fbpx
Home Blog Page 273

Will The Next Great Saratoga Cocktail Be Sinclair Saratoga’s ‘The Metro’?

Staff Report
-
0
Will The Next Great Saratoga Cocktail Be Sinclair Saratoga’s ‘The Metro’?

In saratoga living‘s 20th Anniversary issue, local bar Sinclair Saratoga tipped its cap to a former Saratoga Springs’ after-hours institution, The Metro, with its “Next Great Saratoga Cocktail” entry.

Sinclair Saratoga
(Dori Fitzpatrick)

Mixologists: Mary Jane Carville and Hilary Morrison
Bar: Sinclair Saratoga
Cocktail: The Metro

We wanted to bring together worldly flavors, and at the same time, play on a familiar classic summertime gin and tonic. The drink’s namesake is the old Saratoga Springs nightclub, The Metro, which lived here at 17 Maple Avenue for many years in the 1980s and ’90s.

The Metro

Ingredients
0.5 oz. coconut milk
0.5 oz. fresh lemon juice
0.5 oz. fresh orange juice
0.75 oz. simple syrup
1.5 oz. gin
1.5 oz. tonic water

Instructions
Combine coconut milk and gin in a container and refrigerate overnight. (Fine strain when infusion’s finished.) Add coconut milk-infused gin, lemon juice, orange juice and simple syrup in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain over fresh ice in a Collins glass. Top with tonic, garnish with a lime wheel and enjoy Saratoga’s freshest cocktail!

Power Player: Dave Kenny, Mr. Lake George

Tony Case
-
0
Power Player: Dave Kenny, Mr. Lake George

If you want to know what’s happening in Lake George, just ask Dave Kenny. One of the area’s most prominent real estate developers and hoteliers, he’s one of 12 kids
in an Irish-Catholic family from Montauk, NY—quite the difference both geographically and in mindset from the verdant hills and isolated, lakeshore life of his adopted Upstate hometown.

After working on fishing boats throughout his youth, Kenny worked for several years as a pipe fitter before moving Upstate and starting what would become the family’s hospitality empire with the purchase, in 1978, of the 22-room Highway Host Motel. Kenny would come to develop numerous properties in the area—including hotels, shopping outlets, a family entertainment complex, the picturesque Sun Castle Resort and, most recently, the 119-room, $25 million Marriott Courtyard in the heart of Downtown Lake George, which threw open its doors last year. (Today, Kenny and his siblings operate some 800 hotel rooms in Lake George.)

saratoga living sat down with Kenny to talk history, hospitality and what’s sure to be another hot season at Upstate New York’s other big vacation destination.

Lake George, Reimagined
“There’s a push for Lake George to reinvent itself. It’s always been among the No. 1 summer resorts in the country, but now it’s trying to become a more year-round destination—and there’s no reason it shouldn’t be. We’re still a place that has a lot of T-shirt shops and pizza places—like Coney Island—but that has to change.”

Playing The Long Game
“Everything I’ve done—from the outlets to Sun Castle, where we’re booked with weddings every weekend—has been to create year-round attractions. We want to keep giving people a reason to come—and we want to keep people employed. Seventy percent of my employees are year-round. I’d like to see my children and grandchildren have the opportunity to grow up in Upstate New York, get jobs and stay here, rather than see all our talent exported.”

Staying Competitive
“A lot of the locals are afraid of change. Going back many years, Lake George was where all the horsemen who came through Saratoga stayed. It used to be that Saratoga Springs was run-down, and Lake George was the destination. We want to attract younger customers. We’d like to have a convention center—and we may get one. Lake George is only an hour from Albany, and it’s such a beautiful area.”

Hospitality’s Changing Tides
“Online reservations, third-party sites and low interest rates have led to all these hotels being built up and down the interstate. What hasn’t changed is that, when you go on vacation, you want to feel important. It’s the little things; someone saying, ‘Hello!’ and ‘Good morning!’ Probably 80 percent of our business is repeat business. You don’t want a customer to leave your property, for any reason, in the wrong state of mind. It’s pretty easy to be nice to people.”

Putnam Market’s William Roach On The 20 Things Every Wine Lover Should Know

William Roach
-
0
Putnam Market’s William Roach On The 20 Things Every Wine Lover Should Know

If you’re lucky enough to live in Saratoga Springs—or are a frequent visitor—you’ll know Broadway’s Putnam Market well. When I was a teenager growing up here in the 1990s, I spent many a weekend afternoon in the deli line ordering a sandwich there, but it wasn’t until about 2001, when I was 21, that I could legally enjoy the bottles in the little shop next door. That would be Putnam’s Wine Room, which first opened its doors 20 years ago, and has been a staple in Downtown Saratoga ever since. Let’s say you need a Pinot, Cab Franc or rosé on the go. Know that Putnam’s Wine Director, William Roach, will guide you to your next vintage wisely. For one thing, he holds a level four diploma in Wine & Spirits from the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET). In addition, he’s a WSET Certified Educator—meaning that he actually teaches the intricacies of wine. (He also holds an MBA from London Business School and pronounces “privacy” with a succinct “i” because, yes, he’s British.)

