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The Adelphi Residences: Luxury as a Lifestyle

Abby Tegnelia
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The Adelphi Residences: Luxury as a Lifestyle

Fancy warming your belly with a decadent cocktail on a cold winter’s night—but don’t feel like leaving your home? You might consider hotel living, which The Adelphi Hotel is bringing to town via its luxury, amenity-packed Adelphi Residences.

 “It’s a great way to live,” says builder Michael Dubb. “On a cold night, you’re able to walk downstairs and go to a restaurant, or order room service or maid service. Somebody is always there to help you with your dry cleaning. It’s having all the amenities of a five-star hotel at your fingertips.”

The 74 residences—selling now for an estimated summer 2024 opening—are available as studios, one-bedrooms, two-bedrooms and three-bedrooms, plus two stunning two-story penthouse suites. The open floor plans range from 800 to 3,000 square feet, some with dens and some without, and there are multiple outdoor space options (included in the square footage). The kitchens feature sub-zero ranges, custom cabinets, silestone quartz countertops and Kohler fixtures; the living areas boast seven-inch oak wood flooring, high ceilings and abundant closets. As for the hotel amenities, expect to be pampered via heated underground parking, dog walkers, grocery shoppers, decorator services, plus access to a fitness center, lounge with TVs, a game room with ping-pong and billiard tables, business center, conference room and even shuttle service to the track. Residents can head to Morrissey’s or Salt & Char without leaving the building, and can choose to enter through the hotel’s main lobby or a private one on Washington Street.

Dubb is the CEO of Long Island’s mega-builder Beechwood Homes but has been coming to Saratoga for 50 years. (In fact, he’s the man behind Union Avenue’s Faith’s House childcare center for backstretch workers.) He envisioned the Adelphi Residences fitting three distinct groups: “people who live in Saratoga who have maybe raised their kids and don’t need a house anymore, racetrack people who come to Saratoga in the summertime and don’t want the responsibility of a house, and people from downstate who want a second home.” 

So far, that’s panned out, with the residences being scooped up by lovers of Saratoga who want their own piece of the Adelphi—and that tantalizing promise of easy, hotel living. And they know that the preservation of downtown Saratoga is in great hands. “I’ve been coming here since I was a teenager,” Dubb says. “It’s very near and dear.”                               

Common Roots Brewing Company Unveils Café and Bierhall

Kathleen Willcox
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Common Roots Brewing Company Unveils Café and Bierhall

When Common Roots’ Bert and Christian Weber brewed their first beer together as a nod to their German roots, it’s safe to say that the father-and-son duo couldn’t anticipate what was to come. But since then, their passion for homebrewing has spawned a regional brewing juggernaut that recently opened a brand-new café that starts serving at 7am. This was on the heels of its roll-out of an expansive bierhall, also located across from the original South Glens Falls taproom.

All this hasn’t been easy. In 2014, the Webers opened Common Roots Brewing Company’s taproom doors in South Glens Falls, and quickly became one of the leading craft breweries in the region—only to have their incredible success forced to a screeching halt by a destructive fire just five years later. 

“The fire devastated us,” Christian says of the inferno, later ruled accidental, that demolished the brewery. But the expansion had already been underway, and as horrific as the fire was, it didn’t hold a candle to the support of the community. Within hours, local beer lovers began raising money to support employees and assist in the rebuilding effort. The show went on, and the plans got bigger. (The experience inspired the Webers to eventually open their own nonprofit to give back to other small businesses in need.) They re-opened in 2020.

But they wanted more. This fall, they opened the farmhouse-chic Bierhall & Barrel House, and its café. The expansion is set right across the street from the flagship taproom, joining the already existing biergarten-style tasting room. All told, the new space seats 160 with a dance floor and outdoor party space. 

The Common Roots Café, though, is a passion project. “A bunch of us went to coffee-roasting school in New York City,” Christian says. “We decided to open the café because there wasn’t a place in the area to get great coffee and good food in the morning.”

