Page 183 – Saratoga Living

What To Do In Del Mar While At The TVG Pacific Classic

EXCLUSIVES / FEATURES
LUXURY / TRAVEL

May 21, 2019

What To Do In Del Mar While At The TVG Pacific Classic

Posing a delightful gamble for horse racing lovers, the back-to-back weekend races of Southern California’s Del Mar TVG Pacific Classic on August 17 and Saratoga Springs’ iconic Travers Stakes (celebrating its 150th anniversary this year) on August 24 are a coast-to-coast dilemma, to be sure. But for the true diehards (you know who you are), we recommend enjoying both historically significant races. So, yes, let’s go to Del Mar!

Aside from the city of Del Mar’s idyllic SoCal location (balmy and undeniably beautiful), the racetrack itself is quite impressive. With luxe, trackside dining and elegant hat-wearing spectators as far as the eye can see, the track experience comes complete with Del Mar’s signature cocktails, including the Cucumber Chili Margarita (made with Sauza Signature Blue Silver Tequila) and the Del Mule (featuring Maker’s Mark bourbon or Ketel One and ginger beer). Del Mar, here we come!

If you want to rub shoulders with horse racing’s glitterati, then definitely book your stay at L’Auberge Del Mar resort and spa; it’s one of those dreamy places where Worth Avenue and Rodeo Drive hypothetically intersect. L’Auberge emits luxury from its every manicured inch; it even made Condé Nast Traveler’s top spas in the US list. (I strongly recommend the spa’s Fountain of Youth Facial, followed by its signature Jet Lag Massage, to lift, drain and stretch your body and mind for full-on exhilaration). L’Auberge’s equally exhilarating private beach trail doesn’t hurt, either. The spa (and beach) experience is quite literally perfect.

The award-winning Marine Room at La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club is known for its luxe high tide dinners.

About ten minutes inland and possibly even more over-the-top than L’Auberge is the Fairmont Grand Del Mar (technically, it’s in San Diego). Once you settle in and start basking in its expansive decadence, eye-popping extravagance and modern Mediterranean decor, you might need a nudge to leave your comfy confines and make the trek to the racetrack. With an enormous, inviting pool, pro-quality tennis courts, world-class spa and Tom Fazio-designed Grand Golf Club that winds through the canyon’s preserve, you’ll be tempted to extend your stay. And, yes, you’ll have to dine at Addison, Southern California’s only five-star and five-diamond restaurant, located right on the property.

And we’re just getting started. If you put golf, sublime massages and amazing cuisines above all else, then The Lodge at Torrey Pines is the ideal spot. Another five-diamond resort, this destination is sporty-elegant, and meets all the expectations of a five-star ultra-service. At first I thought the lodge might be a little too rustic for my admittedly spoiled tastes, but boy, was I ever wrong! It surprised me and easily became one of my best and most elegant stays ever.

There’s a lot to see within a 20-minute radius of the coastal racetrack. That said, if you’re traveling as a family and want to avoid all the fussy formality, you may decide that meandering casually for the duration of your trip is just what the doctor ordered. To start things off, you can literally roll out of bed and hit the sand at the elevated Del Mar Motel On The Beach, unshaven and uncombed. The La Jolla Beach & Tennis Club hotel boasts a long, private stretch of surf, 12 championship tennis courts, a 9-hole par-3 golf course and 3 worthy beachfront restaurants, all within close range of the Village of La Jolla’s legendary shopping and galleries. LIK Fine Art (chic, colorful, modern) is a must-see, as is the Martin Lawrence Gallery, both near famed Prospect Street. Also nearby is Balboa Park, home to the San Diego Zoo and no less than 17(!) museums—notably, the San Diego Natural History Museum (theNAT), the San Diego Museum Of Art and the Comic-Con Museum (coming soon).

Time to eat! Back closer to Del Mar, one stand-out where the locals dine with satisfying results is Brigantine, a seafood and oyster bar with award-winning fish tacos. Bangkok Bay Thai Restaurant, Eve Encinitas, Pamplemousse Grille and Sbicca are also popular options.