Says William of his time in the business: “I sold Putnam Market’s first bottle of wine in May 1998. Since then, I’ve had many hours of wine education and many opportunities to taste wine in all manner of places, with many who know more about wine than I do.” This year marks William Roach’s 20th year at Putnam, so saratoga living asked him to share 20 kernels of wine knowledge that he’s learned throughout the decades. —Will Levith

Here’s William Roach’s (Amazing) List:

ON KNOWING WINE
1. Wine knowledge starts with geography and a smattering of chemistry.

2. If you want to appear knowledgeable about wine, try not to mention fruit
or berries.

3. Buy two bottles of wine that are similar, barring one thing—price, place of origin or age. Then compare and contrast for sweetness, acidity and persistence. Do not consider which you like better until the very end. Repeat.

AT A RESTAURANT
4. Take the sommelier’s advice. Tell him or her how much you want to spend and the style you’d prefer—as in: “I’d like to spend somewhere around $50. I like Pinot Grigio but I want something different.”

5. When asked to taste the wine, just smell the glass. If it doesn’t smell like it would taste nice, it probably won’t. Ask the sommelier (or wine waiter) for a second opinion—as in, “This doesn’t smell right to me, what do you think?” Even if he or she doubts your judgement, in a well-run establishment, the wine waiter will quietly bring a replacement bottle.

IN A WINE STORE
6. Most customers are fearful of buying wine they, or their guests, won’t like. Familiar brands and high ratings offer them reassurance. If you don’t recognize many labels in a store, it’s because you’ve found the wine equivalent of an indie bookshop. Start a conversation: It’ll be welcomed.

7. Wines that are out of fashion are usually lower priced and better made than popular and fashionable varieties. For example, this is a very good time to drink California Merlot.

8. The more specifically the label describes the source of the grapes, the more likely the wine will have a distinct personality.

PAIRING WITH FOOD
9. Wine and cheese go well together: Sweet wine with blue cheese is terrific, hard cheese goes great with Cabernet Sauvignon and washed-rind cheese pairs up perfectly with Chardonnay.

10. Food will always change the way wine tastes. Sweet food will make a dry wine taste tart. Lemon juice will make a dry wine taste sweet. Protein (cheese) will make a tannic wine smooth. Try it.

THE WINE BUSINESS
11. Four winemaking companies account for 63 percent of all the wine sold in the US. Their products include all the well-known brands.

12. The production of well-known wine brands runs to millions of cases. Nobody on Earth makes millions of cases of wine that nobody likes.

13. Most well-known brands use between two and four teaspoons of sugar per bottle to make the wine instantly appealing.

14. Wine is the only consumable product on your dining room table that’s not required by law to display the ingredients it contains. Interesting, no?

ON PLEASURE
15. It’s hard to like any food or drink upon first encounter. That can often be helped in equal measure by peer pressure and sugar.

16. The joy to be had from a glass of wine is directly proportional to the amount of fun you’re having. In other words, context is, as always, everything.

17. Never store wine glasses upside down. They will end up smelling musty.

FOR A CROWD
18. For a large party, keep the choices to a minimum—one red wine, one white wine and one wine with a touch of sweetness. And always buy a little more than you think you’ll need.

FOR A SPECIAL OCCASION
19. Always buy wine that’s good enough, but not too good—nothing that demands to be the center of attention.

ON GIVING WINE
20. If the recipient’s a total wine geek, give good olive oil. Trust me.

Ink Revival’s Sara McCarthy Is Making Calligraphy Hot Again, One Invitation At A Time

Natalie Moore
-
0
Ink Revival’s Sara McCarthy Is Making Calligraphy Hot Again, One Invitation At A Time

I learned cursive in third grade. Although it finally allowed me to decipher my mom’s loopy, connected lettering, it was an enormous inconvenience to my eight-year-old self. I had already mastered printing and, if the younger version of me did say so herself, I had the best handwriting in my class. Plus, I had just learned to type on one of my school’s shiny new laptops, which had cursive fonts built right into it, so what was the point? My generation—the youngest cohort of millennials—is the last generation to have learned cursive in grade school. With the initiation of the Common Core in 2009, cursive was bumped out of the third-grade curriculum. That means, in a few decades, less than half of the population will know cursive. But not if calligrapher Sara McCarthy has her way. “I promise my children will have the ability to write in cursive,” says the founder of Ink Revival, a calligraphy, design and printing company founded in Manhattan and now based in Saratoga Springs.

