In yesterday’s press briefing, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo mapped out, via a detailed graphic, the three regions in New York State that would be ready for their phased reopening to begin, following the expiration of the mandatory lockdown order this Friday, May 15. Those regions include the Finger Lakes, which consists of cities such as Ithaca, Canandaigua and Watkins Glen; the Southern Tier, which includes Binghamton, Corning and Elmira; and the Mohawk Valley, which includes Cooperstown, Gloversville and Amsterdam.
The next two regions in line for reopening appear to be Central New York (Syracuse, Little Falls) and the North Country (Plattsburgh, Watertown), which have met six out of the seven criteria. As a refresher, those seven criteria are: a 14-day decline in hospitalizations (or a three-day average of less than 15 new hospitalizations); a 14-day decline in hospitalized deaths (or a three-day average of under five new ones); a three-day rolling average of under two new hospitalizations for every 100,000 residents; the share of total hospital beds available is under the 30 percent threshold; the share of total ICU beds available is under the 30 percent threshold; 30 residents per 1,000 that are being tested monthly (seven-day average of new tests per day); and 30 contact tracers per 100,000 resident (or to meet the current infection rate).
The Capital Region didn’t get the go-ahead, but isn’t that far off either, having completed five of the necessary seven criteria each region in New York State needs to begin the reopening process.
The state has since launched the interactive map of regions, which it will update every 24 hours with new data. To take a look at the map and review the criteria for reopening, click here.
Just because bars and restaurants are closed for dine-in customers doesn’t mean that trivia nights are a thing of the past. While you can’t go out and test your knowledge against other Capital Region know-it-alls in person these days, you can definitely find ways to keep the fun going, even in quarantine. The same technology you use to have virtual staff meetings at work (see: Zoom, FaceTime) has made virtual trivia nights possible. Here are some ways to play trivia while adhering to social distancing rules.
Saratoga-Themed Trivia
First up, a shameless self-plug. This Wednesday, May 13 at 7pm, Saratoga Living will be putting on a live, virtual, Saratoga-themed trivia game, hosted by local trivia guru Casey Blum and sponsored by Julie & Co. Realty, on Zoom. Put your Spa City IQ to the test, with questions all about the beautiful place we call home. It’s $5 per person to join, and attendees are welcome to form teams to better their chances of winning. The first-place team will win $100 to Henry Street Taproom and $100 to Flatbread Social; the runners-up (“place”), $100 to 30 Lake; and the team in third place (“show”), $50 to Scallions.
That Trivia Guy NY
Speaking of Blum, who formerly ran the weekly trivia nights at Carson’s Woodside Tavern, Mohawk Taproom & Grill, Great Flats Brewing and more, has moved his trivia operation online. Blum’s offering frequent public Zoom games, promoted in the bio of his Instagram page.
TFL Entertainment
Founded in 2013, TFL Entertainment provided free, live trivia nights in bars and restaurants across the Capital Region until the COVID-19 crisis came along. Now, the organization is offering virtual “Quarantine Quizzes” on Tuesdays from 8-10pm on Twitch, with the top three teams winning prizes each night.
Memorama Team Trivia
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Memorama Team Trivia, which used to host games at bars and restaurants in Albany and Schenectady, is now putting on “Quarantine Trivia Nights” on Wednesdays from 8-10pm on Zoom. Games are free to play, and the meeting numbers and passwords for each game are posted in the Memorama Facebook group.
Trivia Nights Live
Trivia Nights Live (TNL), one of Upstate New York’s largest trivia operations, has also moved its fun-for-all operations online. Whereas TNL regularly offers games in restaurants from Buffalo to Lake George, it’s now hosting virtual games anywhere there’s an Internet connection, with new games being promoted on its Facebook page weekly.
Catch The Mania
National trivia company Catch The Mania, which has hosted trivia at The Ruck in Troy, Villago in Ballston Lake and the Saratoga Winery in Saratoga Springs, is also hosting online trivia nights, promoted on its Facebook page. Catch the Mania also offers tournaments, where trivia teams compete over multiple nights to become the ultimate trivia champion.
For those of you who have marked your calendar for this Friday, May 15—the day when New York’s statewide lockdown expires—there’s some light at the end of the tunnel. (You’ll remember that Cuomo did say that some regions would remain closed beyond that date.) In his May 11 press briefing, Governor Andrew Cuomo laid out the groundwork for what each region will need to accomplish before it can fully reopen, following this Friday, emphasizing that the reopening plan will be in the hands of each region, not the state government (though each will have to report its continued findings to the state).
For regions looking to reopen, Cuomo reiterated the seven conditions that are required, which include a 14-day decline in hospitalizations (or a three-day average of less than 15 new hospitalizations); a 14-day decline in hospitalized deaths (or a three-day average of under five new ones); a three-day rolling average of under two new hospitalizations for every 100,000 residents; the share of total hospital beds available is under the 30 percent threshold; the share of total ICU beds available is under the 30 percent threshold; 30 residents per 1,000 that are being tested monthly (seven-day average of new tests per day); and 30 contact tracers per 100,000 resident (or to meet the current infection rate).