But wait, didn’t we come here for the ponies? Happy Trails in San Diego offers beach horseback riding, while Seeley Stables presents a highly rated museum consisting of a reconstructed stable and barns housing a collection of horse-drawn buggies, wagons, carriages and other equine memorabilia.

One thing’s for sure: No matter what you planned for this legendary horseracing week in Del Mar, you should really allow a couple of extra days to take it all in. Then, by all means, rush back to Saratoga in time for The Travers Stakes. Come to think of it, it really shouldn’t be a gamble at all—and you know we love to gamble.

‘saratoga living’ Horoscopes: Good Times, Gemini

EXCLUSIVES / FEATURES

Melissa Morreale

May 21, 2019

Hey, Saratogians! You can now read your monthly horoscopes in saratoga living magazine—and, of course, on saratogaliving.com. (Check out last month’s to compare and contrast.) Make sure to return early and often to our website to find out what’ll lie in store for you over the next month.

Gemini

May 21-June 20
Hello, Saratoga twins! The limelight’s on you now. Time to pull your two sides together, flash that beaming smile and wow them with your incredible intellect. You’re at the starting gate and ready for the doors to open. Focus, focus, focus! Your romantic and business partnerships are ideal and beneficial right through the summer and could help you achieve a cherished dream. However, you could have turbulent times in the financial department. You often take leaps of faith. I would advise not to gamble with your finances in any way. If an estate is involved, some hostilities might arise that could sever ties permanently. Is it really worth it?

Cancer

June 21-July 22
Your home will be filled with activity—and possibly a little bickering. It seems that fate’s involved in a partnership. It can be intense, deep and transforming. While it can be attractive, it sometimes feels like you want to crawl back into your shell. There’s a lot to learn. Saddle up and don’t immediately jump to the most dire conclusion.

Leo

July 23-August 22
You have a lot on your mind and happening behind the scenes. Relax and enjoy the Capital Region’s summer festivities with friends. Bask in the sun. Take a long overdue vacation. Delve into your creativity. Ride your horse into the sunset. You’ll figure things out.

Virgo

August 23-September 22
Boy, are your creative juices flowing! Harness them and partner with someone to make things happen. You could have a big breakthrough in your career. Keep your eyes open for advancement through friends or groups. You’ll make your home a place of comfort and beauty this summer.

Libra

September 23-October 22
There’s a struggle between home life and your career. The best option right now is to take advantage of travel abroad or expand your education to advance your career. Travel will give you some time away to balance your thoughts. Pay attention to your health, as there could be some hard-to-diagnose ailments popping up.

Scorpio

October 23-November 21
Where are the most mysterious places in Saratoga? That’s where you need to be, Scorpio. You’re intrigued and want to investigate. Time to delve into the history of this region, with all its beauty, culture and unknown secrets.

Sagittarius

November 22-December 21
This summer, take luck in stride, as it shows up everywhere you turn: money, partnerships, intimacy and health. Invest for the long term in all these areas, and you won’t be disappointed with this grand alignment.

Capricorn

December 22-January 19
Things are pretty heavy, to say the least, Capricorn. It may feel like you’re in a pressure cooker. You’ll find release with a good partner. You may not like to lean on him or her because of your independent nature, but it’ll be good to have a reliable person to help you clean out the stable.

Aquarius

January 20-February 18
You’re filled with sparks of creativity, so revel in group collaboration. Your health may be a bit unpredictable. Don’t force your horse to jump if it’s not necessary, or you may find yourself in the hospital. Yet, romance is in the air.

Pisces

February 19-March 20
The fish are definitely biting at your creative projects. Time to put effort into this area and be sure not to rest on your laurels. You can achieve great success if you’re in the right place with the right friends. You need to put some energy into self-promotion. It won’t happen by itself.

ARIES

MARCH 21-APRIL 19
Have you been struggling with your career, Aries? Maybe it’s time to take a break, travel or do a staycation and enjoy the serenity of your own home. There, you can take the time to catch up on reading or learning something new.

Taurus

April 20-May 20
If things seem a little unusual to you, it’s because you’re out of your element, Taurus. This isn’t comfortable to you, as you enjoy things that are more stable and predictable. If you invest, stick to the tried and true. You’re always up for a good, solid investment, and this will be a great time to make one.