Founder of Ink Revival, Sara McCarthy. (Tory Williams)

McCarthy and others like her are looping, flourishing and down-stroking calligraphy right back into the public eye (calligrapher Seb Lester’s Instagram videos average more than 100,000 views each). What may be at the heart of this sudden wave of nostalgia: the fact that calligraphy and the handwritten letter recall an earlier, simpler time. “It’s a romantic notion to have a handwritten address with a handmade invitation inside,” says McCarthy, who specializes in wedding invitations. “You basically live your life on your phone, and having a moment to take a break from that—it’s therapeutic.” She’s right; text messages and emails have succeeded in removing the humanity from our writing. With every place card, menu, page of custom stationery, logo and wall installation, McCarthy is helping to breathe life back into the art of writing. Her work has been featured everywhere from magazines such as Martha Stewart Weddings and Vogue to a Perrier-Jouët Mother’s Day brunch at the Geoffrey Zakarian restaurant, Georgie, in Beverly Hills, CA.

Traditionally, calligraphy has connoted a style of writing that’s equal parts elegant, whimsical and age-old—like what you might find on an ancient Chinese scroll. But McCarthy sees it as having no boundaries. “Calligraphy can be anything you want it to be,” she says. “It’s not just one style.” Take a look at her portfolio, and you’ll see what she means: For a romantic black-tie gala in Manhattan, McCarthy chose straight lines with few flourishes on her invitations; for a summer wedding in Lake George, she used loose, flowing text, with added illustrations; and for a bat mitzvah at a Brooklyn skate park, she went for a geometric but feminine concept.

“Day-of” details for a wedding printed on wooden signs. (Mary Marantz)

So is the world experiencing a handwriting renaissance? “I think it is, 100 percent,” McCarthy says. “It’s booming right now.” The real question is: Will that boom last as we become less handwriting literate and more digitally reliant? Scrolling through the Ink Revival Instagram feed, past beautifully etched Christmas ornaments, elegant peach-and-navy table settings and hand-addressed burgundy valentines, I’m suddenly thankful that my eight-year-old self had to suffer through cursive. I really am.

The Calendar: What’s Going On In Saratoga Springs This Weekend

Jeff Dingler
-
0
The Calendar: What’s Going On In Saratoga Springs This Weekend

Welcome back to The Calendar. This week, we have a very special editor’s pick, indeed. I’ve already written quite a bit about the number of musicians and festivals coming to Saratoga Springs this summer. So it’s only appropriate that this week’s theme should be music with a spotlight on the National Ballet of Cuba’s debut at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center for three performances of Alicia Alonso’s classic Giselle, June 6-8.

As previously noted by famed dance critic and saratoga living contributor Octavio Roca, Cuba has a particularly fascinating and intimate connection with Giselle. Saratoga is just one of four destinations for the ballet company’s production this summer in the US, and will be the only location in New York state. The Cuban National Ballet coming to the Spa City is a huge deal, and has already brought with it a number of related events, including a masterclass with the prestigious ballet company at the National Museum of Dance on Thursday, June 7, as well as a series of special talks given by Roca about the company’s legendary founder Alicia Alonso (June 6-8). This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and it’s right here in our backyard. And while you’re out watching the ballerinas float and flit across stage this weekend, check out these other musical events happening or kicking off.

Friday, June 8

here.)
Young Dr. Jekyll – This new musical is premiering at Proctors in Albany.
Taste of Country Music Festival – various country artists – Hunter Mountain,  64 Klein Avenue, Hunter, NY.
Dance Gavin Dance – Upstate Concert Hall, Clifton Park.

Saturday, June 9

recent Pulitzer Prize winner is also making his SPAC debut this weekend.
Gaelic Storm – If you’ve seen Titanic, you’ve heard their music. – The Egg, Albany.
Russian Mosaic: Piano & Voice – Soprano Ksenia Antonova performs works by Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky and others, with pianist Anna Keiserman. – New Russia Cultural Center, 1550 Broadway Rensselaer.
Albert Cummings – This respected bluesman has played alongside B.B. King and Johnny Winter. – Troy Savings Bank Music Hall.

Sunday, June 10

itinerary, courtesy of saratoga living‘s Luxury Editor, Marco Medrano.)
Beekman Street Art Fair – Beekman Street, Saratoga.