To that end, Cuomo announced some of the regions that had already met all of the criteria and were ready to begin their four-phase reopening. These include the Finger Lakes, the Southern Tier and the Mohawk Valley; with regions that are close but not yet ready, including Central New York and the North Country. (Cuomo did not mention the Capital Region in that list, though he did not that it had met five of the seven criteria needed to reopen.) Phase 1 businesses that can reopen include construction, manufacturing and wholesale supply chain, retail (curbside pickup) and agriculture/forestry/fishing; Phase 2, professional services, finance and insurance, retail, administrative support and real estate/rental leasing; Phase 3, restaurants/food services and hotels/accommodations; and Phase 4, arts/entertainment/recreation and education. (A list of how each region is doing, in terms of meeting the criteria to reopen, will be posted to the state’s website and will be updated every 24 hours going forward.)
As of May 15, statewide, landscaping and gardening businesses; outdoor, low-risk recreational activities like tennis; and drive-in movie theaters will all be ready to reopen.
Of course, each phase being completed is contingent on the previous one working out, and safety precautions being put in place by businesses to ensure that the infection rate doesn’t increase. “[Reopening] will be determined by the facts and the numbers as you go along,” said Cuomo of how long it would take between each of the phases. “As soon as you can reopen, reopen.”
This will all be coordinated through regional control groups, which will be monitoring all of the phases for reopening and every aspect of the rollout. An 11-person group will oversee the phased reopening process of the Capital Region, with Saratoga County’s being overseen by Country Administrator Spencer Hellwig.
Westchester County has been one of the areas hit hardest by the COVID-19 crisis in New York State, with more than 30,000 confirmed cases and 1,000-plus deaths. And just like here in the Capital Region, many of Westchester’s nonprofits have been forced to temporarily close, rethink their continued coverage and raise much-needed funds for the future.
One such organization is the Rye Arts Center, located in the downstate city of Rye, which is a community-based, nonprofit whose mission is to inspire interest and participation in the arts in Westchester and the surrounding region. To raise funds for the arts center, the organization launched its “fRYEday Not Live” video series on May 8, as a way to build community and highlight local performers of all ages.
The first video in the series features Saratogian and Skidmore College graduate Noah Opitz, who serves as the Rye Arts Center’s director of development—and is a talented vocalist and pianist in his own right—performing a moving version of the Harold Arlen-composed and Yip Harburg-penned “Somewhere Over The Rainbow,” made famous for its inclusion in the 1939 classic, The Wizard of Oz.
If Noah’s last name sounds familiar, he’s the son of Lary and Barbara Opitz, who were the founding members of the Saratoga Shakespeare Company and have been longtime faculty members at Skidmore.
Like what you hear? You can give to the Rye Arts Center here.
While COVID-19 has put many business operations on hold, farmers in the Capital Region and beyond are still cranking out farm-fresh food. And while the means of getting that food to consumers have changed slightly during the pandemic, Upstate New York farmers are finding safe ways to keep the Capital Region healthy, happy and well fed. Here are some of the ways you too can skip a trip to the grocery store and support local farms:
Saratoga Farmers’ Market Wilton Mall, Saratoga Springs Wednesdays 3-6pm and Saturdays 9am-1pm This summer, the Saratoga Farmers’ Market is operating outside of Wilton Mall, instead of at its regular location in High Rock Park. The market is focused on function, so while there’s no live music for the time being, there are dozens of booths stocked with delicious offerings. Customers and vendors alike are required to wear masks, hand sanitizer is available for use at all tables and a hand-washing station has been set up to keep everyone safe. Check out the Saratoga Farmers’ Market website to learn about pre-ordering and curbside pickup.
Spa City Farmers’ Market Lincoln Baths, Saratoga Springs Sundays 10am-2pm
Stop by the Spa City Farmers’ Market at Lincoln Baths on Sundays to stock up for the week. To keep attendees safe, sampling and self-serve stations have been abandoned for the time being, vendors are stationed six feet apart and everyone is asked to wear a mask. Hand sanitizer is available at all booths, and the market also has a hand-washing station.
Troy Waterfront Farmers’ Market Carioto Produce, 80 Cohoes Ave., Green Island Pickup on Wednesdays and Saturdays 10am-2pm
Due to it’s the size and popularity, the Troy Waterfront Farmers’ Market has opted to hold off on opening for in-person browsing. Instead, the market has approached the pandemic as an opportunity to expand its services, and is now operating online in partnership with Green Island’s Carioto Produce Distribution Center. The online market allows customers to shop the market’s ever-changing product list of local goodies from the comfort of their living rooms. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, customers can pick up their locally sourced groceries from the Carioto Produce Distribution Center.