Thoro-Graph Founder Jerry Brown Cracks The Code To Horse Betting

EXCLUSIVES / FEATURES
SPORTS / RACING

Arthur Gerunda

May 21, 2019

Thoro-Graph Founder Jerry Brown Cracks The Code To Horse Betting

I will never forget the best bet I ever made. It was placed on Kentucky Derby Day in 1999. I didn’t make it on the race’s eventual winner, Charismatic. Nope. On that glorious spring afternoon in New York City, I placed a bet on the woman who’d become my lifelong partner. Soon, we’ll be celebrating our 20th wedding anniversary. Now, unlike the serendipity of meeting the woman of my dreams, had I actually bet on that Derby and scored big, it wouldn’t have been due to sheer luck. It would’ve been thanks to a man named Jerry Brown, who’s the most knowledgeable horse bettor I’ve ever known.

For those of you unfamiliar with Brown, he’s the founder of Thoro-Graph, a series of detailed analyses, known as “sheets,” that include all types of horse racing data and that he sells to prospective bettors on his website. What exactly is on a Thoro-Graph sheet? There’s an amalgam of simple and complex data points gleaned from the historical past performances of both horses and jockeys, along with factors such as track anomalies, wind speed and direction and dozens of other important variables laid out in numerical form. Simply put, it’s a much more involved version of what you might find in the daily program at Saratoga Race Course. Each data point is then plotted on a graph, which provides the user with a visual and chronological history of a Thoroughbred’s performance over its career. Once a horseplayer cracks Brown’s code, his or her odds of placing a winning bet should increase exponentially.

Brown learned from the best of the best. When he was 19 and still living in New York City, he landed his first job working for the legendary horseplayer Len Ragozin. A Harvard graduate, Ragozin had quit his editing job at Newsweek to focus on the fine art of horse betting. Ragozin had noticed Brown studying a Daily Racing Form at a Blimpie on Seventh Avenue in Midtown Manhattan and hired him on the spot. “I needed a job,” says Brown. “My father was literally ready to throw me out of the house if I didn’t get one by the end of the week.” The job would eventually bring Brown to Saratoga Springs—and his first trip was a memorable one. “One morning, Ragozin calls me into his office and tells me, ‘We gotta claim a horse in Saratoga,’ and he hands me a brown paper bag. Inside the bag was an orange, a container of milk, a sandwich and $20,000 in cash. It was like he was sending me off to school.” (If you’re wondering, “claiming” a horse means actually buying it right before it races.) It would be the first of many journeys to the Spa City.

In the days before Brown launched his Thoro-Graph sheet, Ragozin had a lock on the horseplayer analysis market. “Unless Ragozin knew you personally, you didn’t get to use his data,” says Brown. “It wasn’t published, it wasn’t sold publicly, and the only copy of the data was handwritten on a single file card. We’d all sit around a dining room table and pass that file card back and forth, and each make our own decisions on who to bet on.” When Brown eventually broke ranks with Ragozin and ventured out on his own to found Thoro-Graph, the two friends quickly became competitors—that is, until the Internet came along. It didn’t take Brown long to realize the Web could give Thoro-Graph a competitive advantage, and in 1994, he took his product digital.

Nowadays, Brown’s doing a steady business and stays in Saratoga for the entire racing meet. And while it’s great talking about all of his successes in the horseplaying world, I wanted to know if he’d ever had any particularly putrid days at the races. “I mean, you have bad days and good days betting,” he says. But for his money, there’s really no such thing as a losing day at Saratoga. “During the summer, Saratoga’s a different place than any other racetrack in this country. The entire town is up on racing. The conversations everywhere are, ‘What happened at the track today? What’s gonna happen at the track tomorrow?’ If you go out to the bars around town during the season, you’re going to see everybody in the racing world. Horseplayers are mingling with the trainers, the jockeys—hanging out and talking with them. That doesn’t happen in too many places. Unless you’re involved with some real tragedy, it’s hard to have a bad day at Saratoga.”