Stay tuned for news of the opening of Common Roots’ Albany HQ in the former space of C.H. Evans Brewing Co. “We are excited and humbled to now have a family brewery that dates back to 1786 under the Common Roots ownership,” Bert says, “and be a part of their story moving forward.”  

Best Foot Forward: ADK Foot Sanctuary Opens on Phila Street

Kathleen Willcox
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Best Foot Forward: ADK Foot Sanctuary Opens on Phila Street

Complex motivations are often what it takes for a potential small business owner to finally get that one great idea off the ground. Take the newly minted ADK Foot Sanctuary on Phila Street. The cozy retreat is a dream of pure pampering for one’s soles. But behind the scenes lies poignant inspiration straight from the founder’s soul. 

A lifelong love of Saratoga Springs, as well as a desire to both serve the spirit of the community here while honoring her late mom, inspired Christina Frazier to open her second Upstate New York foot spa here.

“I grew up going to Saratoga all the time with my mother,” she says. “We lived in Johnstown, but this was our special place. We’d come to the ballet, Mrs. London’s. We had so many wonderful times here.”

After spending a few years hitting the slopes in Oregon after high school, Frazier found her groove working in the wellness space, as a trainer touring the world for the Ayurvedic skincare line Sundari.

“When I was working and traveling in Singapore, I became entranced with the ritual of foot massage,” she says. “It is an enormous part of the culture and life there.”

Frazier pursued a degree in massage therapy and then decided to marry her loves of wellness, energy work, spirituality and healing, first opening a foot massage sanctuary in Bend, which she says was the “culmination of years of work, planning and meditation.” Then she found love with a New Yorker, Mark, and returned home. After selling her Bend foot spa, she opened her first ADK Foot Sanctuary in Lake Placid six years ago. 

“I always wanted to open a store in Saratoga, but it was never the right time,” she says. “Then my mom got sick, and I nursed her through to the end. After she passed two years ago, I knew it was time. I feel like she has guided this whole process, and opening our doors has been an amazing experience.”

Frazier’s Saratoga spa is distinct from the Lake Placid model, although both are deeply focused on foot massage and healing. 

“They’re different markets,” she says. “Our sanctuary in Saratoga has room for two guests. It’s so intimate and personal. The community has been so welcoming, and I love being on Phila Street, next to amazing neighbors like Bocage.”

Stay tuned for collaborations and events with Bocage and others in the future. Until then, treat your soles to a soulful seasonal massage. 

Power Player: Mayor John Safford

Natalli Amato
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Power Player: Mayor John Safford

When something of value has been lost, it’s instinctual to try your hardest to find it once again. For newly elected Saratoga Springs Mayor John Safford, that thing is civility. As we sit down at KaffeHouse, where he is a regular, he asks an important question: “Can we bring it back?”

The question was the beating heart of Safford’s mayoral campaign. With 20-plus years’ experience managing homeowners associations and condo boards in the community, and previous careers in the computer industry and military service, Safford cites the desire to be useful to others as his “driving force.”

Now, that same force propels him to find the answer to his campaign’s question. For Safford, how our modern culture of discontent can be alchemized into one of civility and care can be found by looking to the past, when words weren’t as sharp and networks were narrower. And he believes that there is no community better positioned to bring such values back to public life than Saratoga—and just in time for the city to hit the worldwide stage as part of the Triple Crown. “We have this international reputation as being a great place to visit, and we’re going to have the Belmont, which is going to do even more for us,” he says. “So the challenge is to bring in conversations about what old-fashioned civility means—not by law, not by edict, not by guilt, but by being good to one another.”

Safford and the town’s new Commissioner of Public Safety Commissioner, Tim Coll, have joined incumbents Jason Golub (Public Works), Dillon Moran (Accounts), and Minita Sanghvi (Finance) just in time to whip Saratoga into shape for the biggest event to hit town in recent memory—or maybe ever. But instead of stressing out, Safford stays true to his values and campaign, recalling growing up blue-collar in the Kensington section of Buffalo where front porches were welcoming hubs of community life. With tenderness, he describes boyhood summers spent playing on the street with neighborhood kids while the parents sat out, talking and socializing, building connections one dusk-lit porch conversation at a time. Languages and religions weren’t necessarily shared, but respect and time together always were.

