OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Not in Charge looks to bounce back from the worst finish of his career when he runs Thursday in a second-level allowance/optional $62,500 claimer scheduled for 1 3/8 miles over Aqueduct’s inner turf course.
Not in Charge finished seventh, beaten 17 lengths by Hello Don Julio in the $100,000 Laurel Turf Cup on Sept. 22. Hello Don Julio came back to win the Point of Entry Stakes here in his next start.
“It was a bog that day,” trainer Alan Goldberg said when asked what went awry for Not in Charge in the Laurel Turf Cup.
Goldberg is hoping for better ground Thursday at Aqueduct for Not in Charge, who before the Laurel Turf Cup won a first-level allowance at Laurel by four lengths going 1 1/4 miles. Prior to that, he had run well, but not well enough, in three starter allowance races at Belmont going shorter.
“The further the better,” Goldberg said.
Not in Charge will face a familiar rival in Sentry, trained by Shug McGaughey. In May, Not in Charge nosed out Sentry for second in a starter race going 1 1/16 miles. In June, Sentry finished 2 1/4 lengths clear of Not in Charge when the two finished behind Carrick, who two starts later would win the Grade 1 Secretariat Stakes at Arlington.
Sentry won a starter allowance at Saratoga in August. He then came back to run fifth in a first-level allowance going 1 1/4 miles over yielding ground at Belmont.
“I was disappointed in the way he ran the last time, but he’s been training good, seems to be good and sound,” trainer Shug McGaughey said. “We’ll see what happens. I think he would like firmer better.”
Both Not in Charge and Sentry will likely have to catch Krewe Chief, who has shown more speed since trainer Mike Maker added blinkers three starts back.
KEY CONTENDERS
Not in Charge, by Lemon Drop Kid
Last 3 Beyers: 75-82-79
◗ Has earned his top three speed figures running 1 1/4 miles or farther and drops back into allowance company after a disappointing stakes try last out.
◗ Goldberg noted that another horse of his who ran poorly over Laurel’s boggy turf course the same day Not in Charge raced came back to win her next start.
◗ Goldberg has won with four of his last eight starters, including first-timer The Right Path here last weekend.
Sentry, by Smart Strike
Last 3 Beyers: 81-84-83
◗ One of his two wins came at Aqueduct, though it was for maiden $40,000 claiming this spring.
◗ Has enough speed to lay close to what looks to be a slow pace.
Krewe Chief, by Parading
Last 3 Beyers: 91-72-NA
◗ Finished third in a similar spot going nine furlongs last out.
◗ Could play out as the primary speed under Jose Ortiz.
Mr Maybe, by Ghostzapper
Last 3 Beyers: 83-89-88
◗ Won the 2015 Red Smith Handicap here before dropping into the claiming ranks.
New York racing resumes a five-day schedule Wednesday at Aqueduct that will continue through the end of the month before the track cuts back to fewer days in December. The nine-race card includes two first-level allowance races for fillies and mares – a New York-bred turf sprint and a 1 1/8-mile open event.
Jockey Luis Saez comes into the program three wins shy of 2,000 career victories and seems poised to move closer to the milestone. He is scheduled to ride in six races and has live mounts for trainers Brad Cox, Bill Mott, and John Terranova. If race 4 comes off the turf, he’ll have a seventh mount on main-track-only entrant Missle Bomb, who would be favored for trainer Joe Sharp.
Saez, 26, is having another excellent year and has won Grade 1 races on Promises Fulfilled, Hi Happy, and Magnum Moon. He has already surpassed 200 wins for the fourth straight season.
A native of Panama, Saez came to the United States in 2009 and began riding in South Florida. He has won the last two riding titles at the Gulfstream Park Championship meet.
In race 8 on Wednesday, a six-furlong turf sprint for statebred fillies and mares, Saez will be aboard Mama Mary for Sharp. Mama Mary comes into the race off a three-length off-the-turf maiden victory and is one of a handful of horses with a chance in a wide-open event.
Six of the 10 horses in the body of the race and two also-eligibles come out of the same six-furlong grass race on Oct 6. Run over a good course, that race slowed down through a 13-second final furlong with the late-runners Saratoga Treasure and Spa Treatment finishing first and second at 6-1 and 13-1. Spa Treatment has post 9 on Wednesday for trainer Tom Albertrani.
Something Joyful was sent off the 2-1 favorite but was bumped at the start and was second to last away from the gate. She was forced to move early, was fanned wide, lacked the needed rally, and finished sixth. She has a right to improve Wednesday for trainer Jeremiah Englehart.
Hollywood Cat, the 5-2 second choice, ran a solid race for trainer Jason Servis to make the lead from just off the pace but was outfinished by the two deep closers.
Late-running Dream Passage has finished second at this level in her last two starts and won a $50,000 starter race for Cox.
In race 2, a 1 1/8-mile allowance with a five-horse field, Tigalalu appears to be the lone speed for Mark Hennig, who will add blinkers to the lightly raced daughter of Curlin’s equipment. She finished third in her first two tries at nine furlongs, but her jockey, Jose Ortiz, will likely be able to control the tempo of this race.
