. Mama Mia’s takes pride in the diverse range of Italian comfort foods that it serves, such as calzones, Italian meatballs, hero sandwiches, pasta dishes and hand-tossed wood-fired pizzas, as well as chicken, veal, salmon and vegetarian and gluten-free entree options. While the restaurant has a relaxed, cozy vibe for dining in, Mama Mia’s also provides full-service catering, from food and tent set-up, to large trays of delicious food, for any event. Take-out is also a popular option for many of Mama Mia’s loyal customers. 518.583.7783
Lake Ridge Restaurant
Prime at Saratoga National
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L (Prime steak) TRACEY BUYCE
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onveniently located about 15 minutes south of Downtown Saratoga in Round Lake, Lake Ridge Restaurant is the fine-dining counterpart to Malta’s Dunning Street Station, also run by Bob McKenna and Chef Scott Ringwood. Lake Ridge, which will be celebrating 17 years in business this September, specializes in New American cuisine, which it shows off on upscale lunch and dinner menus, highlighted by Herb Crusted Swordfish, Duck Breast, Filet Mignon and Pecan Pork Chop. McKenna says Lake Ridge Restaurant is proud of its “consistent greatness,” as it has been winning awards for over a decade, including Best Chef in the Saratoga Today Best of 2018 awards. 518.899.6000
ocated on Union Avenue near Lake Lonely and Saratoga Lake’s north shore, and headed by Angelo Mazzone, Prime at Saratoga National is one of Saratoga’s top upscale dining venues. The restaurant, open for lunch and dinner seven days a week, as well as for jazz brunch on Sundays (think omelettes, pastas and carving stations), offers indoor and al fresco dining, overlooking the 18th hole of the beautiful Saratoga National golf course. Besides regular daily seatings, Prime is also the perfect setting for weddings, anniversary parties, corporate events and galas, such as UPH’s annual Shaken & Stirred Celebrity Bartender Party, which took place there this past May. 518.583.4653
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Max London’s
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n its cozy yet sophisticated nook on Broadway, Max London’s sits beside its sister shop, Mrs. London’s Bakery, a local favorite known for its delicious pastries and baked goods. Max London’s uses locally sourced ingredients, including fresh-squeezed fruit juices in its cocktails and house-made mozzarella cheese, making it an appealing choice for those looking to support local farmers. The menu contains several enticing items among its many culinary offerings, such as the “Devils on Horseback” appetizer (medjool dates stuffed with blue cheese and marcona almonds, accompanied by applewood smoked bacon and smoky maple syrup), and there’s a separate menu for weekend brunch. 518.587.0505
Putnam Place
K
nown for its live music performances and full, gorgeous bar, the recently renovated Putnam Place is a popular choice for Saratogians looking to enjoy late-night entertainment. The drink menu offers wines (including Arias Wine by David Ortiz), hand-crafted cocktails (made using berries and herbs grown in Putnam's own garden on its brand-new patio) and a rotating selection of craft beers (available at the indoor bar and outdoor beer garden). Putnam Place will be hosting frequent music events this summer, including rap sensation Styles P on July 14. Putnam Place can be easily accessed directly from Broadway, using a walkway between Cantina Restaurant and N. Fox Jewelers, or from Putnam Street. 518.886.9585
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Harvey’s Restaurant & Bar
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ocated at 14 Phila Street, right off Broadway, Harvey’s is, for locals, a go-to restaurant and bar to watch a game, enjoy some drinks with friends or grab a bite to eat. It’s named after the good-natured Irish ghost, Harvey, who brings good fortune (or “pooka,” as the Irish call it) to all who visit. (That, and beyond good steak tacos.) It’s open until midnight seven days a week, with live entertainment every Saturday night, and is able to
accommodate weddings, cocktail parties, showers and other private events. The scenic rooftop patio is an added bonus: Customers can enjoy the beautiful view of the Saratoga skyline while sipping a Guinness and munching on corned beef and cabbage. Or, if you’re not particularly fond of Irish cuisine, Harvey’s has other mouthwatering dishes to pair with the drafts and cocktails on its eclectic menu. At Harvey’s no choice is a bad choice! 518.583.0003
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Saratoga Stadium
F
rom its Broadway locale, Saratoga Stadium is arguably the city’s finest sports bar, providing televised coverage of a range of top sporting events. Saratoga Stadium offers patrons a casual atmosphere, with a menu full of all the traditional favorites—burgers, hot dogs, nachos and wings—as well as an all-you-can-eat fried shrimp special available on Friday evenings from 6–9pm. Saratoga Stadium also offers a diverse range of seasonal drinks (such as spiced apple punch), wines by the glass and by the bottle and housemade sangria. To finish things off, the dessert menu displays some tempting treats: fried dough and the “Junior’s Giant Cheesecake for 2.” 518.226.4437
Surety
Surety
QBE North America’s Surety team is part of QBE’s global Surety business, with locations in the United States, Australia, London and Singapore. QBE has been providing for our customers’ needs QBE North Suretyproducts team is part of QBE’s global Surety business, with locations in the since 1886 and our global network makes it possible for us toAmerica’s provide Surety worldwide. United States, Australia, London and Singapore. QBE has been providing for our customers’ needs QBE Surety specializes in bonding needs for various About QBE since 1886 and our global network makes it possible for us to provide Surety products worldwide. businesses and industries. With our portfolio of surety bonds, including contract and commercial bonds, we can help you with all of your surety bonding requests and develop programs tailored to your specific business needs. Explore the possibilities with QBE.