Schenectady Green Market Schenectady City Hall, 105 Jay St., Schenectady Sundays 10am-2pm
Serving a neighborhood without a supermarket, the Schenectady Green Market is truly essential. More than 20 vendors continue to show up every Sunday, and you should too! Shoppers and vendors alike are required to wear masks, and all have access to hand sanitizing stations. In addition to these measures, only one customer is allowed at a booth at a time to ensure compliance with social distancing rules.
Honest Weight Food Co-op 100 Watervliet Ave., Albany Daily from 8am-8pm and Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays from 6-8am for at-risk customers
This one’s technically a grocery store, but carries only the highest quality natural foods. Albany’s Honest Weight Food Co-op doesn’t sell anything that contains unnatural chemicals or hormones; everything inside is organic, locally sourced or both! The Co-op has posted a guide to its busiest times on its website to help you plan when to go, and has early morning hours dedicated to at-risk shoppers. To ensure a safe shopping experience, Honest Weight has also reorganized the store to allow for proper social distancing.
Capital Roots Veggie Mobile Various locations in Albany, Troy, Schenectady, Rensselaer, Watervliet, Cohoes and Mechanicville Monday-Friday, schedule varies by day
The Capital Roots Veggie Mobile has been bringing fresh, affordable, local produce to inner-city neighborhoods throughout Albany, Rensselaer, Schenectady and Southern Saratoga Counties since 2007. The mobile market, housed inside a box truck, is stocked with fresh meat, eggs and produce, and stops at more than 30 locations throughout the work week.
Field Goods Home delivery Saratogians should place orders by 11:59pm on Sundays to guarantee delivery on Wednesday
Field Goods, a food delivery service launched in 2011, has since partnered with more than 100 farmers and food entrepreneurs to bring quality, locally produced products to homes all across New York, Connecticut and New Jersey. The Field Goods website has everything from produce to pantry items and clearly lists the name of the farm from which the item was sourced, so you know exactly where your food comes from.
Farmers Market Home Delivery Home delivery Allow two days for delivery
Farmers Market Home Delivery, the Capital District’s clearinghouse and wholesaler of the highest quality produce, will deliver farm-fresh foods right to your door. The online market has a section dedicated to all things local—including comforting favorites such as ice cream, cookies and freshly baked bread. The website lists the name of the farm a product is from right next to the name of the product itself, and orders ship in just two days.
With the COVID-19 crisis still bearing down on New York State, manyhave turned to the greenery in their yards as a source of at-home relief. It turns out that getting your hands dirty doing a little yard work isn’t just beneficial for your health and mental wellbeing (spending time outside has been associated with reducing stress, depression, anxiety and even heart attack/stroke), but gardening is also a quick and easy way to put some fresh fruits, veggies and herbs on the table without having to don a face mask or rubber gloves.
For those whose thumbs aren’t so naturally green, Saratoga Living turned to garden designer and plant-care specialist Rachelle Thomas, founder and owner of Saratoga-based Daisies and Dahlias, to get some advice about what’s best to grow here in the Capital Region. “For me, easy plants are those that need minimal care once they’re planted,” says Thomas. If you’ve recently driven through the Spa City and its surroundings, you’ve no doubt seen Thomas’ work at the Wilton Mall’s Healthy Living to spots along Broadway such as Palette Cafe and the soon-to-open new headquarters and storefront for Dish Wish Coffee. “I deal with a lot of different plants, and some are definitely more high maintenance than others,” says Thomas. “So many people are finally doing those garden projects they didn’t have time for before. But they don’t always need to work hard to have beautiful blooms or plants.” Sounds good—let’s get our gardening gloves on and dig in!
Cold-Weather Veggies
Daisies and Dahlias’ owner Rachelle Thomas in front of some of her gardening work at Healthy Living. (Daisies and Dahlias)
With temperatures still dipping below freezing around this time of year, cold-weather crops are worth planting (really as soon as the ground thaws). These cool-climate vegetables include a lot of healthy greens and ingredients perfect for fresh salads, such as carrots, kale, beets, lettuce, spinach, Swiss chard and radishes. “Growing your own food is easy and super rewarding,” says Thomas. “These veggies can even be grown in containers if you don’t have space for a garden.”
Warm-Weather Veggies
Warm-weather vegetables must be planted outdoors after the risk of frosting is gone (usually mid-May). Nonetheless, seedlings can be started indoors earlier and planted outside when it’s warm enough. This will extend the plant’s growing season, though, don’t try this with root veggies like carrots and beets. Vegetables that can take the heat include green bush beans, cucumber, peppers, tomato and eggplant. Sounds like one delicious veggie pizza in the making!
Herbs
Herbs are usually low-maintenance and a great source for fresh spices and other ingredients to, er, spice up your home cooking. Parsley, basil, rosemary, thyme and chives do well in the Capital Region. “All veggies and herbs prefer full sun for maximum harvest,” says Thomas. As for any pests, Thomas adds: “Having dogs or cats near the garden can also keep away critters.”