Trainer Mike Maker tried Naples Legacy on turf in her last start but returns her Wednesday to the main track, where she has run her best races. A $40,000 claim three starts ago at Saratoga, she has tactical speed and may get first run at Tigalalu.
I wake up to an orange glow and a knock on my tent door, if, indeed, one can actually “knock” on nylon. “Black tea?” I hear a voice ask. I quickly pull my knit hat up from over my eyes and unzip the door. “Yes, thank you,” I say, though, if I’m being honest, I don’t really like tea that doesn’t come in a bottle labeled “Snapple.” My tent-mate, Emma, wakes up too, and we sip on our teas together—surprisingly, it tastes amazing—and put off leaving the warmth (though “warmth” is a relative term) of our small orange dome for a short while longer. “OK, get up,” someone from the outside world says, a command we would come to hear regularly throughout the next few days, though the matter-of-fact tone in which it’s said—not irritably, not bossily—combined with the fact that all 22 of us wanted to “get up” exactly the same amount (not at all), made it more humorous than off-putting.
We emerge from our tent onto a valley floor. Our gazes rise up the valley walls to the snow-capped peaks surrounding us. A line of 20 or so ponies stand off to the side of our campsite, weighed down with bags and bundles of camping gear, and tired-looking college students emerge from a dozen or so other orange tents that are set up along our small grassy patch of ground. We cross a tiny stream that is starting to freeze around the edges and duck into a long, blue tent with a table and chairs inside. Breakfast.
OK, I admit it. This isn’t exactly the definition of “glamping” (glamorous camping). There was no king-sized bed in our tent, no luxury bathhouse across the valley floor, no space heater for when the temperature dropped below freezing. Then again, how many luxury glamping experiences can boast a different landscape every night for four nights, or a well-earned view from 16,000 feet? This trip was in a class all its own, and therefore, deserves a name all its own: “glampacking” (glamorous backpacking).
One of the four campsites on the trek through the Himalayas. (Natalie Moore)
To back things up a little bit, this all happened the summer before my junior year of college. I had signed up (much to my mom’s alarm) for a faculty-led summer academic study trip to Ladakh, a region in northern India bordering Tibet, that included a week at the Students’ Educational and Cultural Movement of Ladakh (SECMOL), an alternative, eco-friendly school in the Indus Valley near Leh, in the Ladakh district, and a week trekking in the Indian Himalayas with Rimo Expeditions, which leads trips throughout the Himalayan and Karakorum Mountains. The trek was the main reason I signed up, and I expected it to be like the overnight backpacking trips I had taken with my dad: carrying 30-plus pound packs, eating ramen noodles cooked over the Svea camp stove my dad got when he was a Boy Scout in the ’60s and figuring out how to set up our tent, which we used only a few times a year. Turns out, I was a little off.
When our group got to the first campsite, after a long, treacherous bus ride and week spent at SECMOL, which only served vegetarian meals cooked with a solar-powered oven, we weren’t in great spirits. But upon walking into the “dining tent” (Seriously? This was high class!) and finding french fries, we perked right up. Throughout the five days we spent with Rimo Expeditions, which, besides arranging treks leads mountaineering, mountain biking and rafting trips, we ate well: chicken stir-fry, tomato soup and even a cake on our last night of the trek. (How they baked a cake in the middle of the Himalayas is beyond me.) Our bags and tents were carried by the ponies, who, along with a group of guides (including a few Sherpas), left camp early, dropped our lunch at a predetermined spot and set up our next campsite before we arrived.
Backpacking surely isn’t everyone’s idea of a perfect vacation—there’s certainly very little relaxing (unless one of your fellow hikers leads a group meditation session upon arriving at your campsite). But nothing beats the feeling of standing at the top of a mountain pass, one that very few people have ever stood on, knowing there’s a hot meal—that you don’t have to cook yourself—waiting for you at camp.
I went on the media tour of The Adelphi Hotel when it first reopened last fall. I wasn’t living in Saratoga Springs yet, and didn’t remember the historic building before it was a giant heap of tarps and construction equipment. I knew Saratoga was a luxury destination, what with all the spas and famous people who attended Saratoga Race Course, but it wasn’t until I stepped into the bathroom of the hotel’s Travers Suite that I realized just how luxe Saratoga really was. There I was, in the most beautiful bathroom I’d ever seen, in the most beautiful building I’d ever been in, looking at a heated towel rack. I needed it. I had to have it.
Since marveling at that Adelphi bathroom (it also had heated floors and mirrors to prevent fogging, not to mention a shower that could fit most of The Rockettes), I’ve been treated to much more of the opulence Saratoga has to offer: the to-die-for filet mignon at Salt & Char, sabering a bottle of Veuve Clicquot at the Saratoga Senior Center’s annual Music & Mingling event, a day in the Executive Box at the track and seeing multimillion-dollar Bugattis at the Saratoga Wine & Food Festival. And I’m only just getting started. Here’s a guide to some of the most luxurious, lavish and lust-worthy amenities in and around Saratoga.