To that end, I can’t help but think of a classic horseplaying joke: What’s the difference between praying in church and at the racetrack? When you’re praying at the racetrack, you really mean it. For those of us who visit Saratoga Race Course religiously, the information that Jerry Brown offers can go a long way in answering our prayers.

Get Your Zen On At These Four Stunning Adirondacks Resort Spas

EXCLUSIVES / FEATURES
LUXURY / TRAVEL

Marco Medrano

May 21, 2019

Get Your Zen On At These Four Stunning Adirondacks Resort Spas

A secret that might just be hiding in plain sight, Saratogians? When it comes to getting your zen on—think spa!—the Adirondacks are home to relaxation palaces many New York City establishments can’t even replicate. Geography certainly helps; with the wooded, babbling-brook splendor of the Adirondacks front and center, the region’s spas are often setting trends, not following them.

Here, we’ve selected four spa resorts that have been awarded “diamonds” and “stars” and are otherwise globally hailed by independent luxury-ratings publications and the most sophisticated travelers. The Adirondacks have found yet another reason to keep us coming back for more.

Lake Placid Lodge brings new meaning to the term “en suite.” With its luxe accommodations right on the lake, you can’t go wrong. The lodge’s legendary in-room massages are stellar and encompass a mix of aromatherapy, reflexology, deep tissue and sports massage. Ampersand Salon and Spa is located within the newly remodeled, luxurious and well-appointed Hotel Saranac and is fully prepared for all who want to go first-rate all the way, featuring gorgeous massage and treatment rooms; a chic unisex salon; a great men’s menu with real hand and foot repair (masculine mani/pedi); and a nutrient-rich service menu that delivers results featuring one of my faves, red flower skincare. (I’m telling you, it’s full-on, full-service!) Check out red flower’s Nature & Nurture, a powerful yet gentle bioactive exfoliant facial with a stimulating mushroom and phyto-nutrient wrap to heal damaged, aging skin, or, you can opt for the Pro-Definition Lift and Contour to help restore the architectural definition and youthfulness of your face.

The spa at Whiteface Lodge is 5700 square feet of rustic elegance and was voted by Condé Nast Traveler as among the top 100 spas in North America. The intimate spa delivers a range of luxurious treatments. You might want to start with the highly popular ZENTS Ultimate Luxury Wrap or HydraFacial MD Premier Facials, with breakthrough technology that’s non-invasive and non-surgical but leaves immediate and lasting results. Make no mistake, the whole excursion can be focused on your superior spa wellness experience, and the property itself is simply stunning. How does it get any better than this?

My top pick for a really great destination summer vacation, however, is the Mirror Lake Inn & Spa, itself voted the top resort in the Northeast by CN Traveler. The overall aesthetic checks all of the boxes, as if the estate were built for understated American royalty. It’s yesteryear-gorgeous-meets-2020. The View Restaurant offers an extraordinary AAA four diamond experience. With tennis, biking, a private beach, two heated pools and an afternoon tea, where does one even begin to plan the perfect day? Oh, I know: The full-service spa. Namaste, baby, Adirondacks style.

Bolton Landing: An Appreciation Of The Real Lake George

EXCLUSIVES / FEATURES
LUXURY / TRAVEL

Natalie Moore

May 21, 2019

Bolton Landing: An Appreciation Of The Real Lake George

My three favorite places in the world are my aunt’s house in Teaneck, NJ; Banff National Park in Alberta, Canada; and Norowal Marina in Bolton Landing, NY. Quite the eclectic mix, I know. The first two are my favorites for obvious reasons—I have family in Jersey, and Banff has some of the most beautiful views in North America. Norowal, though, I love because of what it stands for. Going there means I have a whole week of Lake George island camping fun in store. It means my dad will launch our 1989 Four Winns boat—so full of camping gear that I have to wedge myself into a seat—and we’ll jet off to Juanita Island, without a worry in the world (except for that one time he forgot to put the plug in the bottom of the boat).

