OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Trainer Rudy Rodriguez hopes all the talk about Brady this weekend won’t be limited to the Super Bowl.
On Saturday, Rodriguez will send out Not That Brady against six rivals in the Grade 3, $250,000 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct. At 1 1/8 miles, the Withers should be a good measure of a horse’s ability to get a distance of ground and whether or not to continue down the path to the Kentucky Derby, at 1 1/4 miles. The Withers offers 17 Derby qualifying points to its top four finishers (10-4-2-1).
Not That Brady, a gelding by 2008 Kentucky Derby winner Big Brown, has won twice at a mile, both times against New York-bred company.
“He seems like he can do it, but we got to see it,” Rodriguez said Wednesday at Aqueduct. “It’s a long stretch, the track’s deeper. The only good thing is he’s trained over the track and he’s run over the track already.”
Not That Brady has two wins and a second in three starts over Aqueduct’s main track. He is the only member of the seven-horse Withers field who trains daily at Aqueduct. Rodriguez noted that the track was very deep during training Wednesday, when the fastest five-furlong work of the morning was 1:04.73. Rodriguez was the only trainer to work horses on Wednesday at Aqueduct.
Reylu Gutierrez, the leading apprentice jockey at this meet, will retain the mount on Not That Brady, who drew post 7. As was the case for the Damon Runyon Stakes, Gutierrez will not get the five-pound weight allowance for the Withers.
Four of the seven runners in the Withers are shipping up from Florida. Lucky Lee, a winner of two one-mile races at Parx Racing who has been training at Palm Meadows; Admire, a winner of a 1 1/8-mile maiden race at Churchill Downs last November; and the Mark Casse-trained Our Braintrust and Sir Winston were entered.
Our Braintrust, second in the Jerome, is making his first start for Casse after the horse was purchased privately by Gary Barber. Jose Lezcano has the mount.
Sir Winston won the Display Stakes over Woodbine’s synthetic surface on Dec. 8. In his lone dirt try, he finished sixth in a five-furlong race at Churchill last June. Dylan Davis has picked up the mount.
Tax, third in the Remsen, drew the rail. He is followed by Sir Winston, Moretti, Admire, Lucky Lee, Our Braintrust, and Not That Brady.
The Withers will go as race 9 on a 10-race card that begins at 12:25 p.m. Eastern.
Temperatures may be dropping, but that won’t stop visitors from across the region turning up to Saratoga Chowderfest this Saturday, February 2. Now in its 21st year, Chowderfest will be packing Downtown Saratoga with hungry throngs from 11am-4pm. Attendees will have a broad choice of chowders to choose from, from savory to sweet, each for $1. Some of the county’s most popular restaurants—94 in all—will be busting out their 3-ounce sample cups and prepping ladles for the crowd, which is expected to reach 40,000 strong.
Event-goers will surely be heading over to old favorites such as the Thirsty Owl Bistro on South Broadway, which has won “Best Chowder” honors the past two years in a row and will be serving up a seafood chowder this year; and Downtown mainstay, Ben & Jerry’s, who’ll be feeding the masses with a “Phish” ice cream chowder.
After tasting as many chowders as they want to, patrons can cast votes on their favorites. Local chowder-makers will be up for a number of titles, including “People’s Choice,” “Best on Broadway” and “Best Newcomer.” Voting ends at 5pm and can be accomplished both online and in-person at the Saratoga Springs City Center or the Saratoga Springs Heritage Area Visitor Center.
As Chowderfest fans know from previous years, it’s an all-day affair. Farmers Hardware will be starting things off early by throwing a pre-party from 8:30-11am, and the Visitor Center will be hosting an exciting clam dig for prizes from 12-2pm. On Lake Avenue, kids can enjoy face painting, crafts, a bouncy-bounce and other games. And when night falls, head on over to Bailey’s Cafe, The Ice House or Putnam Place for drinks or to catch a live performance that will help nurse that chowder coma you’ll probably be in.
You already know how incredibly diverse this summer’s schedule is for the New York City Ballet and Philadelphia Orchestra at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC). Now, feast your eyes on Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival’s.