Since reopening in 2017, The Adelphi Hotel has raised the bar for luxury in Saratoga Springs. (Greg Ceo)
Hotels
It’s only right that I should kick things off where my luxury Saratoga journey began: The Adelphi Hotel. The historic hotel recently got a miraculous facelift (hey, after 140 years, it was time) and officially reopened on October 1, 2017. Now, besides its otherworldly bathrooms, it boasts 32 luxury rooms and suites, a giant terrace overlooking Broadway, a grand ballroom for events, a public garden (in season) and three high-end restaurants: The Blue Hen, Morrissey’s at The Adelphi Hotel and Salt & Char.
The only thing more luxe than The Sagamore Resort is its prime location on Green Island in Lake George.
I’ve never actually stayed at The Sagamore Resort, but I’ve boated by, walked through and dined there enough to know it’s the real deal. From its perch on Green Island in Bolton Landing, the grand white hotel faces south down Lake George, with plenty of indoor and outdoor dining (eight bars and restaurants), lounging (poolside and lakeside) and playing (tennis, golf, croquet) opportunities for couples and families alike. There are many options for accommodations, but if you’re going all in, opt for Wapanak Castle, a 2000-square-foot, 6-bedroom, 4-bathroom home located right on the lake.
Speaking of castles, The Inn at Erlowest (see above), a Queen Anne-style stone castle that was formerly a private residence, is another premier lodging location overlooking Lake George. It was built by Mr. Edward Morse Shepard in 1898 as part of Millionaires’ Row, and now houses ten luxury guest suites, including the crown jewel, the Montcalm Suite, which has a jacuzzi, fireplace and private balcony (I’m sold). A farm-fresh breakfast is included with your stay, and the dining room, with its à la carte and lighter fare menus, is also open for dinner.
UPstairs at 43 Phila is the seasonal finer dining option above R&R Kitchen and Bar. (Sharon Castro)
Restaurants
My favorite restaurant in Saratoga (though it’s nearly impossible to choose just one) is R&R Kitchen and Bar. So it kills me that I haven’t yet made it to UPstairs at 43 Phila, the even finer dining option above R&R that’s also headed by the über-talented Chef Brian Bowden. The diverse menu includes delicacies such as Jumbo Lump Crab & Risotto, Dry Aged Center Cut Prime Strip Steak and Yellowfin Tuna (which I tried as a special at R&R, and let me say: O-M-G). Be sure to visit during the summer months, though, as it’s closed in the off-season except for private dinner parties and events.
Osteria Danny is as close to Italy as it gets in Saratoga County. (Jacob Weakland)
It’s next to impossible to capture that mom-and-pop feel while also serving up a luxury this-could-be-Italy culinary experience. But Danny and Patti Petrosino do it beautifully at Osteria Danny, their small, always-packed restaurant on Henry Street. With Chef Danny Petrosino holding down the kitchen (my personal fave is Shrimp The Way My Father Liked) and his rock-n-roll wife, Patti, manning the front-of-house (greeting even first-timers like old friends), Osteria Danny is a gift from food heaven.
Seafood is flown in fresh daily to 15 Church.
Walking by 15 Church at dusk on a mid-summer Saturday night gives you that feeling that you’re missing out on something remarkable. The dimly lit interior exudes romance, and the buzz of voices coming from The Patio truly makes you want to be in there drinking a Blood Orange Margarita and snacking on one of Chef Michael Mastrantuono’s Tuna Tartare Tacos instead of out here walking down Church Street.
Saratoga National is absolutely gorgeous, especially when viewed from the patio of Prime, the golf course’s resident fine-dining restaurant.
Activities
I’m generally pretty athletic, but I honestly can’t hit a golf ball: I’ve tried. No matter. I’m considering taking up golf just so I can play a round at Saratoga National. The course, just past the Northway overpass on Union Avenue, is absolutely gorgeous, and even more so when viewed from the expansive patio of Prime, Saratoga National’s resident fine-dining restaurant (and perch of Executive Chef Jason Saunders), which overlooks all 18 holes.
Saratoga’s more exclusive sporting option is the Saratoga Golf & Polo Club, a family-oriented, member-owned private club founded in 1896. The club’s amenities include its original Victorian-era nine-hole golf course; lawn, clay and hardcourt tennis facilities; the 1914 Club house; and a full-service pool and cabana with a wading pool.
Adirondack Balloon Flights offers romantic private flights with views of Lake George, the Adirondacks and the Green Mountains.
If you’re looking to get away from the links—and Earth entirely, for that matter—request a romantic private flight for two with Adirondack Balloon Flights. (You’ll have to wait until spring, though—the ballooning season runs April through October.) The one-hour ride covers about ten miles, with views of the Adirondack Mountains, Lake George, the Saratoga region and Vermont’s Green Mountains.