Of course, we’ll have to return to shore at least a few times during our vacation, to pick up ice at Stewart’s, coffee at Bolton Beans and pizza at Palazzo’s; to play tennis at Rogers Park; and to poke around the shops in Downtown Bolton Landing: Happy Jacks, Indian Tepee Gift Shop and Lakeview Antiques. For a tourist destination, Bolton Landing is pleasantly un-touristy. Compared to the loud, crowded, mini-golf-course-every-quarter-mile, souvenir-shops-everywhere vibe of Lake George Village, just 15 minutes to the south, Bolton Landing is a professional relaxer’s paradise. The visitors walk slowly, there’s room to put your towel down on the beach and, then, of course, there’s The Sagamore Resort.

A far cry from the not-so-luxurious accommodations of Juanita (though the island does boast a composting toilet and platforms on which to set up your tent), The Sagamore is the crown jewel of Bolton Landing. Even if you’re not fortunate enough to stay there, it’s a rite of passage to at least go there for an unforgettable dinner on the edge of the lake or enjoy a blueberry mojito on the resort’s terrace.

And after you’re done basking in the serenity of a mansion in the best town on an island on the Queen of American Lakes, you’ve got to check out Norowal Marina—it has a cooler full of ice cream sandwiches and a cute dog that hangs out in the shade of its open-air office. The employees wear Crocs, and if you’re lucky, you’ll see a family of ducks swimming by the docks, looking for handouts. It’s nothing too fancy, but Norowal Marina is my version of paradise.

Summer’s Here And Boats By George Is Ready! Are You?

EXCLUSIVES / FEATURES

Special Promotional Section

May 21, 2019

Summer’s Here And Boats By George Is Ready! Are You?

For nearly four decades, Boats By George has been the go-to location for the biggest and best selection of new and pre-owned boats in the Capital Region and beyond. Family owned and operated since 1982, Boats By George proudly serves boat enthusiasts and first-time buyers, who are looking to make the most of a region that includes Lake George, Lake Champlain, Lake Placid, Saratoga Lake, Schroon Lake and all of the Adirondacks. This summer, the company knows exactly what its clients want: to get out on the water and catch some waves.

That’s why Boats By George is gearing up for a busy summer boating season by offering a new line of Axis Wake Research boats, as well as high-end Malibus, both of which are perfect for wakesurfing and a number of other watersports. “Wakesurfing is starting to really take off, not just in Lake George but around the country,” says Adam Pensel, a second-generation Sales Specialist at Boats By George. “Pretty much anybody can try it. It’s not an overly difficult sport, and it’s low speed—the boats are traveling at only 10 to 13 mph.”

New to wakesurfing? Boats designed for the sport have ballast tanks that weigh them down to generate larger waves in their wake, which wakesurfers then ride, sans towline, using a board similar to a surfboard. The sport is so hot right now that on June 24, Malibu Boats will be bringing its 2019 Just Ride Tour to one of Boats By George’s marinas. “We’re going to have professional riders, and people will be able to sign up to get a lesson in surfing and wakeboarding,” says Pensel. Interested parties who sign up on Boats By George’s website will also get to test pilot a brand-new 2019 Malibu Wakesetter.

Helping wakesurfers catch massive waves is just one of Boats By George’s specialties. “The boats we carry can accommodate all water sports,” says Pensel, including waterskiing, surfing and wakeboarding. “What makes us unique is the wide selection of products we offer to this sport and others,” says Pensel.

With two marinas on the gorgeous “Queen of American Lakes,” Lake George—plus a state-of-the-art service center in Fort Ann and showroom located right off of exit 20 on I-87—Boats By George should be your go-to spot for boating all summer long.

Saratogian Of The Month: Judy Harrigan

EXCLUSIVES / FEATURES

Richard Pérez-Feria

May 21, 2019

Who is that?” I whispered conspiratorially to my date at last year’s New York City Ballet Gala in advance of NYCB’s annual summer debut at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. “She’s fantastic!” And, in an instant, I found myself meeting and double-cheek air kissing the indefatigable, smiling force of nature known as Judy Harrigan.