The 2019 Jazz Fest blows into Saratoga for two days—Saturday, June 29 and Sunday, June 30—and will feature a truly jaw-dropping roster of 22 musical groups across two stages at SPAC, including 15 jazz festival debuts and seven female-led ensembles. Headlining the festival will be famed American jazz guitarist George Benson, superstar singer-songwriter and pianist Norah Jones (Benson and Jones share 19 Grammy Awards between them) and fiery up-and-comers Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue.
Like past years, the lineup will also feature a lot of emerging acts making their festival debuts, including singer Kandace Springs, former Prince guitarist Donna Grantis and a band of Mardi Gras Indians called Cha Wa. Also at the 2019 festival will be a record number of groups led by female artists, highlighted by composer and powerhouse drummer Allison Miller, bebop and jazz vocalist Veronica Swift and blues singer and guitarist Ruthie Foster.
“This year’s festival will excite long-time jazz lovers, while also continuing SPAC’s expanded vision to bring innovative artists and legends that have never before graced our stage, including a record number of female-led groups,” says Elizabeth Sobol, President and CEO of SPAC. “Devoted Jazz Festival fans and lovers of great music are in for a completely unique experience this summer, enhanced by the incredible atmosphere and unmatched beauty of our natural park setting.”
Performances will begin on the Charles R. Wood “Jazz Discovery” Stage at 12pm Saturday and 11am Sunday, and on SPAC’s Amphitheater Stage at 2pm and 1pm, respectively. Also look out for the return of Freihofer’s Jazz Fest Friday, June 28. Added last year, Jazz Fest Friday is an annual collaboration between SPAC and Downtown Saratoga businesses to celebrate the region’s rich history of jazz. Expect loads of live jazz events, themed dining experiences and social dance options that will serve as the official kickoff to the 42nd Annual Jazz Fest.
Tickets will be available online at spac.org beginning on February 15 at 10am to the general public and February 4 at 10am to SPAC members. Check out the full lineup below.
Saturday, June 29
Amphitheater:
George Benson – Guitar legend and ten-time Grammy Award-winner George Benson will return for his first Freihofer’s Saratoga Jazz Festival performance in a decade. Having released an awe-inducing 36 studio albums over five decades, Benson is not just a veteran jazz musician but also a Jazz Fest veteran, having played a grand total of 11 times, including the first three jazz festivals from 1978-1980.
Los Van Van 50th Anniversary – Making their first appearance at SPAC in nearly 20 years is Grammy Award-winner Los Van Van. With a sound that’s supremely rhythmic and easily danceable, it’s no wonder Los Van Van has become one of the most popular and enduring bands in Cuban pop music history.
Kandace Springs – Known for her smoky, smooth vocals and expressive, jazz-lounge touch on the piano, jazz-fusion artist Kandace Springs will be making her SPAC debut at this year’s Jazz Fest.
James Carter Organ Trio – Impeccable virtuosity and high-energy solos is the best way to describe the James Carter Organ Trio. Consisting of Gerard Gibbs (organ), Alex White (drums) and soulful saxophone master James Carter as bandleader, this trio of top-notch musicians will have audiences dancing from the first song.
Mercy Project – Mercy is the 2013 debut album of pianist, composer, arranger and producer Jon Cowherd. Encompassing a suite of diverse compositions, Cowherd will perform the entirety of the album with his band Mercy Project, featuring Brian Blade (drums), John Patitucci (bass) and Steve Cardenas (guitar).
Donna Grantis – Canadian electric guitarist Donna Grantis is perhaps best know for her sensational and funky-bluesy guitar playing with the late pop icon Prince in two of his rock groups: 3RDEYEGIRL and New Power Generation. Grantis will be making her festival debut with an equally talented and versatile five-piece backing group.
Charles R. Wood “Jazz Discovery” Stage:
Antonio Sánchez& Migration – Antonio Sánchez is a musician of many talents. The Mexican-American jazz drummer and composer has worked with jazz luminaries such as Dizzy Gillespie, Chick Corea and Pat Metheny. Sànchez also composed the score for the 2014 Oscar-winning film, Birdman, which earned him Golden Globe and BAFTA Awards nominations.