Spas/Beauty
Complexions Spa For Beauty And Wellness does it all. As Saratoga’s go-to luxury spa for anything from a mani-pedi to skincare enhancements, Complexions specializes in rejuvenating the body, strengthening the spirit and eliminating daily stresses. Just thinking about its suite of therapeutic body treatments, herbal baths and aromatherapy massages makes me say “Ahh…”
Mary Martin & Company is the only spa in Saratoga with the amazing Polychromatic Light Therapy System from POLY.
Need a med spa, stat? Hop over to one of Mary Martin & Company’s three locations throughout Saratoga. The day spa specializes in anti-aging procedures, including laser treatments, skin-tightening and light therapy. And it’s the only spa in Saratoga that has the amazing Polychromatic Light Therapy System (POLY), which provides proven light treatment for a variety of conditions, including anti-aging.
Classical Concepts Salon Spa is one of only two Aveda Lifestyle Salon and Spas in the city of Saratoga (Fresh & Co. Salon—also a must-visit—is the other), so you know your experience is going to be top-notch. Classical Concepts offers full hair and nail care, facials, waxing, massage and body treatments from its convenient spot right on Broadway in Downtown Saratoga.
Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, and the key to a spectacular dinner is being as organized as possible. Do as much in advance as you can so that on the day of, you need only focus on your food preparation and service. This is one of the most anticipated holidays of the year and it comes with the most preparation and plenty of guests. But with a little forethought and planning, both you and your guests will enjoy a fabulous feast.
Start getting ready a week in advance. Think about the colors and flowers you’d like to use to decorate the table. When it comes to table-setting, you don’t want to be running around at the last minute. A couple of days beforehand, make sure your table linens are ironed, the silver’s polished and the place cards are made. Also set out your china, crystal, serving pieces and utensils, and make sure you have enough for your guest count. To help you keep track, use Post-it Notes to mark what each platter will be used for, so there’s no scrambling when the dishes are ready to come out of the oven. (Also, compare your serving pieces to your menu, so there are no surprises on the day of.) Most importantly, set your table the night before, so all you have to worry about on Thanksgiving Day is the food!
Cowie says to think about your Thanksgiving dinner table-setting a week in advance and to set the table the night before the big day.
Now, while you could serve any number of delicious soups, salads, side dishes and desserts at your Thanksgiving feast, the main attraction (and source of anxiety) is the turkey. The true secret to a magnificently moist bird? Cover it with cheesecloth before putting it in the oven and baste it every 20 minutes. Make sure the cheesecloth doesn’t get stuck to the skin of the bird (you’ll remove the it for the last 45 minutes, so the turkey turns a beautiful, golden brown). You can save yourself some time the day of Thanksgiving by slicing and dicing the ingredients for stuffing beforehand, but never, ever stuff the bird until the day of.
And what’s Thanksgiving without fabulous cocktails? This holiday is perfect for warm spiced cider. It can also be served chilled in a martini glass, garnished with a cinnamon stick and spiked with rum or brandy! This is more preparation you can take care of beforehand, since the cider can be stored in the fridge for up to three days.
I’ve met my fair share of local celebrities—local canine celebrities, that is. First there was Jackson, the five-time Adirondack 46er I hiked Mount Marcy with and wrote about
in saratoga living’s “The Best Of Everything” issue. Then there was Bluff, who frequents the amazing @saratogadogwalkers Instagram account, and was featured with his owner, Tim Pink—the Saratoga Dog Walker—in our “20th Anniversary” Issue. Now I have another prominent pup to add to my list: Lucky Charms, the star of the recently published children’s book Lucky’s Adventure In Saratoga.
Author Elizabeth Macy with her dog, Lucky Charms.
Lucky is a tiny, timid, three-year-old Yorkie-Affenpinscher mix, who, when I met her, was wearing a black-and-pink tutu with the title of her new book on it. The book, written by Lucky’s owner, Elizabeth Macy, a Saratoga native, and illustrated by Jenn Kocsmiersky, a Malta resident, is a fictional tale based on the true story of Lucky getting lost in November 2016. Of course, Macy has no way of knowing what exactly Lucky did while away from home for four days, but her book offers a guess, fantastical though it may sound. In the book, which was published by Saratoga Springs Publishing, Lucky breaks out of her collar and goes on a journey around town, meeting new animal friends and stopping at iconic Saratoga landmarks, such as the Saratoga Spa State Park, Saratoga Race Course and Saratoga Lake.
Though what happens in the book and the true story on which it’s based may differ (Lucky didn’t really get picked up by her animal friends in the Saratoga Visitors Trolley and brought home), “The book has the same sense of community as the real story,” Macy says. “Friends, neighbors and strangers were looking for Lucky. There were Facebook posts and shares, and people were out walking and driving around looking for her. And in the book, her doggie friends are looking for her.” Indeed, one of the most adorable pages of the book shows a slew of neighborhood pups holding “Lost Dog” signs in their mouths.