Targeted business/product offerings
A
hip bar area, twenty-four taps of craft beer, a VIP nightclub, an old-school game room/arcade and dancing under the stars all make Sinclair Saratoga one of the city’s hottest late-night venues. Opened in 2017, the bar/club/arcade is a spot that attracts a younger Saratoga crowd, and its variety of offerings keep people there all night. On any given Thursday, Friday or Saturday evening, the bar and adjoining patio area are bumping, with a DJ or live music, corn hole range and outdoor seating (all seasonal, of course). A neon sign, casting a pink glow over the bar, tells you everything you need to know about the Sinclair experience: “Together is a beautiful place to be.” 518.934.3535
million single range and up to the $150 million aggregate program range. We focus on:
• road and heavy equipment contractors
⁄
⁄ JULY 2018
We are rated A+ by Standard & Poor’s and A (Excellent) by A.M. Best.*
Located in 43 countries with over 15,000 employees worldwide, we are Targeted business/product offerings considered a leading underwriter within our chosen markets.
Contract bonds We are able to profitably meet the local QBE Surety provides various contract bonds to Middle and multinational risk management of commercial Market contractors.needs Bond programs customers go up to who the $50
Located in 43 countries with over 15,000 employees worldwide, we are considered a leading underwriter within our chosen markets.
million single range and up to the $150 million aggregate Forbes Global 2000 list of program range. WeRanked focusonon:
We are able to profitably meet the local and multinational risk management needs of commercial customers who trade on a global basis.
public companies and, in 2015, had
a worldwide gross written premium • general contractors
• major sub trade contractors
• road and heavy equipment contractors
of $14.8 billion.
Commercial bonds We offer support for commercial bonds, ranging from small license and permit bonds to the full range of court and fiduciary bonds. In addition, QBE Surety provides up to $50 million in capacity for corporate commercial clients.
n Matt Curran, SVP • Head of North American Surety matt.curran@us.qbe.com • 212.497.9669 n Barry Shabashkevich, AVP • NYC, NJ, PA barry.shabashkevich@us.qbe.com • 212.894.7755
Financials •2015 other prime contractors QBE North American Operations • major sub trade contractors • $4.9 billion in North America Commercial bonds Ratio • 99% Combined We offer support for commercial bonds, ranging from QBE Global Operations small license and permit bonds to the full range of court • $14.8 billion globally and fiduciary bonds. In addition, QBE Surety provides up to • 94% Combined Ratio $50 million in capacity for corporate commercial clients.
Ranked on Forbes Global 2000 list of public companies and, in 2015, had a worldwide gross written premium of $14.8 billion.
2015 Financials QBE North American Operations • $4.9 billion in North America • 99% Combined Ratio QBE Global Operations • $14.8 billion globally • 94% Combined Ratio
n John Valoze, VP • FL john.valoze@us.qbe.com • 407.562.1259 Contact n Grant Gentner, AVP • Upstate NY grant.gentner@us.qbe.com • 518.867.7049
*For ratings guidelines and the latest information, access ambest.com and standardandpoors.com. QBE and the links logo are registered service marks of QBE Insurance Group Limited. All coverages underwritten by member companies of QBE. © 2016 QBE Holdings, Inc.
146 saratoga living
QBE North America is a division of QBE Insurance Group Limited, one of the world’s 20 largest insurance and reinsurance companies.
help you with all ofWe your surety bonding requests and are rated A+ by Standard & Poor’s A (Excellent) by specific A.M. Best.* develop programsand tailored to your business needs. Explore the possibilities with QBE.
