You didn’t think there were just eight, right? Of course, there are millions of reasons why we love Saratoga Springs and living here, but we couldn’t fit them all into the latest issue of our magazine. So we chose eight more.
The Battle Of Saratoga Made America
Sure, we have a beer-friendly picnic area at the track and a free trolley, but how about the fact that, if it weren’t for Saratoga Springs, the United States itself literally might not exist? That’s right, the Battle Of Saratoga, which took place in what’s now Stillwater, was the turning point of the American Revolution—the first time the British Army ever surrendered and the battle that literally changed the face of the world. And now we have a great nation (and national historic park!) to show for it.
Saratoga Race Course Lets You BYOB To Its Picnic Area
Seriously, how many sports venues in the world allow you to waltz right in with a cooler stocked full of your beer of choice? Besides playing tennis, hiking or, well, sitting at home, going to Saratoga Race Course is the most cost-effective way to spend a day with friends; all you need is a few bucks to get in and (if you’re me) a six-pack of Straw-ber-itas. Just make sure to snag a table; you can’t bring your cooler beyond the picnic area.
Downtown Saratoga Has A Free Trolley Service
Speaking of a cheap day at the races, you can get there for free, courtesy of the Capital District Transportation Authority’s (CDTA’s) Saratoga Summer Trolley. The service is available July 1 through Labor Day, and the trolley runs from the Courtyard By Marriott on Excelsior Avenue to the Saratoga Casino Hotel, with stops at The Hilton, on Broadway and at Saratoga Race Course. Most Saturdays during track season, you can catch me sitting in my lawn chair on Broadway and Congress, waiting for the trolley (with cooler in hand) to take me to the track.
Two Words: Free Parking
After spending four years rifling through pockets and center consoles, searching for rogue quarters for parking meters in Burlington, VT, Saratoga’s free-parking situation has been a much-needed reprieve. Saratoga’s one of few cities that has resisted the urge to line every street with parking meters or kiosks—and charge for every parking garage—and it makes visiting our city all the more pleasant. Now all you have to do is find a spot…which is easier said than done.
We Have Doughboys!
You know when it’s 2:30am, and you’re just craving something? Maybe you know you’re headed home to an empty fridge. Or you’re just sick of pizza, and your other options for cheap, quick, deliciously bad-for-you foods are limited. If you’re in Downtown Saratoga, you’re going to one place to get one thing: Esperanto’s own creation, a DoughBoy. The pizza dough-wrapped chicken-and-cheese concoction is arguably the best drunk food in the world, and Saratoga remains the only place you can get it.
Our Epic ‘First Night’ Celebration
I have a confession. I’ve never been to First Night. (Cut me some slack—I moved to Saratoga on January 6.) Obviously, our New Year’s Eve celebration is legendary, with more than 15,000 revelers taking to Downtown to enjoy food, live performances and fireworks. But I’d like to take that a step further: It’s a rite of passage. I won’t consider myself a true Saratogian until I wake up on the first day of 2019 with the memory of the epic night before.
Amtrak Brings Us Anywhere We Want To Go
Saratoga even has a means of escaping Saratoga (though I have no idea why anyone would want to do that). With an Amtrak station just a few minutes from Downtown, we can get to pretty much any city in the northeast—New York, Boston, Buffalo, Montréal, Philadelphia—with a reasonably priced train ticket. Honestly, anything that keeps me out of outbound NYC traffic on my way back to the saratoga living headquarters is a godsend.
Saratoga’s Just Plain Sexy
In the wise words of pop duo LMFAO, we’re sexy and we know it. Saratoga has culture, unbelievable food, horse racing and lots and lots of class. We’re proud to announce to out-of-towners that, yes, we actually live in the place where they’re vacationing, and, yes, we love it here. A lot.