Lucky’s Adventure In Saratoga can be purchased locally at Impressions of Saratoga (another stop on Lucky’s journey) and Northshire Bookstore, among other places, and a percentage of the book’s sales is being donated to local animal shelters. “Lucky’s a rescue dog, so it’s important for us to give back to the rescues,” Macy says. Lucky hasn’t gone on tour around Saratoga since the first time—“She likes to stay by her momma,” Macy says—but another fictional adventure may be in the works. As the unofficial No.1 fan of the dogs of Saratoga, I’d sure like to tag along.
Several years ago, I interviewed Earl G. “Ken” Kendrick, Jr., Managing General Partner
of the Major League Baseball team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. I wasn’t talking to him about the state of his ballclub, but rather that of his baseball card collection, one of the foremost (and priciest) in the world. Whereas normal collectors like me try to track down single cards of our favorite players (I recently landed a Topps rookie card of Boston Red Sox star, Mookie Betts, for $40), Kendrick is looking to put together a unique collection of the rarest and highest-graded cards in hobby history, as mapped out in Joe Orlando’s book, Collecting Sports Legends: The Ultimate Hobby Guide. (Orlando is currently the President of Professional Sports Authenticator, or PSA, which grades millions of cards per year, and is seen as the hobby’s gold standard as far as card grading is concerned.)
Whereas I have thousands of cards in my collection, Kendrick’s only searching for 20, and he has quite a few of them at the moment. Probably the toughest card to find is his lone copy of the 1909-11 T206 Honus Wagner tobacco card, graded by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) an 8 out of 10, Near Mint-Mint, for which Kendrick paid a staggering $2.8 million in 2007. As the legend goes, Wagner, who was not a fan of the tobacco company/advertiser shilling its wares to the children of the day—baseball cards were inserted into cigarette packs to get kids collecting and annoying their parents to buy more packs (i.e. get hooked)—he had the company pull his card early on in production. To that end, just a handful of the Wagner exist in the hobby today, and they command astronomical prices at auction.
Up until recently, the Wagner’s been the most sought-after card among top-tier collectors in the hobby, and Kendrick’s PSA 8 has been nothing short of a hobby icon (it was once “torn up” and put back together by famed Las Vegas magician, David Copperfield, on live TV; and co-owned by National Hockey League great Wayne Gretzky). As of April, that’s no longer the case.
The 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle, graded Mint by PSA, which sold for $2.88 million back in April by Heritage Auction. (Heritage Auctions, HA.com)
As luck would have it, Kendrick also owns one of the three known PSA Gem-Mint 10 examples of the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card—the new holy grail for card collectors. (A second is owned by Denver-based lawyer and high-end memorabilia collector, Marshall Fogel; while it’s unclear who owns the third.) Although it isn’t quite as scarce as the Wagner, it’s still a rarity due to its poor, late-season sales in the early ’50s (the story goes that Topps heaped all of the unsold cases of the product onto a garbage barge and dumped the lion’s share into the waters off Brooklyn; the sheer thought of that made me wince just now). Lately, the ’52 Mantle has seen a tremendous bump in value at auction. (It used to sell in the thousands in the ’80s and ’90s.) At Heritage Auctions last April, a PSA Mint 9 Mantle sold for a record $2.88 million, eclipsing the price-tag of Kendrick’s PSA 8 Wagner. That’s also one full step down in grade from the Mantle Kendrick owns, which Rob Rosen, Vice President of Heritage Sports Auctions, says has a conservative auction estimate of $8 million (it could be even higher). “It’s the Mona Lisa of cards,” says Rosen of the Mantle. (A PSA 8 version of the card is being featured in an upcoming Heritage auction set for November 15-16. The card has already reached a bid of $260,000.)
Months after my interview, Kendrick invited me to Chase Field, the D-Backs’ home ballpark in Phoenix, to handle his collection—and for about 20 minutes, I enjoyed the absolute hell out of it. (Former Major League Baseball knuckleballer and D-Backs broadcaster, Tom “Candy Man” Candiotti, was on hand, too.) As I flipped through the graded cards, telling anyone within earshot about the history of each, I couldn’t help but gawk at the PSA 8 Wagner again and again. The card was PSA’s first-ever graded card, and includes a hair in the hard-plastic casing from one of its graders. The card has also been listed in a federal lawsuit against one of its former owners, who admitted to trimming the card’s sides to make it appear more mint than it is. While trimming usually decreases the value of a card exponentially, the Wagner has only increased in value over time. (Go figure.) Maybe it was the legend of that Wagner card or the Red Sox fan in me, but I guess I should’ve spent a little more time fawning over that Mantle.
A shorter version of this feature ran in saratoga living‘s Luxury Issue.