Lionel Loueke and Raul Midón – Jazz pianist Herbie Hancock once described West African guitarist Lionel Loueke as a “musical painter.” An alumnus of Berklee College of Music andThelonious Monk Institute of Jazz in Los Angeles, Loueke got to work on Hancock’s seminal, Grammy Award-winning album, River: The Joni Letters. Since 2004, Loueke has released seven of his own albums, in addition to dozens of collaborations.
New Mexico-based singer-songwriter and Grammy-nominated guitarist Raul Midón, on the other hand, has also collaborated with Herbie Hancock and other music luminaries, including Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, Queen Latifah and Snoop Dogg. In addition to his collaborations, Midón has released 10 studio albums as a solo artist.
Veronica Swift with The Emmet Cohen Trio – She may be only 24, but Veronica Swift is already one of the top singers in contemporary jazz. Her first appearance at Jazz at Lincoln Center was at just age 11, and in 2015, she won second place at the distinguished Thelonious Monk Jazz Competition. Swift will make her festival debut with The Emmet Cohen Trio, which consists of three of jazz’s biggest rising stars: Emmet Cohen (piano), Kyle Poole (drums) and Russell Hall (bass).
Black Art Jazz Collective – Co-founded by Johnathan Blake (drums), Wayne Escoffery (saxophone) and Jeremy Pelt (trumpet), Black Art Jazz Collective brings together a talented ensemble of young musicians to celebrate African-American culture through music. Black Art Jazz Collective’s festival debut will also feature a collaboration with trombonist James Burton III, jazz pianist Xavier Davis, bassist Vicente Archer and drummer Carl Allen.
Joe Locke’s Subtle Disguise with Special Guest Raul Midón – A five-time recipient of the Jazz Journalists Association’s “Mallet Instrumentalist of the Year” Award, Joe Locke is indisputably a virtuoso on his instrument, the vibraphone. In 2016, Locke was inducted into the Music Hall of Fame in his hometown of Rochester. For his performance, Locke will be joined by singer-songwriter and guitarist Raul Midón.
Sunday, June 30
Amphitheater:
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue – New Orleans-based Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews is the bandleader and frontman of Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue. Andrews, a Grammy-nominated trombonist and trumpet player, has been recognized not only for his virtuosity on his instrument, but also for his deft blending of traditional New Orleans musical styles with rock, funk, soul and hip-hop.
Norah Jones – Having sold more than 50 million records worldwide, singer-songwriter and pianist Norah Jones hardly needs an introduction. Over her 20-year career, Jones has won nine Grammy Awards (including five for her 2002 solo debut, Away with Me) and was named the top jazz artist of the 2000-09 decade by Billboard. Jones’ performance on Sunday will mark her Jazz Fest debut.
Django Festival All-Stars with Special Guests Edmar Castañeda and Grace Kelly – Fans of the legendary Gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt are in for a treat with this concert of all-Django music reimagined for a contemporary jazz audience by The Django Festival All-Stars. This performance will mark the All-Stars’ second appearance at the Jazz Fest. They will be playing with Colombian harpist Edmar Castañeda and award-winning singer, saxophonist and songwriter Grace Kelly.
Joshua Redman Quartet with Aaron Goldberg, Reuben Rogers and Gregory Hutchinson – Two years after winning the Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition, composer and saxophonist Joshua Redman released his self-titled debut album, which earned him his first Grammy nomination (since then he’s garnered six more nominations). Redman has played with music legends across multiple genres including Dave Brubeck, The Dave Matthews Band, Yo-Yo Ma and Quincy Jones.
Joey DeFrancesco Trio featuring Billy Hart – Raised in Philadelphia, Joey DeFrancesco’s career with his vintage Hammond electric organ has earned him Grammy nominations and numerous Jazz Journalist Association awards. He was inducted into the Hammond Organ Hall of Fame in 2014 and the Philadelphia Music Walk of Fame in 2016. DeFrancesco will make his festival debut as bandleader in a performance featuring renowned jazz drummer and educator Billy Hart.