‘saratoga living’ 20th Anniversary Issue: Crossword Puzzle Answer Key

Natalie Moore
-
0
‘saratoga living’ 20th Anniversary Issue: Crossword Puzzle Answer Key

On the final page of saratoga living‘s new 20th Anniversary Issue—p. 152, for all of you keeping track—there’s a crossword puzzle, entitled “Happy Birthday!” Below is the answer key—or for some of you, the world’s greatest cheat sheet.

ACROSS

  1. ALT
  2. VERT
  3. MACS
  4. NOR
  5. ETUI
  6. ECHO
  7. TRI
  8. RUNG
  9. RAIN
  10. SEXANDTHECITY
  11. SEE
  12. TMI
  13. ATTA
  14. LEI
  15. OPA
  16. THEPARENTTRAP
  17. EYE
  18. SET
  19. ABLE
  20. SIA
  21. MSN
  22. ANIMALKINGDOM
  23. NADA
  24. TITO
  25. ABE
  26. OVER
  27. OTTO
  28. LIT
  29. NEAT
  30. REST
  31. ETA

 DOWN

  1. ANTS
  2. LORE
  3. TRIX
  4. VERNE
  5. ETUDE
  6. RUNT
  7. TIGHTEN
  8. MERCI
  9. ACAI
  10. CHIT
  11. SONY
  12. ASAP
  13. EMIT
  14. ATE
  15. THY
  16. TEE
  17. LET
  18. ORB
  19. PAL
  20. APE
  21. ASIA
  22. REALTOR
  23. TANG
  24. SMART
  25. MITTS
  26.  SNOOT
  27. ANON
  28. NAVE
  29. IDEA
  30. KITE
  31. DALE
  32. OBIT
  33. META

What Would Woody Do: How To Make A Few Bucks On The Belmont Stakes

Joe "Woody" Wood
-
0
What Would Woody Do: How To Make A Few Bucks On The Belmont Stakes

Spring talk has finally sprung into summer talk at Woody’s Barbershop, and summer talk means horse racing! People like to ask me which trainers and jockeys have been in for a haircut—and do I know of any up-and-coming two-year-olds? Well the answer to the latter question is “no,” but “yes” to the the trainers and jockeys. In fact, later this summer, you’ll be able to find an upcoming article on the day in the life of a horse trainer by you-know-who. I followed one around for a few days, and the results will turn up in saratoga living‘s “The Races!” issue, which will hit newsstands on July 19.

This week, I’m going to stick to my guns and stay on the topic of horses. And by that, I do mean Justify. The Preakness was a no brainer, and believe or not, I see this Saturday’s Belmont Stakes the same way. I know, I know…for those of you who know me and the way I pick ’em, it’s really hard to believe that I’m sticking to a favorite and not taking the value, but alas, I believe my Jedi training has finally taken hold. For the last two weeks, I was on the same bandwagon as everyone else, thinking “No way; it’s too far.” After all, Justify did seem to fade in the final few furlongs in his last race, and according to the experts, his breeding does not suggest he’ll make the mile-and-a-half trip. Also take into account he will be heavily favored and should be a definite go-against. So this past weekend, I spent a few hours diving into the upcoming race, trying to figure who might beat him and how I could make some money if he loses. The word on the Oklahoma track this week was how the other owners’ horses are going to go after him and not let him get away easy and hopefully get him to tire. There’s simply no other three-year-old running in the Belmont who’s good enough to get it done, but then again, I’ve been wrong once before! (OK, maybe I was right once before, but either way, I’ve got this race figured out.) OK, fine, so I’m guessing just like the rest of you, but I feel really good about this guess!

Justify was not all that visually impressive winning the Preakness, but if you compare his race to American Pharoah (who was extremely visually impressive), his final time was three-plus seconds faster. More important to me is the times, and how the race broke down: American Pharoah was faster at the beginning of the race by a couple of seconds, although it doesn’t look that way after watching both races a few times. But the clockers say otherwise (go and see for yourself). So that means he made up about five seconds on his time. Five seconds in horse racing is monstrous and will equal a lot of lengths. Suffice it to say the final half of that race was three seconds faster (albeit, that was also an over-sealed track and that does make a difference, too). So to me I say it’s a wash.