You have to meet Jorge!” That, and “Wait until you experience the summer season,” were the two most oft-repeated sentences I heard the first month I moved to Saratoga to lead saratoga living last December. Granting the obvious nature of the latter sentiment, I was, however, quite amused as to why everyone I met seemed to be lying in wait for the presumed momentous occasion that I’d actually meet Jorge Gómez, the crazy-talented Cuban-born leader of three-time Grammy-nominated Afro-Caribbean band Tiempo Libre (Free Time). Oh, and he happened to be married to Elizabeth Sobol, President and CEO of the Saratoga Performance Arts Center (SPAC). Just maybe, it was because I was Cuban too. In a town with a handful of Cubans, it’s quite a big deal to greet one of our own.
So, yes, Jorge and I have become close friends. How could we not? But besides the similar (and welcome) rapid-fire cadence we share with our “Cuban” Spanish, we also recognize our family stories and senses of humor in each other. Cubans, as anyone who’s met one can tell you, are born storytellers, and I’m afraid Jorge and I do not disappoint on that front. When you chat with us, you’d better get comfortable.
I laughed my way through three not-so-personal questions (and answers) with the musical prodigy in his Saratoga home.
Tell me, what were your first impressions of Saratoga Springs?
Saratoga was so full of amazing people, terrific food, stunning nature, lots of great music and culture.
With only a handful of fellow Cubans here, what has been the biggest adjustment you’ve made?
I wrote a song a while ago that said, “Soy cubano de nacimiento”—I’m Cuban by birth…and it goes on to say, “No matter where I am, I’m Cuban because of the rhythm I carry within me.” So, even when there’s snow on the ground and temperatures are 80 degrees colder than in Havana, I cook Cuban food at home and speak “Cuban” with my wife and teach my many American friends to play dominos and write and listen to Cuban music—and feel right at home.
If you could ask just one thing of everyone in Saratoga, what would that be?
I’d politely ask them to learn to speak Spanish! [Laughs].
If I asked you to name a destination that well-heeled denizens of New York City escape to on the weekend, what would you say? The Hamptons? The Hudson Valley? Greenwich, CT? All good answers. But one that might not be on your radar is Bucks County, PA. Nestled in an elbow of the Delaware River, the county is just north of Philadelphia, 75 miles from Manhattan and about four hours south of Saratoga Springs, and it’s been drawing visitors to has gorgeous countryside, quaint towns, colonial-era historic sites and bustling arts scene for more than a century. In fact, in the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s, Bucks County was home to so many cultural bigwigs—including Pulitzer- and Nobel Prize- and Tony Award-winners, some homegrown (Margaret Mead, James A. Michener), others transplanted (Pearl S. Buck, Dorothy Parker, Jean Toomer, Oscar Hammerstein II, Stephen Sondheim, George Nakashima)—that the media began referring to the area as the Genius Belt. Did I mention that I grew up there?
A Little History
Pennsylvania was founded by William Penn on land granted to him in 1681 by Charles II to pay off a debt. Bucks County was one of three original counties established by Penn in 1682, and he built a country home there, Pennsbury Manor, on the banks of the Delaware near Morrisville. Penn was a Quaker, and the new colony quickly became a haven for members of the Society of Friends. The group’s egalitarian beliefs and commitment to social justice would leave a lasting mark on the area.
Each Christmas, Washington Crossing Historic Park stages a reenactment of George Washington crossing the Delaware River. (Washington Crossing Historic Park)
The region’s most significant historical site commemorates a rare, sleepless night for America’s first Commander in Chief, George Washington: December 25, 1776, when he led his troops across the ice-clogged Delaware River to mount a surprise attack on Hessian mercenaries holed up in Trenton, NJ, a turning point in the Revolutionary War. Washington Crossing Historic Park, the site of the continental troops’ embarkation, features 13 historic buildings and a visitor center, where you can study a copy of Emanuel Leutze’s iconic 1851 painting of the crossing. Each Christmas, the park also stages a reenactment. This patriotic holiday tradition (since 1952) features hundreds of costumed history buffs braving the Delaware in 45-foot-long Durham boats—and you can apply to join them! During my teen years, the role of Washington was played by Olympic bronze-medalist rower Jack Kelly, who, oddly enough, did no rowing (a nod to historical authenticity, I suppose). Clearly, Jack’s sister, Grace, wasn’t the only Philadelphia Kelly bitten by the acting bug!
For a more somber and solitary meditation on the continuing struggle for freedom in these United States, I recommend a visit to Mount Gilead African Methodist Episcopal Church (now Mount Gilead Community Church) in Buckingham, a mountaintop house of worship founded in 1822 by former slaves. The existing 32-by-52-foot stone sanctuary, built in 1852, was a station on the Underground Railroad, and the local Quakers, dedicated abolitionists, allowed the fugitives to build a community nearby.
Concrete Castles
I grew up in Doylestown, PA, the county seat, an eminently walkable, picture-postcard town The New York Times has described as “a showcase of American architecture, with stately Federal-style brick buildings on Lawyers’ Row and plenty of gracious Queen Anne, Second Empire and Italianate homes.” The town’s most renowned buildings, however, are a little more…unique. And they were all built by the same man.