Wildflowers
Those seeking the ultimate easy-care option can always opt for a wildflower garden. These plants don’t just require minimal upkeep, they’re also good for local pollinator populations like bees and butterflies. There are lots of options to plant here: sunflowers, zinnias, cosmos, black-eyed Susans, beebalm and Joe-Pye weed, to name a few. However, plant these flowers far away from your other garden beds. As the name implies, wildflowers tend to take over.
Sun Perennials
Perennials are plants that come back every year, flowering around the same time each season (ie. irises in the late spring). For this reason, it’s best to plant a variety of perennials to insure pretty blooms throughout the whole season. Upstate New Yorkers with sunnier yards should look to include coneflowers (echinacea), sedum autumn joy, phlox, daisies, Stella D’oro Lilies and Siberian irises.
Shade/Partial Sun Perennials
For your shadier garden spots, put in some hosta, astilbe, ferns, coral bells (heuchera) and ligularia. With the exception of coral bells, all of these decorative plants can be completely cut back in the fall. Best of all, most of these perennials are pest-free and disease-resistant, making them even easier to care for in the garden.
Sun Annuals
Annuals can’t survive a frost, so it’s best to wait until mid-May to plant them (some annuals, however, like mums and pansies can stand below-freezing temperatures). Unlike perennials, these flowers continue blooming for the entire season. “They’re great for planters and adding color to perennial garden beds,” says Thomas. “They come in a variety of colors, sizes and styles, so you can get really creative with them every year.” For sun-loving annuals, start off experimenting with some vinca flowers, geraniums, SunPatiens, mandevilla (dipladenia), dichondra, canna and euphorbia.
Shade/Partial Sun Annuals
The annuals that love the shade include coleus, begonias, impatiens, fuchsia, ivy and some ferns. These plants are perfect for sprucing up less sunny areas of the yard where other vegetation has difficulty growing. “I think in some ways it’s a relief that this lockdown is happening during spring when all the plants are coming to life,” says Thomas. “It’s super rewarding to watch plants grow, to see the bees visit the flowers and eat veggies fresh from the garden. It gives us hope of new beginnings.”
While health officials have long believed that children are less susceptible to the COVID-19 virus, that might no longer be the case.
In his May 8 press briefing, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo revealed that state health officials are seeing evidence that the virus is causing severe illnesses in children now—with symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease (symptoms include high fever and peeling skin) and toxic-shock syndrome (symptoms include high fever, vomiting and rash)—with a five-year-old boy in New York City passing away on May 7 from COVID-related complications. The New York State Department of Health is investigating additional cases.
“This would be really painful news and would open up an entirely different chapter, because I can’t tell you how many people I spoke to, who took peace and solace in the fact that children were not getting infected,” said Cuomo. “We thought that children might be vehicles of transmission—the child could get infected and come home and infect the family—but we didn’t think children would suffer from it.”
Cuomo asked families to remain vigilant and seek care immediately for children experiencing prolonged fevers (more than five days); difficulty feeding (infants) or are too sick to take down fluids; severe abdominal pain, diarrhea or vomiting; change in skin color (becoming pale, patchy or blue); trouble breathing or breathing rapidly; racing heart or chest pain; decreased amount of frequency of urine; or lethargy, irritability or confusion.
One of the truths in dealing with the COVID-19 crisis is that an early and aggressive response makes a big difference. Latham-based medical technology company AngioDynamics certainly understands that. Even before the statewide shutdown ordered by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo on March 22, AngioDynamics, which has manufacturing plants in Glens Falls and Queensbury, had already taken preemptive actions to protect its employees and clients.
“We pretty much said, ‘If it comes here then we have to have a plan,’” says Lucas Sauer-Jones, AngioDynamics’ director of operations. Early on, the med tech company developed a multipronged approach to ensure its workplace remained sanitary and safe. AngioDynamics partnered with North Country Janitorial and ramped up its cleaning processes; the company also started putting procedures in place around regular workplace communication, cleaning and social distancing, even constructing a separate cafeteria.
Adjusting to new protocol, however, has been only half the battle according to Sauer-Jones. “Managing the fear is easily the hardest part,” he says. “We could put the greatest procedures in place and communicate nonstop, but the thing we can’t control is the news. Employees go home and listen to the news and hear how bad it is and start developing this fear.”
Sauer-Jones understands a thing or two about managing fear. He spent four years as a Marine, even serving as a platoon sergeant in Afghanistan. “Dealing with fear over COVID-19 is no different than dealing with a very stressful situation in the military,” he says. “You have to step back and not panic and think about what’s the best thing to do for everyone.” Sauer-Jones says that lessons he learned in the Marines played a vital role in making sure that AngioDynamics was prepared even before the virus hit Upstate New York.