Charles R. Wood ‘Jazz Discovery’ Stage:
Ruthie Foster – Originally a gospel singer in church from the tiny town of Gause, TX, Ruthie Foster has gone on to have the kind of musical career that most contemporary blues musicians can only dream of. Seven Blues Music Awards and three Grammy nominations later, Foster will be making her jazz festival debut.
Allison Miller Boom Tic Boom Featuring Jenny Scheinman, Carmen Staaf, Kirk Knuffke, Ben Goldberg and Todd Sickafoose – Allison Miller Boom Tic Boom is an ensemble of talented musicians led by dynamo drummer and composer Allison Miller. The group will perform music from their newly released 2019 album, Glitter Wolf. Miller makes her festival debut alongside jazz violinist Jenny Scheinman, pianist Carmen Staaf, cornetist Kirk Knuffke, clarinetist Ben Goldberg and bassist Todd Sickafoose.
Cha Wa – Cha Wa is a New Orleans-based band composed of Mardi Gras Indians that play music steeped in funky beats and heavy bass (plus visceral vocals provided by J’Wan Boudreaux). Cha Wa was nominated this year for their first Grammy Award and will be making their Jazz Fest debut.
Youn Sun Nah – With her impressive vocal range and inventive style, South Korean jazz singer Youn Sun Nah has carved out a unique and successful niche for herself in the world of jazz. She released her debut album in 2001, and since then has signed with German label ACT and released seven studio albums, two of them gold records in France and Germany.
Joel Harrison’s Angel Band Featuring Jon Cowherd, Jaleel Shaw, Stephan Crump and Brian Blade – “Musical polyglot” might be the best way to describe Guggenheim fellow Joel Harrison. The guitarist, composer, educator, producer and singer-songwriter first began his musical journey in the early 1980s with stints in Boston and San Francisco’s Bay Area. Harrison’s most recent album, Angel Band, is an exploration of traditional country and Appalachian music played by an all-jazz ensemble. Harrison will make his festival debut with pianist Jon Cowherd, alto saxophonist Jaleel Shaw, bassist Stephan Crump and drummer Brian Blade.
Kansas Smitty’s House Band – The tight-knit and upbeat Kansas Smitty’s House Band has appeared at the Royal Albert Hall and Barbican Centre (both in London; that’s where they’re based), as well as at the Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall, per the request of Wynton Marsalis, conductor of Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra (JLCO). The main members of Kansas Smitty’s House Band are Saratoga Springs native Giacomo Smith (alto saxophone and clarinet), Pete Horsfall (trumpet and vocals), Adrian Cox (clarinet), Joe Webb (piano), David Archer (guitar), Ferg Ireland (double bass) and Will Cleasby (drums).
What better way to warm up in the middle of winter than with a warm cup of chowder? What about a few thousand? Be prepared for just that as Saratoga Chowderfest takes over Downtown Saratoga this Saturday, February 2 from 11am to 4pm. Now in its 21st year and hosted by Discover Saratoga, Chowderfest has become a Spa City tradition. Event-goers can purchase $1 sample cups of chowder from 94 participating restaurants, bars and other businesses (a new record), and the event is expected to draw up to 40,000 attendees. (That’s more than the entire population of Saratoga!)
“This is something you don’t want to miss,” Discover Saratoga President Darryl Leggieri tells saratoga living. “People travel from all over the region for the taste of chowder done right and to experience the excitement of Saratoga Springs.” Leggieri points out that with many local hotels offering special rates during Chowderfest, it’s easy to make a weekend out of the event.
From 8:30-11am there will be a pre-party celebration at Farmers Hardware Brunch Hall. Across the street from Congress Park, there will also be loads of family activities and fun at the Saratoga Heritage Area Visitor Center, including a simulated clam dig for prizes from 12-2pm. The festival officially starts at 11am and will feature, in addition to endless 3-ounce cups of chowder, live music and entertainment all day at various venues across Saratoga. Enjoy Chowderfest’s Daytime Dance Party at Saratoga City Tavern 12-5pm, games of corn hole and live music by Dan Sherwin at Prime at Saratoga National 11-4pm, and a free show of soul music at Embassy Suites 11-4pm by Saratoga’s music-man extraordinaire, Garland Nelson (check out the full schedule of events here). Plus, guests get to vote on their favorite type of chowder online or with a paper ballot at the Saratoga Springs Visiting Heritage Center (all voting ends at 5pm).