As a Gotham transplant to Saratoga Springs mere months earlier, I could always spot a fellow restless Manhattanite and, boy, did I ever find myself a true-blue New Yorker in this Miss Judy. After three decades of head-turning professional accomplishments—as a marketing research and strategy specialist at Kraft General Foods and later at advertising agency titans Lintas, Ted Bates and J. Walter Thompson, the Latham native was ready to return to her Capital Region roots and came to Saratoga with the idea of winding down her career to focus on philanthropy and the arts. Well, not so fast. “I’ve continued to work from Saratoga with Fortune 500 clients on domestic and international research,” Harrigan says. “Everyone fails at something and for me it’s retirement.”

A board member at SPAC, the preternaturally happy Shaker High grad grew up in a family that celebrated adventure. “My family had an aviation business, which allowed me to fly solo at 16 and get my pilot’s license by the time I left for Cornell University,” Harrigan says. She followed that up with a PhD from SUNY Albany in Experimental Psychology, all the while becoming a certified scuba diver, solo skydiver and eventually joining a woman’s racing team in NYC sponsored by Nike. Constant movement is the norm for this dynamo.

When you meet Judy Harrigan for the first time she gives off a sophisticated yet casual air, exactly like the women actress Patricia Clarkson (HBO’s Sharp Objects) has made an award-winning career of portraying. In short, you want to be her friend. Happily, I convinced this asset to Saratoga to become mine. I still whisper to anyone within earshot when I see Judy Harrigan walk into the room: “Isn’t she fantastic?!”

From growing up in Latham to thriving in Manhattan, what’s been the biggest surprise on your incredible journey thus far?
The biggest surprise is that Manhattan is a series of Lathams. People in New York City identify with and are passionate about their neighborhoods. If asked where you live, you would never say Manhattan, but instead your neighborhood: the Upper West Side, the Village, Hell’s Kitchen, SoHo. I was a committed Upper Westsider for its then casual and a bit irreverent tone, brownstones and prewar architecture, Lincoln Center and half of Central Park.

Working for mega-watt advertising agencies Lintas, Ted Bates and J. Walter Thompson, how was your own Mad Men experience?
It was crazy intense and crazy fun! I worked on international accounts and new business pitches, which was adrenaline filled: numerous business trips to Europe, two out of three nights on overnight flights to/from London, taking the Concorde (a thrill for this private pilot) and more—so much more.

Paris, New York City, London and Saratoga: Describe each city you love with one word.
Paris: magical; New York City: exciting; London: absorbing; Saratoga: welcoming.

As a board member and an enthusiast, what do you think makes SPAC so special?
SPAC is magical, exciting, absorbing and welcoming. I remember in high school the incredible experience of sitting on the lawn at SPAC for the very first time. The performances were truly magnificent and reinforced my desire to more fully experience the arts and the broader world.

Why Live Nation Loves SPAC

CULTURE / ARTS
EXCLUSIVES / FEATURES

Jeff Dingler

May 21, 2019

Last June, I attended one of the greatest concerts of my life. The multiple Grammy Award-winning hip-hop artist Kendrick Lamar, who at the time had recently won a Pulitzer Prize, brought his tour to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), and I kind of lost my mind a little bit. My girlfriend had bought us tickets weeks beforehand—thank goodness, because I’ve never seen SPAC so crowded—and it turned into a night not just of great music, but also of outrageous fun.

This summer’s SPAC schedule is shaping up to be even more memorable. Pop hitmaker Cardi B is bringing her “Femme It Forward” tour to the amphitheater on May 26; Grammy-winning guitar icon Santana will be swinging through on August 23, just days after celebrating the 50th anniversary of Woodstock on the site of the original festival in Bethel, NY; and comedians Steve Martin and Martin Short will be bringing their two-man act through on September 13. And as always, New York City Ballet (NYCB) and The Philadelphia Orchestra will be returning to do their summer residencies in July and August, respectively, as they have done so since the mid 1960s.