• other prime contractors
Contacts
About QBE
trade on a global basis.
• general contractors
(Sinclair) DORI FITZPATRICK
Sinclair Saratoga
Contract bonds QBE Surety provides various contract bonds to Middle Market contractors. Bond programs go up to the $50
QBE North America is a division of QBE
QBE Surety specializes in bonding needs forofvarious Insurance Group Limited, one the world’s 20With largest insurance andof surety businesses and industries. our portfolio reinsurance companies. bonds, including contract and commercial bonds, we can
11450-SHEET (4-16)
*For ratings guidelines and the latest information, access ambest.com and standardandpoors.com. QBE and the links logo are registered service marks of QBE Insurance Group Limited. All coverages underwritten by member companies of QBE. © 2016 QBE Holdings, Inc.
11450-SHEET (4-16)
TOP DOCS
U P S TAT E NEW YORK
CHARLES F.
GORDON III M.D.
specialty: PAIN MANAGEMENT New York Pain Management 9 Old Plank Road, Suite 100 Clifton Park, NY 12065 375 Bay Road, Suite 103 Queensbury, NY 12804 (518) 371-0777 website: nypainfree.com
TOP DOCS
Dr. Charles Gordon, a boardcertified pain management and anesthesiology specialist, has been practicing pain management in Upstate New York for more than 25 years. He opened his own practice, New York Pain Management, in 2003 in Latham. A graduate of Columbia Medical School, Dr. Gordon completed his residency at the Harvard University School of Medicine and received training in pain management at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. He also served as the Director of Glens Falls Hospital’s Pain Management Center and practiced pain medicine for more than a decade in Glens Falls. “We have our own surgery center and facilities, and we’re not driven by belonging to a certain care group or hospital,” says Dr. Gordon. “We can make our decisions independently. That, tied with our longevity in the field, allows us to do things like acupuncture and attract patients from a wide area. We get people from Amsterdam, Ticonderoga, Plattsburgh and even Vermont. People are willing to travel a long distance when you can offer a full spectrum of services.”
U P S TAT E NEW YORK A board-certified pediatrician, Dr. Gebremichael strives to provide accessible, highquality comprehensive care. As a nonprofit, Hudson Headwaters welcomes all patients, regardless of income or insurance status. “Many of our patients have no medical access—serving them makes us unique,” the doctor says. Born and raised in East Africa— where, he says, healthcare is virtually nonexistent— Dr. Gebremichael is pleased to practice in a health network with a progressive approach to care. “The individualized care we are able to give our patients is amazing,” he says. “Our approach to care looks at the whole picture and any factors that could be impacting the patient’s health. Whether it be behavioral health support or social-economic barriers, we take it all into account to help provide the appropriate level of patient care.”
AMINE
GEBREMICHAEL M.D.
specialty: PEDIATRICS Hudson Headwaters Health Network Moreau Family Health 1448 State Route 9 South Glens Falls, NY 12803 (518) 761-6961 Health Center on Broad Street 100 Broad Street Glens Falls, NY 12801 (518) 792-2223 website: hhhn.org
QUENTIN
DONALD
M.D.
M.D.
PHUNG
MERRIHEW JR. specialty: FAMILY MEDICINE
specialty: PAIN MANAGEMENT
Convenient Medical Care 319 Bay Road Queensbury, NY 12804
New York Pain Management 9 Old Plank Road, Suite 100 Clifton Park, NY 12065
(518) 792-2181
375 Bay Road, Suite 103 Queensbury, NY 12804 website: nypainfree.com
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At New York Pain Management (NYPM), Dr. Phung has built one of the most comprehensive, multidisciplinary centers of its kind. The one-time tendency of doctors “pushing pills” for pain “has caused more problems than it’s solved, as we all know,” Dr. Phung notes. “We are always looking for newer, better solutions—to treat the individual, not the disease.” This goes a long way at the practice, which is still independent but ahead of the curve technologically.
IAN PARKER
(518) 371-0777
The testimonials of Dr. Donald Merrihew’s patients say it all: “He’s an excellent doctor and an excellent person.” “Our area is blessed to have someone of his competence and caring nature.” “He has literally saved my life twice!” Merrihew’s practice, Convenient Medical Care in Queensbury, is a privately owned urgent care facility that has provided more than three decades of medical service to the community. In addition to urgent care, the practice offers treatment for opiate addiction, medical marijuana certifications and other services. The facility also features a resident allergist and a specialist in diabetes. Says Dr. Merrihew: “Our staff is like family, and we treat our patients the same way.”
website: convenientmedicalcenter.com
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TOP
TOP
U P S TAT E NEW YORK
U P S TAT E NEW YORK
DOCS
DOCS
SEAN M.