Even after all the votes have been counted and a winning chowder declared, there will still be lots of music and celebrating going on at Bailey’s Cafe and The Ice House until 8pm and at Putnam Place until 9pm. Just don’t eat too much chowder or you won’t be able to enjoy these others great events this weekend.
Fox Sports 2 has expanded its series of winter and spring racing broadcasts this year to 12 telecasts, up from six last year, with the first of the broadcasts airing this Saturday with a trio of Kentucky Derby prep races, according to an announcement from the network and its broadcast partners.
The 12 broadcasts this year will include 24 hours of live television from a total of six tracks, up from 17 hours for races at three tracks last year. The first broadcast, running 2 1/2 hours from 4-6:30 p.m. Eastern, will feature the Grade 3 Withers at Aqueduct, the Grade 2 Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park, and the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis Stakes at Santa Anita Park, all early Derby preps.
The expanded roster of live racing coverage is another step up for Fox Sports, which late last year announced a deal with the New York Racing Association to broadcast 500 hours of live racing from NYRA’s tracks this year and another 600 hours next year. The deals are challenging the primacy of NBC Sports for coverage of live racing events, though NBC retains the broadcast rights to the Triple Crown races and the Breeders’ Cup, both under long-term deals.
The broadcasts, which are being called “Fox Sports Saturday at the Races,” will be produced by NYRA and run through April 20, according to an announcement. The broadcast deal also includes as a partner The Stronach Group, which owns Gulfstream and Santa Anita, two tracks that host a handful of major Derby preps each along with other major races.
This year’s schedule also will include races for the first time from Oaklawn Park in Arkansas, Tampa Bay Downs in Florida, and Charles Town in West Virginia. Last year, the schedule was limited to races from Aqueduct, Gulfstream, and Santa Anita.
Broadcasts in March are tentatively scheduled to include live coverage of the Grade 1 Santa Anita Handicap, the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth, the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby, the Grade 2 San Felipe, and the Grade 3 Gotham, according to the announcement.
A broadcast on Feb. 18, Presidents Day, will feature three major races from Oaklawn – the Southwest, the Razorback, and the Bayakoa, all Grade 3 stakes.
The broadcast schedule concludes with a two-hour show on April 20 featuring the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic.
I still remember how starstruck I was by Saratoga Springs when I first moved here. The sheer number of legendary musicians who either hail from the area or who’ve passed through over the years is awe-inducing. It’s a surprisingly long list that includes everyone from Bob Dylan and Don McLean (both of whom played at Caffè Lena) to contemporary electro-rock duo Phantogram and grunge-pop princess Lana Del Rey (OK, she’s from Lake Placid, but close enough). There’s also a growing lineup of talented up-and-comers from Upstate New York, who are starting to leave their mark on the music industry, too.
It seems like every couple of months, I get starstruck all over again, and it just happened when I had the chance to interview singer and guitarist Moriah Formica, an über-talented local artist, who somewhat surprisingly, only recently graduated from high school. In addition to releasing her first EP, Bring ItOn!, in 2016, when she was just 16 years old, the Upstate New Yorker and rock vocal powerhouse also spent her junior year of high school competing on Season 13 of TheVoice, having the chance to be coached by pop megastar Miley Cyrus. Just this last December, Formica wrapped up her first US tour, during which she got to play two shows with pop-punk legend Joan Jett, as well as perform at the 2018 National Association of Music Merchants (NAMM) Show, the country’s largest music trade event. Formica did all of this while completing her high school education and just trying to lead a normal life (whenever her friends or family weren’t watching her on TV, that is).