OK, Woody, why does any of this matter you ask? Good question. It doesn’t really. Betting on horses is all about information, past results, current competition, hunches and angles. So to me that was good info. (FYI: American Pharoah’s Beyer Speed Figure for his Triple Crown-winning race was 102, while Justify’s is 97. BRIS numbers are 100 and 98, respectively.) Enough rambling on about comparisons, though. Let’s get down to the Belmont on Saturday. JUSTIFY IS SIMPLY THE BEST 3-YEAR-OLD OUT THERE THIS YEAR! He’s not a great horse—in fact, it’s my belief that if he wins, he might be the worst Triple Crown champ in modern times, but being a Triple Crown winner is better than a sharp stick in the eye any day! There’s nobody in this field that can beat him if he does the same thing he was doing in his other races this year. Hoffburg, who Justify beat by 8 3/4 lengths in the Kentucky Derby, is the only other horse I’d actually even consider on top of Justify, and that’s only because Bill Mott is not known for hurrying up his young horses. When Mott enters his young ones, they’re usually really good ones, who are ready to win. Beyond that, I’m playing for prices, and fading the horses that have raced too many races at such a young age, and then taking a few guesses that might lead me to a bigger payout.

As of today, the weather for Saturday’s big race is supposed to be perfect with only a slight chance of rain, so I’ve based my prospective results on that track condition. When you see what I’m playing, don’t laugh; wait to either laugh Saturday around 7pm or go to the windows and cash you tickets! I’m sharing only some of my ideas, and playing what I think an interested party should play, who might not have a big bankroll. But know this: Gambling is for fun, and if you’re betting more than you should or spending money you shouldn’t, STOP RIGHT NOW! Us gamblers know that our money has no home; we do it for the action, the possibility of winning and the thrill of winning (OK, maybe the bragging rights, too). We know the odds of winning, and we’re willing to lose our money betting on those slim chances. So keep that in mind if you decide to follow my picks.

To win any money on this race, the average player has to reach into the trifectas and superfectas. Otherwise, play a $2.00 bet on Justify, and smile when he wins the Triple Crown, but don’t expect too much return on investment.

Here are some of the ways I’m betting the race:

$2.00 trifecta key:
Justify OVER Tenfold and Vino Rosso OVER Bravazo, Hoffburg, Tenfold, Vino Rosso, Free Drop Willy, Gronkowski, Restoring Hope

$0.50 superfecta key:
Justify OVER Tenfold and Vino Rosso OVER Bravazo, Hoffburg, Tenfold, Vino Rosso, Free Drop Willy, Gronkowski, Restoring Hope OVER Bravazo, Hoffburg, Tenfold, Vino Rosso, Free Drop Willy, Gronkowski, Restoring Hope

The cost of the trifecta ticket would be $24.00 for $2.00, and for the superfecta ticket, $30.00 for $0.50. That makes for a total of just $54.00 (if you can’t afford it, get two friends and go in for $17.00 each). The good news is, if you hit the superfecta, you’ll hit the trifecta, too. Drinks will be on you!

Good luck, have fun and bet responsibly!

Saratoga Springs Is Planning Multiple Events For LGBT Pride Month

Jeff Dingler
-
0
Saratoga Springs Is Planning Multiple Events For LGBT Pride Month

The entire month of June is national LGBT Pride Month, and this year Saratoga Pride is going all out—so make sure you have your e-calendars and iPhone cameras at the ready. On Saturday, June 9, our local chapter will be marching in the Saratoga Elks Annual Flag Day Parade. But don’t get too winded from marching, because the Capital Pride Parade & Festival is the very next day in Albany. The parade is the largest in the Capital Region and will include free live entertainment including, hundreds of vendors, and, of course, representatives and volunteers from our own Saratoga Pride chapter. Saratoga’s own Pride Festival will take place in High Rock Park at the Farmers Market Pavilion on Friday, June 15. The festival will feature live music by the Rich Clements Band followed by snacks and cocktails at Bailey’s Restaurant on Phila Street.

All Pride Month events are sure to be enjoyable for all and family-friendly—but yesterday proved a stark reminder that the month isn’t only about fun and games; it’s also about fighting the good fight. “The mood might be a little down tonight because of the news,” Cindy Swadba, a resident of Milton and volunteer for Saratoga Pride, told me yesterday. Swadba was referring to the Supreme Court decision declaring that a Christian baker from Colorado could refuse to make wedding cakes for gay couples on the grounds of religious objection. It’s not a definitive ruling, however, applying only to this baker and not affecting national policy regarding anti-discrimination laws. Still, to many in the LGBT community, it was a surprising upset and a stinging reminder of the history of discrimination they’ve already endured. “This is exactly the sort of thing we still fight for,” says Swadba.