Henry Chapman Mercer’s Fonthill is a 44-room, concrete caste built without plans. (Kevin Crawford)
Born in Doylestown in 1856, Henry Chapman Mercer was a Harvard-educated archaeologist, a millionaire (by birth) and a lifelong bachelor who traveled extensively throughout Europe during his teens, 20s and 30s. Convinced that the Industrial Revolution was wiping out traditional handicrafts and artisanship, Mercer began feverishly socking away pre-industrial tools for posterity. To house his collection, which would grow to include close to 50,000 items, Mercer erected a fortress of poured-in-place, reinforced concrete. Opened in Downtown Doylestown in 1916, the Mercer Museum is packed to the rafters with tools used in dozens of trades—from blacksmithing to basket weaving to watchmaking—and its six-story atrium is hung with sleighs, whaling boats, carriages, a Conestoga wagon and even an early fire engine.
At The Moravian Pottery and Tile Works, Mercer-designed tiles are still being produced today. (Anthony Sinagoga/Visit Bucks County)
Mercer was such a fan of concrete, he even poured himself a home. Fonthill, a mile north of the museum, is a charmingly eccentric concrete castle—it has 44 rooms, 32 staircases and 18 fireplaces built without plans—that mingles Medieval, Gothic and Byzantine styles. The Bucks County Historical Society offers tours and hosts events at Fonthill throughout the year; the holiday season and candlelight tours (reservations required) are particularly enchanting. If Mercer’s extensive use of decorative tile catches your eye, be sure to check out The Moravian Pottery and Tile Works next door, which he opened in 1898, and where visitors can watch Mercer-designed tiles being made today.
A Bohemian Crossroads
Ten miles east of Doylestown, on the banks of the Delaware, you’ll find New Hope, the county seat’s bohemian sister. As the hub of the arts colony that formed in Bucks County around the turn of the 20th century, New Hope has long had a reputation for welcoming creative and unconventional types, including painters, poets, musicians, designers and craftspeople. The town has had a vibrant LGBTQ community since long before the Stonewall Riots and is a favorite pit stop for bikers.
Havana is a long-running New Hope staple where patrons can enjoy live music.
The bucolic scenery and lively arts scene make New Hope a popular getaway, as does its eclectic retail mix: antiques showrooms, bookstores, art galleries, head shops and boutiques featuring crafts, fashion, jewelry and more than a bit of kitsch. (Think: Provincetown without the beach.) The town also boasts an enticing selection of restaurants and watering holes. Marsha Brown serves up Creole cuisine in the soaring sanctuary of an 1800s Presbyterian church; Sprig & Vine offers an inventive plant-based menu; and John & Peter’s and Havana, long-running New Hope staples, are your headquarters for live music.
Climb to the top of Bowman’s Hill Tower, a slender, 125-foot stone spire (erected on the site of a lookout used by Washington’s troops) just south of town, and you’ll see New Hope’s history as a commercial crossroads laid out before you: the broad Delaware, the steel-truss bridge (site of a former ferry) leading to New Jersey, the Delaware Canal (now a state park), and the tracks of the now defunct North-East Pennsylvania Railroad. Today, visitors can board vintage 1920s train cars and take a scenic ride along a portion of those rails courtesy of the New Hope & Ivyland Railroad.
B&B (Bed and Broadway)
The river town’s skyline is dominated by the hulking form of a 1790 gristmill. The shuttered New Hope Mill, from which the burg of New Hope takes its name, was reborn in 1939 as Bucks County Playhouse, one of the nation’s most storied regional theaters, where more than a few Broadway-bound shows have premiered over the years, and where Robert Redford, Angela Lansbury, Liza Minnelli, Bernadette Peters, Tyne Daly, Audra McDonald and a host of other marquee performers have all trod the boards.
The Inn at Barley Sheaf Farm was the longtime home of playwright George S. Kaufman. (Barley Sheaf)
Devotees of the stage could actually spend their entire Bucks County visit marinating in theater history, booking a stay at The Inn at Barley Sheaf Farm, a 1740s farmhouse in Holicong and the longtime home of Pulitzer-winning playwright George S. Kaufman, who hosted luminaries including Moss Hart, the Marx Brothers and Lillian Hellman at the place he cheekily called “Cherchez La Farm.” Another option is Highland Farm, a Doylestown bed-and-breakfast once owned by lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II (another Pulitzer winner), who penned Oklahoma!’s “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” on the front porch.
Even if you’re not a theater buff, a stay in one of the area’s dozens of historic inns and B&Bs is de rigueur. Take it from Aaron Burr: After slaying Alexander Hamilton in their legendary 1804 pistol duel, Burr didn’t go to Disneyland; he spent a week hiding out in a New Hope tavern.
Additional Attractions
Follow the advice of pop star P!NK, perhaps Doylestown’s most famous native, and “raise your glass.” Bucks County is wine country. Devise a sipping itinerary with the help of the Bucks County Wine Trail map or leave the planning (and driving) to someone else and book an afternoon of winery visits with Tastings & Tours.
Bucks County River Country in Point Pleasant will outfit you with inner tubes, so you can float lazily down the Delaware.