Raised in Latham, Formica was inspired by music from an early age and credits her father for her love of hard rock. “I was five years old and watching ’80s music videos, bands like Skid Row and Bon Jovi and Aerosmith,” Formica says. “They all looked so cool, and I just wanted to be like them.” For her sixth birthday, Formica’s grandmother bought her a guitar, and soon Formica was practicing those popular rock riffs that had captured her imagination. “The guitar is definitely what got me into music,” she says. “I was so intrigued by it.” This love of guitar soon led to singing as well, and then, at the age of 11, to lessons with local voice instructor Lesley O’Donnell at Modern Day Music in Clifton Park. “I still see my vocal coach to this day because she’s just amazing,” says Formica.
Saratoga also played an important role in Formica’s musical upbringing. “I love Saratoga Springs,” she says. “I’ve played at Gaffney’s and Putnam [Place]. I also played one song at an open mic night at Caffè Lena when I was really young.” Formica’s first big break, however, came in 2017 when producers from the popular singing competition and reality series The Voice saw one of Formica’s videos on YouTube and asked her to audition. During her “blind audition,” Formica achieved what few singers have accomplished by getting all four celebrity coaches to turn their chairs around in the middle of her performance. With her gutsy guitar playing and gritty, powerful vocals (plus some invaluable guidance from celebrity coach Cyrus), Formica made it all the way to the end of the last playoff round. Though she may not have won The Voice, the show was a critical launching point for Formica’s musical career. About her experience on the show, she says: “It was very overwhelming, but in a good way most of the time. I did have a really hard time switching gears from career mode back to school mode—it almost felt like a double life. But as far as playing with Joan Jett and [rock band] Halestorm [this summer], that was overwhelming in the best way possible.”
For 2019, Formica has a new single coming out called “Take Me,” which she co-wrote with her 16-year-old brother Gabe. Formica says the new song was inspired by her brother’s love of pop music, and it might surprise fans who were expecting a rock anthem. “I’ve really just been focusing on trying to find a new sound that’s never been done before or hasn’t been done in a long time, at least,” says Formica. She’s also considering another EP or recording her first full-length studio album. She’s been meeting with songwriters in Nashville and New York City, including some that have written hits for big-name acts such as Carrie Underwood, Shinedown and Daughtry. “The fact that these writers want to work with me is a really humbling,” says Formica.
Fans of Formica will get a taste of that new sound when “Take Me” comes out later this winter. It may seem like a long wait, but there’s no shortage of Formica songs out there in cyberspace. Which reminds me, I’ve got some playlists to catch up on.
Interested in reading about another artist from the area who’s performed on The Voice? Read saratoga living‘s feature on Delaney Silvernell here.
I’d like to think that enjoying a good book or magazine feature about wine is as satisfying as drinking a bottle of it. And we can thank one man: André Jullien, who, about 150 years ago, invented wine writing as we know it.
Jullien was born in 1766 in the Loire Valley and moved to Paris at the age of 30 to enter the wine trade. It struck him that he’d need to know how to describe all the known wine regions and their wines in order to actually excel at the trade. Until then, wine writing concerned itself exclusively with the art of producing wine, not the art of tasting it. So in 1816, Jullien produced the world’s first classification of wine: Topographie de Tous les Vignobles Connus. At the time, it included types of Sherry, Madeira and Port (i.e. wines of French and German heritage only). So nothing from Italy or Spain. And certainly nothing from outside Europe.
After his death, Jullien’s sons carried on the business and published, in 1866, the alcoholic strengths of recent vintages. Be amazed at the alcohol on these Pinot Noirs from Burgundy: Corton 1858, 15.6 percent; Montrachet (the “t” is silent) 14.3 percent; and Volnay 1859, 14.9 percent. (This offers excellent ammunition to rebut criticism of over-alcoholic Californian Pinots.) Yet at the same time, the alcoholic strength of Bordeaux wines ranged from 11.3 percent for St-Emilion Supérieur to a puny 8.9 percent for Château Lafite.
The explanation for that Bordeaux’s weakness? At the time, the barrels of claret destined for the English market (i.e. most Bordeauxs) were boosted by the addition of 30 liters of Spanish wine, two liters of white grape juice and a bottle of brandy. They were then set to ferment again, maturing in wooden barrels and were eventually sold at a higher price. However, as one contemporary observer noted, “[the claret] was heavy, and not suitable for all stomachs.”