AngioDynamics also took some of its cues from Governor Cuomo, communicating daily with its employees about the ever-changing situation and how it would affect them in the workplace. “Good communication is the key to good morale,” says Sauer-Jones. “And sometimes that means being honest about what you do and don’t know.” The company also extended its employees’ paid time off and even partnered with a couple of local pizzerias to host weekly Thank You Thursdays, free socially distanced pizza lunches, for all plant workers. “Morale is very high with the workers right now,” says Sauer-Jones. “And we really couldn’t do it without them.”
Exactly when we started working from home seems like a thousand years ago at this point. I’d actually kicked off my soon-to-be hermetic lifestyle, unknowingly, on March 9, when I stayed home to oversee some light construction work on my house in Troy. I was in the office the rest of the week, save for, ironically, Friday the 13th, and have only set foot in Saratoga Living‘s headquarters at 422 Broadway in Saratoga Springs two other times since. One of those times was on Wednesday, March 18, when myself and our CEO, Abby Tegnelia, met there and drove over together to our Design Issue cover shoot, which took place at Kevin and Claudia Bright’s Saratoga house. (The other was a few weekends ago, when I went there to pick up copies of the magazines and a few “personal effects,” which had been sitting in my empty office where I’d left them, frozen in time, Pompeii-style.)
To say that the last few months have been surreal would be an understatement; sure, I spent five years in the solitary confinement that was being a freelance writer, first working remotely from my Brooklyn home office; then for a spell from Airbnbs in Berkeley and Oakland, CA; then back to Brooklyn and up to Troy; but nothing could’ve prepared me for the present situation. I still don’t feel entirely comfortable or safe going outside, even for a quick walk with my wife and dog in the morning. (About five or ten minutes into our routine, we usually come upon our pregnant neighbor doing the same thing, talking on the phone with someone, her earbuds firmly in; we don’t know her, but every time we see her, we wave and smile, because she’s one of the only people we’ll see all day.)
Whereas I normally work from home in near-complete seclusion, with my noise-cancelling headphones on, door shut and blinds drawn—I think I picked up that trick from reading Stephen King’s On Writing (the idea being that, in a dark, sealed-off room, your imagination runs more wild than if you have a sightline to the outside world)—in recent weeks, I’ve kept my door cracked and raised my shades. I even Windexed my windows yesterday, so that I’d have an even clearer view of my neighbor’s side yard. I need to see the sunlight when it’s out; I need to hear my wife typing away or talking on the phone in the other room. And whereas, normally, it’s sort of a drag being interrupted by a coworker dropping by your office to tell you something, nowadays, it’s been cathartic having Zoom calls with the other editors on staff; part of the conversation is focused on how crazy life is now versus a month ago.
For most of you who aren’t privy to our company’s editorial calendar, here’s an idea of what our staff was up against going into New York State’s mandatory work-from-home scenario: We had our first issue of The Hyde Collection‘s Digest to produce and publish, the product of a brand-new partnership between our staff and the nonprofit art museum in Glens Falls; our first issue of Horsepower magazine, the yield of a second partnership with the Saratoga Automobile Museum; the creation and editing of the April issue of Capital Region Living magazine (the eventual “Hope” issue; we’ve since released our May issue of CRL, also done entirely remotely); and the creation and editing of the Spring 2020 issue of Saratoga Living magazine (the one on newsstands as we speak). Mind you, our staff had never produced a single magazine issue remotely, and we were all under a tremendous amount of professional and personal stress because of the COVID-19 crisis. And to make matters worse, all four publications were due to the printer within weeks of one another.
In order that you don’t fall asleep during this story, I’m going to only give you a peek into what the process was like creating the latest issue of Saratoga Living—the one that was completed last in our work-from-home scenario. If you’ve ever had the pleasure of publishing a magazine, you’ll know that it’s an exercise in patience; once you get all of the stories in, edit and mold them to a cohesive voice, choose the photographs and then lay them out in pages, oftentimes, what you see on pages compared to that which you read on a Word document weeks prior reads something like pig Latin.
For the past two years and change, I’ve been the editor who’s seen and edited the majority of the stories first, so it’s really up to me to “hear” them and find their common “voice.” I suppose it’s similar to being in a barbershop quartet and telling the guy to your right to sing a little less sharp to get the four-part harmony just so. Once I’m done with my initial edits, they go on to a second editor—basically, the role a dentist plays when he or she comes in at the last minute after you’ve had your teeth cleaned to see if there are any cavities or spots the dental hygienist missed. (There must always be checks and balances.) And then the stories go off to our creative director and her team, who are located in New York City and suburban Massachusetts, respectively, who lay them out, and we start the editing process all over again.