“This is one of the things I like about Saratoga,” he says with a smile. “We have porches.”

Our modern front lawns, however, have some telling differences. “It’s so odd when you see people who feel obligated to put up signs that say ‘Be civil to one another,’” he says. 

While it may be odd indeed, such displays reflect just how—even in isolating and polarizing times—the yearning for human kindness does not go away. As Safford looks ahead to what is going to be an octane-fueled 2024, he already has ideas about what a kinder Saratoga will project when the world is watching: “We could be a bright light.”  

Seasons of Love: Becca & Chris’ Winter Wedding at The Adelphi Hotel

Natalie Moore
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Seasons of Love: Becca & Chris’ Winter Wedding at The Adelphi Hotel

Photography by Dori Fitzpatrick

Part of the beauty of upstate New York is that we have four distinct seasons: snowy winters, hopeful springs, sultry summers and crisp autumns. And when it comes to planning a wedding, those seasons can often serve as a built-in theme. Keep reading to meet one of four couples who took the timing of their Capital Region weddings to heart and celebrated the magic of our upstate climate in spectacular, seasonal style.

Becca Molten wanted to have her wedding during the winter for several reasons. For one, she didn’t want to worry about the weather, or about the chance of having to move a planned outdoor ceremony indoors at the last minute. “I have too much anxiety for that,” she says, laughing. “And if we were going to get married inside anyways, then why not do it around a really magical time of year? Saratoga’s so gorgeous during the holidays.”

Becca and her then-fiancé, Chris, chose The Adelphi for its vintage but modern feel, and ran with the winter wedding theme. Their altar was flanked by Christmas trees; their centerpieces were lit by soft, romantic candlelight; and Becca’s bridesmaids were dressed in rich tones of velvet. “I wore a fur and my girls had fur shawls,” Becca says. “It was cold that day, but with the furs we got to take some nice photos outside without everyone freezing.”

The icing on the (wedding) cake? Everything was walkable for the Moltens’ guests—the rehearsal dinner at The 408 included. “The convenience of Saratoga is so special,” Becca says. “No one had to get on a bus and be shipped anywhere. I really wanted our guests from out of town to have an experience and a feeling about the place—like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so romantic.’”

Seasons of Love: McKenna & Garrett’s Autumn Wedding at the Inn at Erlowest

Natalie Moore
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Seasons of Love: McKenna & Garrett’s Autumn Wedding at the Inn at Erlowest

Photography by Jessie Casey

Part of the beauty of upstate New York is that we have four distinct seasons: snowy winters, hopeful springs, sultry summers and crisp autumns. And when it comes to planning a wedding, those seasons can often serve as a built-in theme. Keep reading to meet one of four couples who took the timing of their Capital Region weddings to heart and celebrated the magic of our upstate climate in spectacular, seasonal style.

Despite what they say about the date, Friday the 13th of October turned out to be quite a lucky day for at least one Capital Region couple. “We really wanted a Halloween wedding, but it was going to be years until it fell on a weekend date again,” says bride McKenna Ethier. “But we noticed there was a Friday the 13th in October and booked it.”

With a sufficiently spooky date booked for their “I dos”—at the Queen Anne–style Inn at Erlowest castle, no less—McKenna and her husband, Garrett, got working on the details of their ultimate gothic wedding. “The goal was Phantom of the Opera, and we just went with it,” McKenna says. “We wanted a dark, gothic, Halloween theme, but at the same time wanted to incorporate the fact that it was fall and it’s beautiful in Lake George.” So while the couple opted for a simple ceremony that showcased the foliage of the surrounding mountains, they went all out on Halloween décor, from skeleton Champagne flutes and skull centerpieces to a neon “To Death” (do us part) sign.