Pride’s history has long been tied to protest and resistance. The tradition of celebrating Pride in June goes all the way back to the Stonewall Riots, which occurred in New York City on June 28, 1969. The riots grew out of a police raid on a popular gay bar in the Greenwich Village neighborhood called the Stonewall Inn (now known simply as the Stonewall). Instead of going quietly, into the hands of officers from the NYC Vice Squad Public Morals Division (yes, that was a real thing), bystanders and patrons of the bar fought back, culminating in the most important moment in the formation of a national gay liberation movement. The following June, the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots was commemorated with Christopher Street Liberation Day, the first gay pride march in US history. Jump ahead nearly 50 years later, and President Obama declared the Stonewall a national monument in time for 2016’s LGBT Pride Month. Saratoga’s own chapter of Pride was founded in 2007, and has counted among its volunteers a Stonewall Riots veteran.

Despite its rocky past, New York State has since played an integral role in helping the gay rights movement flourish. (See: June 24’s The March in NYC, for example.) Let’s keep it that it way by showing our support. You can do that at any of these local Pride Month events:

Friday, June 1- 9 – In Our Own Voices Gay and Latino Pride – Washington Park.
Saturday, June 9 – Saratoga Elks 51st Annual Flag Day Parade – Broadway, Saratoga.
Sunday, June 10 – Capital Pride Festival in Albany – Washington Park.
Tuesday, June 12 – Adult LGBTQ Support Group – 125 High Rock Avenue, Saratoga.
Friday, June 15 – Saratoga Pride Festival – High Rock Park, Farmers Market Pavilion.
Sunday, June 17 – Yaddo Garden & Ghost Tour – Yaddo Gardens, Saratoga.
Friday, June 29 – Pride Night at the Opera, “The Merry Widow” – Opera Saratoga, 19 Roosevelt Drive, Saratoga

Saratoga Goes Hollywood: 15 Movies Shot In Saratoga And The Surrounding Region

Will Levith
-
0
Saratoga Goes Hollywood: 15 Movies Shot In Saratoga And The Surrounding Region

I distinctly remember, when I was a fifth-grader at Lake Avenue Elementary School, one of my classmates snagging a part as an extra in Billy Bathgate, a feature film set in the 1930s that was shooting in Saratoga Springs. While it’d be another seven or so years before I’d legally be able to watch the R-rated film, I remember being proud of my little hometown at the time; it was as if we’d finally “made it.” Here are 15 glittering examples of when Hollywood—and some of its brightest stars—came calling on the Capital Region. Or, as we call it around here, when Saratoga went Hollywood.

Saratoga (1937)
Not a bad place to start, no? This 1937 classic starring Clark Gable and Jean Harlow is all about horse racing, gambling and romance—and features scenes shot at the Saratoga Race Course.

Lolita (1962)
Stanley Kubrick fans know him best for A Clockwork Orange, The Shining and Eyes Wide Shut, but his earlier films are just as engaging—like this 1962 adaptation of the shocking-for-the-time novel, Lolita, adapted to the screen by its author, Vladimir Nabokov. Starring James Mason, Sue Lyon and Shelley Winters, the movie features screen time for both Lake George and Albany.

The Way We Were (1973)
Hell might freeze over before this sentence ever gets written anew: “Barbra Streisand and Robert Redford acted together on the Union College campus in Schenectady.” But yes, in the early 1970s drama, which won a pair of Oscars, Streisand (the liberal activist) and Redford (the Golden Boy) wound up in the Electric City. Visibly, there was more than a little bit of electricity to go around, too.

Ghost Story (1981)
“A horror movie starring a late-career Fred Astaire?” you ask. If you’re hoping for a macabre classic with sweeping dance sequences, you’ve come to the wrong place. Think: melting faces and other B-movie camp. Considering it’s scored just a 35 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, it shouldn’t be at the top of your queue—save, maybe, for the fact that scenes were shot both in Saratoga Springs and Albany.

Ironweed (1987)
This Oscar-nominated film starring the thespianlicious pairing of Jack Nicholson and Meryl Streep—based on the eponymous Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Yaddo veteran William Kennedy—takes place in Albany. So it made a whole lot of sense to shoot the movie in the Cap City. You’ll recognize locations on Lark Street and Clinton Avenue—as well as in nearby Watervliet, Troy, Slingerlands and Glenville.

Billy Bathgate (1991)
It’s not difficult to see why the 11-year-old me was so excited about this movie: With a cast featuring Dustin Hoffman, Nicole Kidman and Bruce Willis, Billy Bathgate—which tells the fictional tale of a young protégé to real-life gangster Dutch Schultz (Hoffman)—would end up nabbing a Golden Globe nomination for Kidman and solidifying Saratoga’s status as a serious setting for the silver screen.