Once the painstaking process of designing and laying out each page of Saratoga Living takes place, our Creative Director creates “passes” for us. In other words, the three editors on the Saratoga Living staff (myself included) read each page in the magazine twice before a potential “final pass,” which is the last time any of us will see the magazine before it goes to the printer. Between the first and second pass, our managing editor meticulously tells the creative team, digitally, what edits and/or corrections we asked for in the first pass, and that’s how it becomes the second pass. The process starts up again for the second pass, ending with her directing the creative team a second time. And sometimes, stuff just slips through the cracks: take my cover story, for example: You won’t find the error in the web version, because I immediately corrected it when I found out the, um, error in my ways, but the Korean word that Kevin Bright named his latest documentary is spelled “Nureongi,” not “Neurongi.” (Sorry, Kevin, and kudos to anyone else who read our magazine close enough to find the other few typos.)
Once the magazine is to the printer, it usually takes about a week to get the finished copies back. And this time around, we had to pull an audible when it came to distribution: Many of our favorite drop-offs like Uncommon Grounds were closed due to the COVID-19 crisis, so we had to find alternate places to get our magazine out to the masses. You can find all four of them inside the front door at 422 Broadway in Saratoga Springs (on the first floor of SL headquarters), as well as at all Stewart’s Shops in the Capital Region. (This includes our sister publication, Capital Region Living; The Hyde’s Digest and Horsepower can be found at 422 Broadway and/or the respective museums.) The magazines are also being bundled with a number of takeout/to-go orders in the region, and our amazing COO has been doing daily runs to replenish a number of other sources. (Find a full list here.) We’ve even found a new, wonderful audience in some of the area’s nursing homes and retirement communities, which have welcomed our magazine with open arms. These include Albany’s Daughters of Sarah Senior Community and Beltrone Senior Center, as well as Saratoga’s The Wesley Community and Prestwick Chase.
Since COVID-19 struck, many of us on staff have been working seven days a week to make this all possible, with little rest and recovery in between. We’ve had few disagreements and found many reasons to smile and laugh. And, even if your social isolation or quarantine has kept you from venturing out to find a physical copy of the magazine, below, you’ll find about 90 percent of the magazine in digital form, with some cool outtakes and add-ons to make things interesting.
Thank you for continuing to read all of our great magazines.
Will Levith
Editorial Director
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Kevin and Claudia Bright, and their two South Korean rescue dogs, Oscar (at left) and Hope. (Dori Fitzpatrick)
*Cover Story: Kevin Bright, the Executive Producer/Director of hit TV sitcom Friends, and his wife, Claudia Wilsey Bright, welcomed us into their Saratoga area home. At the bottom, find a sidebar on their personal interior design man, Edmond DeRocker. Read the story here.
*We also went behind the scenes on the Friends series with Bright. In an outtake that didn’t make it into the magazine story, Bright told me the story behind his middle initial (it’s been edited lightly for clarity and punctuation): “In the beginning of my career, I worked a lot with a big-time television director, who went by the credit Walter C. Miller. I asked him once why he used his middle initial, as most people did not use it in a TV credit. He told me it made his name take up more space and made it pop out from the rest. I was only a production assistant at the time, but I started [using] the credit Kevin S. Bright. Scott is my middle name, which my mother was very proud of, [and] she thought I did it for her. In every day life I’m just Kevin Bright. I use the initial only on TV.”
Star of Bravo show ‘Southern Charm,’ Shep Rose. (Katie Dobies)
*In her debut for Saratoga Living, Capital Region Living staffer Tracy Momrow, who is a big fan of the Bravo series Southern Charm, wrote a topper to go along with our exclusive interview with its star, Shep Rose. Read the story here.
*Our second Shep in the issue, Skidmore College graduate Shep Murray is one-half of the launch team behind American clothing line Vineyard Vines. Murray and his brother, Ian, quit their jobs on the same day to found the company, and now they’re billionaires. Read about his keys to success, which include a few favorite Skidmore professors, here.
The ‘Star Trek’ Original Series Set Tour in Ticonderoga, NY, is pretty legit. (Rob O’Neil)
*A Star Trek fanatic has recreated the original ’60s TV set in an old Safeway in Ticonderoga. Local professor and pop culture man-about-town Daniel Nester went there before the COVID-19 outbreak and reported on it in all its glory. Read the story here.
(left) Dr. Alex Marsal, PhD and Dan Pickett, co-founders of aptihealth. (Francesco D’Amico)
*My mom sent me this note after reading my feature on the digital startup, aptihealth, which was co-founded by Dan Pickett, a local entrepreneur and the man who founded Clifton Park’s multibillion-dollar company, nfrastructure: “Now I know what you were referring to a couple of weeks ago when you told us you were working on a piece that would either make a strong statement and/or [would be] a mistake to write. Lots at stake is probably how you put it. Indeed—I am so proud of you for having written this.” (Read my introduction, and you’ll know what she’s talking about.)
*Our “Downtown Details” story was originally conceived as sort of a “hey, check out these cool idiosyncrasies all over Saratoga.” But when we found ourselves trapped in a new world of social isolation, we knew we had to make it into a “virtual” tour instead of one where we sent people out, potentially, into harm’s way. Take the tour here.