And while the bride’s dress typically takes center stage at a wedding, the artistic Garrett wasn’t one to let his leading lady get all the glory. “He went online and was able to find an authentic, Victorian-style getup, and that was his outfit,” McKenna says. “He did that all by himself.”  

Seasons of Love: Katherine & David’s Summer Wedding at Saratoga Race Course

Natalie Moore
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Seasons of Love: Katherine & David’s Summer Wedding at Saratoga Race Course

Photography by Michelle Lange

Part of the beauty of upstate New York is that we have four distinct seasons: snowy winters, hopeful springs, sultry summers and crisp autumns. And when it comes to planning a wedding, those seasons can often serve as a built-in theme. Flip the page to meet four couples who took the timing of their Capital Region weddings to heart and celebrated the magic of our upstate climate in spectacular, seasonal style.

For most brides, the perfect summertime wedding would be on a lake, near the ocean, or even at a country club. But for Saratoga native Katherine Henry, there was only one wedding venue that would properly show off peak season in her hometown. 

“My parents still live about a block away from the track,” the Saratoga native says. “It was actually my first job—I sold programs there in high school. And then when I met my husband in college, the track became a part of our relationship. So once we landed on wanting to get married in Saratoga, the track became a very natural choice to look into.”

After a friend who works at Mazzone Hospitality told Katherine that the new 1863 Club was going to become a wedding venue, she and her husband, David, went to see the space. “We visited in the dead of winter and it still took our breath away,” Katherine says. Add in blue hydrangeas (inspired by Westport, MA vacations), a winner’s circle ceremony and Spa City details including ticket stub table numbers, and the Henrys’ Saratoga summer wedding (held in September, just after the racing season) was complete.

“You can go to any town and go to a country club, but this was just such so different,” Katherine says. “People kept echoing ‘We have to come back and see this place when the horses are running.’ People were blown away not only by Saratoga but by the track as a backdrop.”

Seasons of Love: Brianna & Justin’s Spring Wedding at June Farms

Natalie Moore
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Seasons of Love: Brianna & Justin’s Spring Wedding at June Farms

Photography by JP Elario

Part of the beauty of upstate New York is that we have four distinct seasons: snowy winters, hopeful springs, sultry summers and crisp autumns. And when it comes to planning a wedding, those seasons can often serve as a built-in theme. Flip the page to meet four couples who took the timing of their Capital Region weddings to heart and celebrated the magic of our upstate climate in spectacular, seasonal style.

When you think of springtime, you probably think of flowers. So if there was one thing Brianna and Justin Feldman wanted to perfect for their springtime nuptials at June Farms, it was the florals. Of which they wanted a lot.

“We wanted to do something that incorporated who we are as people and as a couple,” says Brianna of her big day. “For us that something was bright, vibrant and fun.” To pull off that vision, the Feldmans brought in David Michael Schmidt of Renaissance Floral Design, gave him an idea and let him do his thing. The end result? A fairytale forest wedding in June Farm’s “Timber Town,” accented with striking blue, pink and purple flowers at every turn. 

While the Feldmans balled out on the floral front, they went big in other areas as well—their 230-person wedding featured an aerialist performance by Good Karma Entertainment, a live band, and an interactive signature cocktail station (conceived of by Brianna’s sister and built by her aunt and uncle) where guests rang a bell and were handed either the groom’s Manhattan or the bride’s Margarita by a gloved hand through a mysterious hole in the wall.

“All the credit goes to our vendors,” Brianna says. “It was just what we wanted—a once-in-a-lifetime, unique experience, and the ultimate party feeling for us and our guests.”

Track Stars: Trainers Jena Antonucci and Linda Rice

Brien Bouyea
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Track Stars: Trainers Jena Antonucci and Linda Rice

Forecasting which trainers will garner the majority of the headlines at Saratoga Race Course hasn’t been too difficult a task in recent years. The likes of Chad Brown, Todd Pletcher, Christophe Clement, Bill Mott, Brad Cox and Steve Asmussen have been perennially dominant at the Spa—and that is unlikely to change anytime soon. But the storylines shifted a bit during the summer of 2023 to make room for Jena Antonucci and Linda Rice to take center stage with the power player regulars at the historic track. 