Scent Of A Woman (1992)
Hoo-ah! Al Pacino took home a Best Actor Oscar for his role as the crotchety, blind Lt. Col. Frank Slade in Scent Of A Woman. In the film, Slade’s temp-job handler, Charlie Simms (Chris O’Donnell), attends the fictional Baird School—which is none other than Troy’s Emma Willard, ironically, a school Simms would never have been able to get into himself (it’s girls-only).

The Age Of Innocence (1993)
Just a handful of years after the producers of Billy Bathgate rolled into the Spa City, Martin Scorsese shipped his cameras—and stars Daniel Day-Lewis and Michelle Pfeiffer—to the Collar City. At Italian restaurant, Lo Porto, in Downtown Troy, hungry visitors can feast on a plate of Veal Scorsese, named for the bushy-eyebrowed directing legend who dined there frequently during filming.

The Horse Whisperer (1998)
Someday, Saratoga will be used as the backdrop to an intense, bloody alien invasion movie. Until then, it’ll make for the perfect turn-of-the-century setting—or horse racing haunt, as it did in 1998’s The Horse Whisperer, directed by and starring Robert Redford and a young Scarlett Johansson. Scenes were shot at Saratoga Race Course, of course.

The Time Machine (2002)
Man, the things I could do with a time machine. (I’d probably swing back to fifth grade and sign myself up as an extra in Billy Bathgate.) Don’t confuse this forgettable film starring Guy Pearce (L.A. Confidential) with the much, much better 1960s sci-fi flick of the same name. But definitely watch it, because it was filmed in Albany, Schenectady, Troy and right here in Saratoga—specifically, in the Spa State Park.

Seabiscuit (2003)
The multiple Oscar-nominated film, Seabiscuit, based on the novel by Laura Hillenbrand and starring Tobey Maguire (fresh off spinning webs as everyone’s superhero Spider-Man), filmed scenes at Santa AnitaPark, Keeneland and, yes, Saratoga Race Course.

Synecdoche, New York (2008)
I have to admit: I didn’t enjoy this movie at all. In fact, I hated it. Famed movie critic Roger Ebert, on the other hand, dubbed it “the best film of the decade.” (Maybe I have to rewatch it.) Starring the late Philip Seymour Hoffman and written/directed by Charlie Kaufman—both Oscar winners—the movie takes place primarily in, you guessed it, Schenectady, NY. Portions of it were filmed in the real McCoy.

Salt (2010)
Angelina Jolie—known for her on- and off-screen badassery—turned up in Albany to film a chase scene off of I-787 for her action-packed, Oscar-nominated, Salt. Capital Region moviegoers got to screen it at Proctors a full day in advance of the rest of the world. Not a bad deal for lending your streets to Lara Croft, eh?

The Other Guys (2010)
Anything Will Ferrell touches turns to comedy gold—and this 2010 cop movie spoof, which costars Mark Wahlberg, is no exception to the rule. Just like Salt, the movie was peppered with chase scenes filmed in Albany.

The Place Beyond The Pines (2012)
You’d think a contemporary cops-and-robbers movie starring Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper and Eva Mendes would be a winner, but it’s actually a snoozer. The film’s set in—of all places—Schenectady, and true to its roots, it filmed at a number of recognizable locations there, such as Ellis Hospital and Vale Cemetery, as well as spots in Scotia, Glenville and Latham.

The Sky’s Not The Limit: Space Is Your Next Luxury Travel Destination, Saratoga!

Simon Murray
-
0
The Sky’s Not The Limit: Space Is Your Next Luxury Travel Destination, Saratoga!

I remember the first time I fell in love with the idea of space travel. It was aboard the “Millennium Falcon,” a light freighter capable of interstellar flight commandeered by a scoundrel, a princess and a hero. I was hooked. Star Wars and the expanding genre of science fiction have been a staple in my life ever since. From space odysseys to aliens to Neil deGrasse Tyson, there are plenty of ways to nerd out, but all pale in comparison to the idea of blasting off to the cosmos yourself.

Fear not, earthlings—2018 just so happens to be the year when space travel is democratized. (Democratized, that is, for the über-rich. For now, most of us will have to settle for a terrestrial vacation. Lake George, anyone?) There’s a new space race afoot. And unlike competing superpowers with vaguely sinister intentions and looming doomsday clocks, this new race is between companies in the private sector. Their goal? To take wealthy citizens on the ultimate adventure: blasting off into the stratosphere, or to the moon and back!

As you might expect, “space tourism,” the term for this budding industry, isn’t exactly cheap. Tickets range anywhere from $250,000 to $58 million, depending on the company and the experience. (And for those misanthropes among us, some companies are even offering one-way tickets to the cosmos. More on that later.) For companies such as SpaceX, Orion Span and Virgin Galactic, it turns out that money and competition are excellent drivers for innovation.