Wine Challenge: Take two bottles of Pinot Noir, one from the Finger Lakes, one from California, and compare and contrast alcohol levels, body, acidity and deliciousness.
As I write this, on my mother’s birthday no less (she’s 84 and fabulous, thanks for asking), I feel compelled to look up at the wall behind me in my home office to once again take in a striking, black-and-white photograph of my parents’ wedding day in Cuba watching over me. The beautifully framed, magazine-cover-worthy image is stunning—they look like Rock Hudson and Doris Day in Havana—and it reflects the unabashed joy their four children have aspired to find in a partner for themselves. Manuel and Addy Pérez-Feria recently celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary and still clearly exude that transcendent, palpable happiness you can only have when you find your true soul mate. Mom and Dad are quite the example of what a great marriage and romantic partnership can really look like. And how.
Not coincidentally, my parents’ ridiculously blissful journey, I believe, is the reason that the very concept of marriage has always been a bit opaque for me to fully embrace. Now, to be clear, the reception after the ceremony? Oh, yeah; I’m all in—I do love a messy party! But the tedious, ritualistic, archaic submission the actual ceremony accentuates has always struck me as so not for me. Not even a little. But being the gregarious, outgoing fellow I purport to be, who’s been genuinely blessed with literally hundreds of dear friends in my well-traveled life, I’ve found myself invited to countless weddings over my post-college years. I’ve witnessed, with varying degrees of laughter and tears, as my friends have embarked on their next adventure with their beloveds in myriad settings, including elopements in Vegas, extravagant nuptials in Sydney, beach affairs in Cabo and, yes, City Halls in San Francisco, Miami and New York City. I’ve been present for so much love that when I’m in a darkened movie theater watching the likes of Julia Roberts or Jennifer Lopez in their latest romantic opus, I realize that I do believe in love and in happy endings. Luckily and, in some ways unbelievably, I, too, have found my happily ever after. Gratitude doesn’t begin to cover my good fortune.
My brother, clearly a late bloomer, after a lifetime of searching, finally met his better half a few years ago and is now engaged to be married for the first time. I can’t tell you how excited all of us are for the jubilant couple (she’s easily the very best thing that has ever happened to him). And as I follow their trek toward their pending nuptials, I start imagining the actual ceremony and how deliriously overjoyed that room will be, and I remind myself that kindness and laughter are what our parents taught us so well by example.
If the day ever comes that I agree to actually get married, I’ll do it with the knowledge that, when it comes to a forever love, I had the best role models of them all. So, with that, I say “thank you” to these wonderful, silly, caring people, Manuel and Addy Pérez-Feria, for showing me—and everyone they love—what marriage can and should be.
Love is in the air, people. Can you feel it? Something borrowed, indeed.
As a Syrian American, I’m familiar with what many Syrians joke is the traditional Arab wedding mantra: “Go big or go home.” Last November, I was lucky to attend a beautiful Palestinian wedding reception that lived up to this expectation, with its delicious halal buffet, catchy Arabic tunes that got everybody (except my dad, despite his friends’ best efforts) out on the dancefloor and a performance by a group of professional dabke dancers, who did a traditional Arab dance and invited the event’s bravest attendees to jump in (I watched from the sidelines). On the drive home, I listened to my parents reminisce about their own wedding, which was far from traditional: They had an intimate religious ceremony with their siblings’ families as witnesses, followed by a secular multicultural reception where, legend has it, my American mother got my Syrian father to dance the “Electric Slide” for the first time.
The way I see it, a couple’s wedding should reflect their own personal wishes for their own special day. Reverend Joy Burke, an interfaith minister based in Saratoga Springs, agrees, having officiated around 1000 personalized weddings (she even offers the front room of her house—a former church—as an elegant venue for couples wanting an intimate, classy elopement ceremony). Anne and Michael Payette, who live about an hour west of Saratoga in Montgomery County, eloped on February 27, 2016, and chose Reverend Burke’s home as their venue because of its “close to home” feel. “It wasn’t the first marriage for either of us, and we strongly felt that it was important to focus on the meaning of the day, between the two of us, rather than the distraction of having a larger wedding,” Anne says. “We wanted to experience the moment in our way, in our time and be able to focus on each other first and foremost.” True to their vision, the Payettes’ wedding was made even more special by the presence of their grown children, who served as their witnesses. Afterward, the couple celebrated with a photoshoot in Congress Park and an intimate dinner gathering in their hotel suite, complete with cake and champagne (served in custom-made champagne flutes). They’re planning on renewing their vows in the future, in the same way.