If your taste in liquid-based activities runs to the more immersive, the leisurely pace of the Delaware makes its waters ideal for tubing in the summer months. Bucks County River Country in Point Pleasant will outfit you with inner tubes, shuttle you to a “put-in” point upriver and leave you to float down the Delaware with friends for a lazy few hours.
If you’re traveling with youngsters—and tubing and sightseeing haven’t worn them out—count on Sesame Place in Langhorne to get the job done with rides, a water park and the thrill of meeting all of their favorite Sesame Street characters. In the end, Bucks County is a lot like Sesame Street: a place where getting along with others is encouraged and diversity is not just embraced but celebrated.
Whenever I see that miniature Eiffel Tower on Route 9, just outside of Saratoga Springs in Gansevoort, I feel woozy with nostalgia. Three decades ago, when my French-Canadian-American husband and I landed in Saratoga, Chez Pierre was one of the first restaurants we visited. We nibbled on the country pâté, savored the buttery escargot and oohed-and-aahed over the Chateaubriand. After our perfect meal, we posed for pictures next to the neon sign in the parking lot.
Step into the homey yet elegant restaurant today, and the menu and atmosphere are largely the same as they were in 1964, when French-born Pierrette Baldwin and her American husband, Joe, first opened its doors. In the dining room, crisp white tablecloths are set with vintage Strawberry Hill-patterned Syracuse China, and cheery wall murals depict life in a French village. Frog legs, escargot and sweetbreads are always on the menu. “They’re very popular,” says Pia Baldwin Field, daughter of Pierrette and Joe. Pia and her husband, Lincoln, who’s the Head Chef, are Co-owners of the French restaurant, where Beef Wellington and Veal Oscar, made from original family recipes, have been served for more than half a century. “These are classic, Old World dishes that you don’t find anywhere else,” says Pia. “And everything is still cooked to order.” For dessert, Mousse Au Chocolat and Crêpe Suzette are favorites, along with Chef Field’s light and creamy crustless French cheesecake. The names of the dishes might sound high-and-mighty to the untrained, American ear, but trust me, Chez Pierre’s never been pretentious. “We’re more country French,” Pia says.
Chez Pierre’s neon Eiffel Tower sign out front. (Terri-Lynn Pellegri)
Since Joe Baldwin died five years ago, Pierrette or “Ma mère,” as her grandchildren call her, is the not-so-secret ingredient that keeps the family together—and the business afloat. “Every single family member has worked here,” says Pia, who’s one of the Baldwins’ four children. “Every grandchild, all of us and our in-laws.” Joe did the cooking until 1991, when son Pierre took over as chef. In 1999, Lincoln replaced Pierre. Three of Pierrette’s grandchildren are currently waiting tables. As for Pierrette, she’s always been a gracious and engaging dining room presence—or, as she likes to put it, “the hostess with the most-ess,” the woman who every July, on Bastille Day, sings “La Marseillaise” to a huge crowd.
When I ask her about her upbringing in France, the 83-year-old Pierrette gets misty-eyed as she tells me about growing up in the Lorraine region during World War II, her father being imprisoned by the Nazis and the scarcity of food. Then her face brightens as she remembers how, a few years after the war, she fell in love. “My story is unbelievable. I met this GI from Glens Falls, NY.” Now I’m the one getting misty-eyed. My Norwegian grandfather was a Nazi prisoner, and like Pierrette, my father experienced the horrors and hunger of war in the 1940s. Chatting with Pia and Pierrette at a small table near the kitchen is such a pleasure I almost forget that I’m here to interview them. The camaraderie and fine food, only eight miles from Downtown Saratoga, is an irresistible combination. “I’ve got people coming here 50-some years,” Pierrette tells me. “They feel at home when they come here. After you come a few times, you’re not a customer, you’re a friend.” (saratoga living’s Executive Editor, Will Levith, a Saratoga native, ate his first French food here while sitting in a high chair with his parents.)
A seasonal highlight at Chez Pierre, the restaurant’s soft shell crab. (Terri-Lynn Pellegri)
Of course, Chez Pierre has had its share of famous patrons too. In the early days, Joan Fontaine and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. dined here. Today, you might see Marylou Whitney, hockey broadcaster Barry Melrose or LPGA legend Dottie Pepper enjoying a meal here. Recent saratoga living cover star Rachael Ray, a Lake George native who’s been coming to the restaurant since she was a baby, too, brings the Baldwin family a gift, such as a bottle of champagne, every Christmas. Madame Baldwin may have her moment of fame next year, as her 24-year-old grandson, Tyler, is creating a documentary about his grandmother that the family hopes to show at a local theater in 2019. “He went to France with her,” says Pia, Tyler’s mom. “He’s so enamored with her story.” I, too, am captivated by Pierrette’s personal history. You can bet your frog legs that wherever the film is shown, I’ll be there sitting in the dark. Look for me. I’ll be the teary-eyed woman with a box of Kleenex on her lap.