KENNEDY
LUCIE
specialty: EAR, NOSE AND THROAT
M.D.
CAPEK
D.O.
Adirondack ENT/ Glens Falls Hospital Network 2 Broad Street Plaza Glens Falls, NY 12801 (518) 926-1380 website: glensfallshospital.org/AdirondackENT Affiliations Glens Falls Hospital
specialty: PLASTIC SURGERY Capek Plastic Surgery 713 Troy Schenectady Road, Suite 308 Latham, NY 12110
The most comprehensive, experienced ENT and allergy specialists in the area can be found in Glens Falls. Dr. Kennedy specializes in a range of services, from pediatric and geriatric ENT to allergy testing and head and neck surgeries. “The technology is advancing quickly in medicine and otolaryngology, and we are understanding and delving deeper into what causes a lot of our diseases,” Dr. Kennedy says. “It’s an exciting time to be a provider.”
(518) 786-1700 email: info@capekplasticsurgery.com website: CapekPlasticSurgery.com Lucie Capek, MD Plastic Surgery drlucieny Education & Training medical school: McGill University general surgery: Harvard University plastic surgery: Washington University fellowship: University of Toronto, Hospital for Sick Children: Pediatric & Craniofacial Surgery
VINCENT
COOPER M.D.
(518) 798-1719 website: glensfallshospital.org/ AdirondackUrology Affiliations Glens Falls Hospital
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Glens Fall’s Dr. Cooper has the ability to treat a range of patients, suffering from a range of maladies, all with a personal touch. Dr. Cooper’s practice at Glens Falls Hospital is focused on everything from cancer treatment and laser surgery to prostate screenings. Says Dr. Cooper: “The care of the patient always comes first. There is a smaller feel to our practice—you don’t get lost like in some larger practices. Here, you’re not just a number.”
IAN PARKER
Adirondack Urology/ Glens Falls Hospital Network The Pruyn Pavilion at Glens Falls Hospital 100 Park Street, Suite 201 Glens Falls, NY 12801
IAN PARKER
specialty: UROLOGY More than 20 years after establishing one of the area’s leading cosmetic surgery practices, Dr. Lucie Capek says it isn’t just about knowing the latest, most popular procedures—it’s about employing the most stateof-the-art methods and technology. “When it comes to techniques and technology, the vetting process is very important to me,” she says. Artistry also sets her apart. “It takes an eye for beauty, hands that can execute the vision, and a passion for the specialty to achieve excellence,” she says. A board-certified plastic surgeon, Dr. Capek specializes in cosmetic surgery of the face, breasts and body, as well as noninvasive procedures like Botox, fillers and CoolSculpting. The MedSpa part of her business offers advanced procedures such as PRP, microneedling and RF skin tightening with TempSure. Dr. Capek believes that beauty is not just skin deep; striving for one’s best self is about total wellness. “I’m a quality of life surgeon,” Dr. Capek says, “and every day I am privileged to help my patients look and feel their best.”
Board Certification • American Board of Plastic Surgery • Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada Professional Affiliations • American Society of Plastic Surgeons • American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery • American College of Surgeons • Medical Society of the State of New York • New York State Society of Plastic Surgeons • Royal College of Physicians & Surgeons of Canada
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38. “No” vote 41. Iron ____ 43. Worldly 49. Medieval weapon 50. Something off-limits 51. Clapton of rock and blues 52. Cheer of approval 53. Prefix meaning “all” 54. Assignment 55. Pig’s home 56. Place to enjoy 18-, 31- and 43-across
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10. Pre-___ 12. Binge-watching locale 17. A long time 19. Biblical brother 22. Quit, on a keyboard 23. Vietnamese soup 24. Afflict 26. Barrett of Pink Floyd
28. An ’18 Camry’s is 33 29. Muhammad ____ 30. Avg. 32. Pillage 33. Tebow, when he’s in trouble 34. Judgement of IQ 39. Meas. of sound 40. Not mine 42. El ____
Leading the practice of law.
43. Model Delevingne 44. Redding of soul music 45. ___ du jour (restaurant special) 46. Place to rest 47. Kendrick of Pitch Perfect 48. Genre of crime fiction 49. European time zone (abbr.) ANSWERS ON saratogaliving.com
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