The Congress Park Carousel. (Francesco D’Amico)
*Our story about the Congress Park Carousel was another one of those stories that we assigned well in advance of the COVID-19 crisis but didn’t really have to tweak much at all. The City of Saratoga Springs initially didn’t want to let us in to shoot the carousel, because it was under maintenance at the time. But the folks over there eventually caved, and the photos came out amazing. Read the story here.
Jamie and Josh Wallbank of Collar City Candle doing their thing. (Francesco D’Amico)
*We ended up adding this feature to the editorial lineup late in the ballgame, and it’s one of my personal favorites. In it, each of us on the Saratoga Living editorial staff profiled a local artisan we were fans of. Fun Fact: Before COVID-19 ruined my morning routine, I worked out nearly every morning at 6am with a bunch of others at anatomie gym in Troy, including Jamie Wallbank from Collar City Candle. Read about her and her husband Josh’s business here.
*We hired back our former intern (and budding fashionista) Mitchell Famulare to cover the Capital Region’s emerging fashion scene—as well as the man and his fashion event series, Stitched, behind it. Read the story here.
*I know everybody’s a little worried about whether or not there’s going to be a track season this summer in Saratoga. And with the Kentucky Derby having been pushed back to September, it raised some questions about what how the Saratoga Race Course stakes schedule might unfold. We put our Sports Editor Brien Bouyea on the case, and he came up with an elegant solution. Read it here.
A rendering of the new digital display at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame.
*Talk about wearing two hats. Brien Bouyea is not only Saratoga Living‘s Sports Editor, he’s also the communications director at the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame. So, he’s quoted in Jeff Dingler’s story, which provides a sneak peek of the new digital-heavy improvements to horse racing’s Hall of Fame. Check them out here.
*The racing museum’s not the only Saratoga institution that’s going to show off to the public how it “pimped its ride” this summer. SPAC’s going to be unveiling some major changes to its grounds, including a brand-new concessions building and yes, new bathroom facilities. Read the story here.
Peter McPherson standing in front of his creation, ‘Tiny Towns.’
*In our previous issue of Saratoga Living, we profiled cartoonist John McPherson, who’s best known for his widely syndicated cartoon, Close to Home. So, we thought it would be cool to create some connective tissue between issues by profiling McPherson’s son, Peter, a successful board game designer (check out his game, Tiny Towns) in our Design Issue. Read about Peter McPherson here.
*Even though Seneca has decided to close entirely, with no takeout or to-go options, during the COVID-19 crisis, we still wanted to track down “Hot Chef” Mike Spain to talk about his bold, new grilling style, which he brought to Saratoga. We can’t wait for the restaurant to open back up. Read our interview with Spain here.
Ronnie and Gigi Solevo, posing at a table in front of the wall at their restaurant, Solevo Kitchen + Social, that features vintage photos of their family. Fun Fact: When Ronnie was handed the wine during the shoot, he remarked, “I don’t even drink.” (Dori Fitzpatrick)
*Just days into the COVID-19 crisis in Saratoga and only a few days before Governor Cuomo declared a statewide lockdown, I sat down with Solevo Kitchen + Social’s sibling co-owners, Ronnie and Gigi Solevo, to talk about how their restaurant had quickly become the place where the city’s elite dined. Like Seneca, they two have chosen to shut down their restaurant for the duration of the crisis, but it’s still worth reading their story and dreaming of a hefty plate of fantasy Italian food that you’ll be eating at some point soon. Read why Ronnie and Gigi are our latest Power Players here.
*A little Saratoga history lesson, if you will. Inventor Seymour Ainsworth laid a golden egg with his feathery invention in the 1880s. Check out what it was here.
*More history, you say? Ah, but the type that we fact-check. Whitehall, NY claims to be the birthplace of the US Navy. We explore the validity of the claim…hint: it’s not, really. Read our conclusion here.
*In order to ensure that when the COVID-19 crisis is over, Downtown Saratoga business goes back to normal, we think that everybody should be buying gift cards to all of their favorite Saratoga businesses. Think of them as purchasing “futures.” Find out the businesses you can support here.
‘Office’ Actress Kate Flannery also recently appeared on ‘Dancing with the Stars.’
*If you’re in need of a laugh, click on this story just to watch the Meredith Palmer supercut from NBC’s hit show, The Office. But what you should really do is stick around and read our exclusive Q&A with the actress who plays her, Kate Flannery, who is still scheduled to come to Colonie Center in July for a meet-and-greet and autograph-signing session. Read the interview here.
*I grew up going to the Electric City (a.k.a. Schenectady) to visit my grandparents, who lived on the GE Plot. It turns out that the city’s been home to some of the biggest stars in Hollywood, including Anne B. Davis, Mickey Rourke and Ato Essendoh, who’s acted in a number of high-profile movies and TV shows. Get to know Essendoh here.
*Long before the COVID-19 crisis, we launched a section in the magazine called “Buy This!,” in which we’d go around Downtown Saratoga and taste-make some of the coolest things you could buy from local shops. When the crisis hit, we took that concept online. Check out the latest results here.