Now, you might assume that the folks who book NYCB and The Philadelphia Orchestra—not to mention, stage the wildly popular Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival every summer—are the same ones who rein in all the top pop, hip-hop and rock acts at SPAC. That’s actually not the case. The organization that does the latter? Live Nation. Formed in 2005 and based in Beverly Hills, CA, Live Nation is one of the country’s preeminent events promoters, last year raking in $10.8 billion in revenue with a concert attendance total topping 93 million. “Although Saratoga’s not a very populous region, SPAC draws really big crowds,” says Jim Koplik, President of Live Nation Connecticut and Upstate New York. In fact, SPAC consistently ranks as one of Live Nation’s top-ten amphitheaters in the country. In part, Koplik credits the venue’s success to its unique design. “It’s a gorgeous amphitheater with a balcony and a beautiful setting—and part of the beauty of it is that nobody sits too far back or has a bad view,” he says. “I personally have never seen another amphitheater like that.”

SPAC might seem like small potatoes compared to other entertainment venues in New York State, but its attendance numbers are actually on par with those in medium- to large-sized markets. Koplik attributes this to the summer population explosion in Saratoga (i.e., racing season), and also to music fans coming over the borders from Vermont and Western Massachusetts. Of course, strong attendance equals massive ticket sales. “It’s one of the reasons we bring our top artists into Saratoga,” says Koplik, who’s responsible for four amphitheaters across two states. “For earnings, SPAC is the only one I’m in charge of that’s ranked in the top-tier amphitheaters at Live Nation.”

Koplik is no novice to the events promotion business, having worked in it for more than five decades (22 years of which he’s spent at Live Nation and its predecessor, Clear Channel Entertainment). He actually closed the original deal between SPAC and Clear Channel back in 2000, and it wasn’t his first trip to our neck of the woods: In 1990, Koplik booked the first-ever performance at Albany’s Times Union Center (then known as The Knickerbocker Arena). The show? Legendary crooner Frank Sinatra, who wasn’t feeling well but managed to still wow the adoring masses. Koplik has also produced top-shelf shows for The Rolling Stones, Madonna, Elton John and Paul McCartney; and needless to say, he’s a huge music fan himself, having caught more than his fair share of off-the-charts performances at SPAC. “For me, Bruce Springsteen, Farm Aid 2013 and three nights of Phish are my most memorable SPAC shows,” he says.

So what if Kendrick Lamar isn’t playing SPAC again this summer? (At least I think he isn’t.) Thanks to Live Nation, I’ll soon be checking even more artists off of my bucket list.

Back To The Future: Saratoga’s Drive-Ins

CULTURE / ARTS
EXCLUSIVES / FEATURES

Karen Bjornland

May 21, 2019

Back To The Future: Saratoga’s Drive-Ins

When I was a kid, the drive-in was a summertime treat. Curled up under an old blanket in the backseat of our cherry-red Buick Skylark, I was in heaven. Jammies and junk food, stars in the sky and a cool breeze floating through the rolled-down windows. What could be better? Spin the clock forward a bit, and I’m in the backseat again, steaming up my boyfriend’s Delta 88, like that Meat Loaf song “Paradise By The Dashboard Light.”

America’s outdoor movie theaters are disappearing, with only 348 still flickering. But in Saratoga Springs, we’re lucky. Films al fresco are as thick as a vanilla milkshake.

Three miles from Downtown Saratoga, we’ve got The Malta Drive-In Theatre, which first opened in 1949. And there are five more within 50 miles: the Glen Drive-In near Lake George; the Ozoner 29 Twin Drive-In in Broadalbin and El Rancho in Palatine Bridge to the west; Hathaway’s Drive-In Theatre in Rensselaer County and the Jericho Drive-In in Albany County.

I still love drive-ins. At my mainstay in Malta, I munch and snuggle under a ratty blanket—I just don’t hang out in the backseat anymore.

Make sure to check out the exclusive photo gallery above by saratoga living‘s Kyle Adams.

Opera Saratoga Lands The World Premiere Of ‘Ellen West’

CULTURE / ARTS
EXCLUSIVES / FEATURES

Sandy MacDonald

May 21, 2019

Opera Saratoga Lands The World Premiere Of ‘Ellen West’

One of the great perks of participating in New York City’s elite avocational choruses, as I’ve done for a decade, is the likelihood that, sooner or later, you’ll be singing backup for the superb soprano soloist Jennifer Zetlan. I’ve enjoyed the privilege several times at Carnegie Hall, and even on tour at the historic Teatro Solís in Montevideo, Uruguay. Zetlan is the kind of singer—heartfelt and hyper-skilled—that any true opera fan would gladly follow to the ends of the earth.