It turns out that Reverend Burke has also officiated at a rock star elopement (yes, there is such a thing). When Susan Gabrels and her husband Reeves, who’s a guitarist in the British rock band The Cure and was David Bowie’s guitarist for more than a decade, chose to get married in Burke’s front room, they’d already been together for 12 years. Their elopement took place on January 28, 2018, and was an equally personal and family-oriented event, with Susan’s daughter, son-in-law and brother serving as witnesses (Saratoga is an important place in Susan’s family history, because her relatives lived in nearby Stillwater for three generations before relocating to Troy, where she and Reeves now reside). “It felt like we were going somewhere special but close to home,” Susan says. Eloping also eased the burden of scheduling a wedding amidst their busy social schedules and work obligations—and eliminated the logistical nightmare of having friends and relatives travel from all over the world to attend their impending nuptials. (Susan affectionately calls their elopement a “manageable, meaningful minimum.”) To complement their small ceremony, the Gabrelses traveled to New York City, Georgia, South Carolina and as far off as England throughout 2018 to celebrate with different groups of friends. Their first post-wedding celebration was an English High Tea at The Adelphi Hotel, complete with traditional sandwiches, desserts and champagne. I can’t think of anything more British, rock ’n’ roll or Saratoga. Manageable, meaningful minimum indeed.
After you’re done with the perfect “I do’s” and the last of the beer cans have come untied from the back of the rented Bentley, you need to say “I don’t” to the everyday, clichéd, destination beach honeymoon and say “Yes, please” to the wonder that is Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve resort that’s a 40-minute drive from San Juan, Puerto Rico’s picturesque capital city. If you want everything you could hope for (and who doesn’t want that?) in a beach vacation, Dorado Beach is the perfect honeymoon spot for you.
Let’s count the ways: Muay Thai stretching massage in a treehouse spa? Yep. A Natura Bisse age rewind facial extraordinaire, administered in an all-glass pavilion dropped into a curated and protected tropical sanctuary? Uh-huh. Windsurfing, biking, kayaking or a Tournaments Player Club round of golf? Definitely. And any other fantastical whim on your must-do list can be arranged with a mere press of a button. I mean, “perfection” is the word that comes to mind.
Where to begin our honeymoon? How about sipping a handmade cocktail and squishing some pink-white sand between our toes? I know, right? Dorado Beach is a dream fulfilled, largely because its overseer of distinction, The Ritz-Carlton Reserve, is six-star in mindset, and the resort was inhabited by one of the members of the legendary Rockefeller family—after all, they wrote the book on finery. But this crown jewel of Puerto Rico has always had one goal: formal, world-class hospitality served up in the most relaxed way. It’s so special, so necessary even, that you’ll thank me for a lifetime for recommending this corner of the planet.
Once you peruse the hotel’s amazing, over-the-top amenities, onsite estate excursions and aquatic thrills, you’ll quickly find that you may be tempted from your planned relaxation by the resort’s many sporty, thrill-seeking, Arnold-Palmer-meets-Serena-Williams, meets-Jacques-Cousteau offerings. I spent the five most glorious days of my life at Dorado Beach, and I’m simply still not over it. Such a perfect (there’s that word again) vacation spot. And, remember, Puerto Rico is a US destination, but every single aspect of it is otherworldy. The nature reserve is a marvel to behold, the jaw-dropping private beaches have underwater stone walls…I mean, everywhere you look, you just whisper to yourself, “Wow.”
From the moment your driver pulls up to the imposing, gated entrance, your honeymoon game is on! You will be coming back to Dorado Beach. That, I can guarantee.
Saturday, June 29