*Our idea for the short feature Jockey Club was simple: Jockeys all sort of look like short dudes and dudettes when they’re in their gear—unless, of course, you’re a horse racing fanatic or that jockey rides for your family. For all of the rest of Saratoga who needs a lesson in who’s who, you’ll find an introduction to one jockey in every issue we publish this year. Meet the newest up-and-coming jockey star, Manny Franco, here.
*Another one of our new features this year: We’ve been having local women in positions of power dump out their purses or tote bags to show what they’re carrying in them. Whereas before COVID-19, we could meet up with them and snap a photo of it, this time around, we had our subject do it herself. Find out what’s in Night Owl Creative Director Hilary Morrison’s bag here.
*We had originally chosen National Bike to Work Day (May 15) for the issue, but COVID-19 quickly nixed it. So, we pivoted to National Fitness Day (May 2), with an emphasis on working out at home, and asked Co-owner/Trainer Eileen Fitzgibbons at anatomie gym in Troy for a workout plan. Spoiler Alert: It includes a four-minute plank. Just you wait…
*In our second installment of Ride-Along (we did our first one, pre-COVID-19, with the Saratoga Springs Police Department) we sent our senior writer on virtual assignment to cover a day in the life of a local restaurant owner, delivering food to the needy and her loyal customers in and around Saratoga. Spend a full day with Whole Harvest’s Kelsey Whalen here.
*We polled some of the top designers in Saratoga about the Spa City’s design aesthetic. You might be surprised by what some of them say. Find out here.
*In the pre-COVID universe, I was trawling the Internet for new and improved stories for saratogaliving.com, when I stumbled upon the fact that the brains behind HGTV’s Home Town had launched a nationwide search for one town to completely make over during a six-episode miniseries called Home Town Takeover. That led to some more web sleuthing, and I found a number of ways that HGTV had used the Capital Region (and its residents) as a destination for its various reality shows. Count those ways here.
*Did we mention we have a new Design Editor? Her name’s Sue Waldron, and you may remember her from one of our way-back-when profiles. Sue got right to business with some simply wonderful upgrades for your three-season room. Read her first column here.
One With Life Organic Tequila Owner Lisa Elovich.
*If self-quarantining is making you waste away again and again in Margaritaville, and at some point, you find your lost shaker of salt, know that Saratoga has its own top-notch tequila brand, One With Life Tequila, and it’s worth a shot or nine. Read about it here.
*Our newest freelance writer, Brian K. Lind, whom I “discovered” through an old Saratoga friend, covers five must-buy boats for the upcoming Lake George summer season. Read about them here. (Hey, as long as you’re socially distancing on the water, boating should be a good pastime during this madness…as soon as it gets warm again.)
Despite the fact that this year’s Saratoga Race Course season might have to happen without fans, the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame has given horse racing fans something to get excited about. On May 6, the racing museum announced that it would be inducting seven new members in its 2020 Hall of Fame class, including Eclipse Award-winning jockey Darrel McHargue, 11-time Sovereign Award winner and Preakness Stakes-winning trainer Mark Casse and multiple Eclipse Award-winning Thoroughbred, Wise Dan.
“This year’s Hall of Fame class is certainly an exceptional one,” says the museum’s Communication Director Brien Bouyea (who also serves as Saratoga Living‘s Sports Editor). “Our contemporary selections, Mark Casse and Wise Dan, are among the sport’s most accomplished participants so far in the 21st century.” Indeed, Casse is one of North America’s top trainers, having already been inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame back in 2016, and winning two Triple Crown races in 2019, the Preakness and the Belmont Stakes. As for Wise Dan, this champion Thoroughbred won 19 graded stakes between 2010 and 2014 and is the only racehorse in history to win the same three Eclipse Awards—American Horse of the Year, Champion Older Male and Champion Male Turf Horse—two years in a row.
Bouyea also points to a lot of diversity in this year’s class. In addition to Casse and Wise Dan, the full list of inductees includes Darrel McHargue, an Eclipse Award-winning jockey, who won a whopping 2,553 races in his career, including the ’75 Preakness; Tom Bowling, a legendary Travers winner from 1873; Alice Headley Chandler, a champion horse breeder and founder of the revered horse farm Mill Ridge Farm in Lexington, KY; Eclipse Award winner J. Keene Daingerfield, Jr., one of the sport’s most honored stewards; and George D. Widener, Jr., an owner, breeder and major influencer of 20th century American horse racing. “These individuals have impeccable reputations and have influenced the sport in numerous ways,” says Bouyea. “We’re really excited about this group.”
Even with the COVID-19 crisis still very much alive in New York, the Hall of Fame induction ceremony is, for now, tentatively scheduled for Friday, August 7 at the Fasig-Tipton sales pavilion. The museum will have more details about the ceremony in the coming weeks.