So I was thrilled to learn that Zetlan will be performing in composer Ricky Ian Gordon’s new chamber opera, Ellen West, premiering at Opera Saratoga’s summer festival, with performance dates of June 30, July 6 and July 12. Having also been in the chorus for two of Gordon’s recent operas, The Grapes Of Wrath (adapted from the famed John Steinbeck novel) and 27 (about the relationship between Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas), I have a good idea of the rich textual/aural treat in store for Saratogians.

In the opera, Zetlan stars as the titular Ellen West, a pseudonym used by Sigmund Freud protégé Dr. Ludwig Binswanger to describe a patient with a particularly challenging case of anorexia, and baritone Keith Phares portrays her physician. West’s tragic story—she poisoned herself at age 33—so captivated Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Frank Bidart, that he was compelled to write a poetic monologue delivered mostly in West’s voice. Bidart’s poem called out to Gordon. “I can’t read ‘Ellen West’ without having my heart broken,” Gordon confides. “I’ve taught in a lot of schools, and so many of these kids have eating disorders.” The idea of adapting the poem percolated for nearly two decades: “It sort of made its way into my subconscious,” says Gordon. “And then, in 2015, I thought, ‘It’s time.’” While overseeing adaptations of his operas across the country and composing several new ones (including adaptations of Lynn Nottage’s play Intimate Apparel for the Metropolitan Opera and Vittorio De Sica’s film The Garden Of The Finzi-Continis for New York City Opera), Gordon found himself motivated to “get up at five in the morning and work on Ellen West.”

For Opera Saratoga Artistic and General Director Lawrence Edelson, Gordon’s opera was love at first listen. In a dual role, Edelson is also founder and producing artistic director of New York’s City’s American Lyric Theater, an operatic incubator dedicated to developing original scores, putting him at the forefront of opera’s new frontier. He promptly co-commissioned the work with fellow impresario Beth Morrison and snagged the world premiere—quite a coup for the forward-looking Opera Saratoga and Edelson, whose mission includes forward-thinking community outreach.

Edelson sees Ellen West not only as an artistic statement, but also one that shines a light on the public health tragedy that is anorexia. “More than 20 million women and 10 million men in the US deal with some sort of eating disorder during their lifetime,” says Edelson. “Ellen West is the first opera to deal directly with these issues. Through this presentation and symposia, talk-backs, in-school programs and meet-the-artist sessions, Opera Saratoga will be able to introduce an important, moving and deeply relevant opera into the repertoire and promote greater public awareness, understanding and compassion toward those suffering from eating disorders, all while exploring how poetry and music can explore the human condition.”

While boldly innovating with productions such as Ellen West, Edelson is also committed to staging a menu of operas catering to all tastes. “My goal is to produce a diverse season that shows the breadth and depth of what opera can be,” he says. “We will always have at least one work from the standard repertoire, family-friendly works to introduce children to opera and, of course, something new.”

This summer’s lineup has something for all opera lovers. In addition to Ellen West, Opera Saratoga will be staging The Daughter Of The Regiment, Gaetano Donizetti’s comedic bel canto crowd-pleaser, directed by Edelson, and Engelbert Humperdinck’s Hansel And Gretel, featuring shadow puppetry by Chicago’s innovative Manual Cinema company and the voices of the Glens Falls Symphony Children’s Chorus. The festival will conclude with a one-night-only concert presentation of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Mozart And Salieri, complemented by a selection of arias composed by the rivals themselves.

As Ellen West via Frank Bidart muses, in this, the first operatic rendition of his award-winning body of work, “I love sweets—heaven would be dying on a bed of vanilla ice cream.” For Saratogians this summer, heaven will consist of hearing Jennifer Zetlan convey Ellen West’s torment, channeled through what Edelson describes as Gordon’s extraordinary gift for melody. “Ricky,” he raves, “writes music that goes right to the soul.” I can’t wait.

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