For decades, human space flight has rested squarely in the government’s domain. Fewer than 600 people, almost all of them public employees, have left the Earth’s grasp. But entrepreneurs and “space billionaires” such as Jeff Bezos, Sir Richard Branson and Elon Musk are hoping to change that. While the rich will go first, these visionaries imagine a future where space travel’s affordable enough for citizen thrill-seekers and adventure travelers alike. Sound like science fiction? The day’s coming sooner than you may think.

The first space tourism company to leave the Earth’s atmosphere may very well be Virgin Galactic. Speaking on behalf of his New Mexico-based company, Branson has said that flights aboard SpaceShipTwo could begin as early as this year. So far, more than 500 aspiring astronauts have signed up—paying $250K a piece—including Hollywood A-listers Ashton Kutcher, Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio. If you can’t picture a life without some of those names, consider this: A fatal accident during a test run in 2014 claimed the life of a Virgin Galactic pilot and set development back by years. While the rewards—getting to experience weightlessness, having a dinner party trump card—may outweigh the risks, space is an inherently dangerous place. SpaceShipTwo certainly sounds innocuous enough, but it’s an air-launched suborbital spaceplane designed to carry six passengers and two pilots to an altitude of about 62 miles above our home planet. Things could go wrong. Fast.

For Elon Musk’s SpaceX, which is planning to send a privately crewed “Dragon 2” spacecraft beyond the moon, an independent FAA-funded analysis found the risk of death to be 1 in 270—or roughly equivalent to that of climbing Mount Everest. The weeklong flight will largely retrace the path taken by “Apollo 8” astronauts in 1968, and two customers have reportedly shelled out “a significant deposit,” per SpaceX, or what experts believe is anywhere from $58 million and up, for a ticket. Musk is known for offering overly optimistic timetables, but he’s said that the mission could come as soon as late 2018.

And what about the next decade? Musk founded SpaceX way back in 2002 with the not-so-small intention of colonizing Mars. So far, SpaceX has set an aspirational goal for the first cargo mission to land on the Red Planet in 2022. Objectives include confirming water resources and identifying hazards: fewer little green men and more living safely on a dead rock. To that end, initial power, mining and life support infrastructure will need to be put in place.

A second mission, this time with both cargo and crew aboard, is targeted for 2024. Piggybacking on SpaceX’s eventual ecological developments, Dutch company Mars One is intent on sending space travelers off, with a one-way trip to the Red Planet sometime in the next couple of decades. The company’s wrongly claimed in the past that it’s received more than 200,000 applicants—the figure is closer to 3000—and its criteria for selecting astronauts is downright dubious. At the moment, Mars One is weathering claims that it’s a hopeless endeavor or even a hoax. It remains to be seen if such a project will eventually lift off. Unfortunately, your idle daydreams of that annoying, weird coworker volunteering to live on Mars should stay in the realm of fantasy…for now.

Compared to the Mars voyages, Orion Span has a less ambitious but nonetheless exciting goal: construction of the world’s first luxury space hotel. Think strolling the Maldives counts as exotic? Aurora Station will orbit 200 miles above the Earth’s surface. Luxurious accommodations will include private suites for two, while every 90 minutes the space station will complete a full orbit around the Earth. Those willing to pay $9.5 million will see day and night every 1.5 hours during their 12-day stay. (No filter necessary, of course.) In addition, those luxury cosmonauts will experience weightlessness and fast, wireless Internet access—in space! Because how else are you going to post all your sunset-from-low-orbit photos to Instagram? The Aurora Station plans to launch in 2021.

Don’t like the idea of spending time in the cold, dark, lifeless reaches of space? Not to worry. SpaceX also has its sights set on transforming what it’s calling “Earth to Earth” transportation—or using space travel to deposit you in far-off places in a frighteningly short amount of time. In addition to vastly increased speeds, one great thing about space travel is the lack of almost any friction. Once the ship leaves the atmosphere, there’s no turbulence or weather to worry about. (Although you might want to consider an Ambien for blastoff.) The benefits of “Earth to Earth” are huge: A flight from New York to Paris could take as little as 30 minutes. Now that’s an innovation we can all enjoy.

While it’s not quite Star Wars’ “Millennium Falcon,” I’ll take a suborbital trip over a coach ticket on a commercial airliner any day. Close the pod bay doors, HAL. And get me a drink. STAT.

1...272273274...312Page 273 of 312

© 2023 Saratoga Living. Empire Media Network. All Rights Reserved.