Antonucci, who in June became the first woman to train a Triple Crown race winner when she sent out Arcangelo to win the Belmont Stakes, became only the second woman to win Saratoga’s signature event, the Travers. Arcangelo, a son of Hall of Famer and 2016 Travers record-setter Arrogate, won the 154th edition of the Midsummer Derby to establish himself as the leader in the 3-year-old division. With that victory, Antonucci joined Mary Hirsch (in 1938, with Thanksgiving) as the only women to saddle a Travers winner. 

“The significance of accomplishing anything in any gender at the top of any sport or industry is a gift,” Antonucci said after the Travers. “It doesn’t come without the team and without every single person on our team. The significance of this is hard to put into words right now. Anyone that wants something bad enough, you just have to work your tail off for it. It doesn’t matter—man, woman, boy, girl—that’s just white noise. If you want it, go fight for it and make it happen for yourself.”

Trainer Jena Antonucci with Arcangelo, winner of last year’s Belmont and Travers stakes. (Photography by Bob Mayberger)

While Antonucci is somewhat of a new name to most racing fans, Linda Rice has long been established as one of Saratoga’s most successful trainers with more than 2,300 wins in a career that began in 1987. In 2009, she became the first woman to win a Saratoga training title. Fourteen years later, Rice was once again atop the Spa leaderboard, sharing the meet title with Chad Brown with 35 wins during this year’s 40-day season. Rice rallied to earn her share of the crown, winning three races on September 3 to put herself in striking position. Then she scooped up two wins on the Labor Day card to forge the tie with Brown.

“They were both really special in their own way,” Rice said of her two times being the leading trainer at Saratoga. “You never take the fun out of the first one. It’s been a great year…it’s been a lot of fun, a great meet.”

Rice has dominated the NYRA circuit since the fall of 2022, earning titles at the past five NYRA meetings at Aqueduct fall, Aqueduct winter, Aqueduct spring, and Belmont spring/summer prior to her 2023 Saratoga championship. She’ll look to make it six in a row this fall at the Belmont at the Big A meeting.

With Antonucci and Rice leading the way, girl power was certainly in full force this summer at Saratoga. And it certainly will continue to be for years to come.

Last Days to Vote: Saratoga Businesses up for 2024 ‘Capital Region Living’ Bestie Awards

Staff Report
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Last Days to Vote: Saratoga Businesses up for 2024 ‘Capital Region Living’ Bestie Awards

If you didn’t already know this, Saratoga Living is owned by Empire Media Network, the same parent company as Capital Region Living. In other words, the SL and CRL teams are one and the same. While on the Saratoga side, we’re hard at work on Saratoga Living After Hours stories and prepping for the release of our winter “I Do!” Issue, on the Capital Region side, we’re in the final days of voting (the survey closes January 7) for our annual Bestie Awards, a region-wide survey of people, places, food and drink whose results are published in the spring and summer issues of Capital Region Living. And by “region-wide” we really mean “region-wide”—Saratoga’s included.

Voting for the 2024 Bestie Awards is open now through Sunday, so there’s still time to cast your votes for your favorite local businesses. In the past, we’ve seen businesses that get behind the cause and “promote the vote” do very well when all is tallied up; a social media post or e-blast asking your followers to vote for your business can go a long way. Just look at the Spa City’s Bocage Champagne bar, which last year took home six—SIX—Besties in the categories of Best-Kept Secret, Best Wine Selection, Best Bartenders, Best Tapas/Small Plates, Best Romantic Dining and Best New Restaurant.

The Panza’s Restaurant team at the 2023 BestieFest Awards Night.
The West Ave Pizza team at the 2023 BestieFest Awards Night.

Other Saratoga-based winners defending their title include Uncommon Grounds (Bagels), PJ’s Bar-B-QSA (BBQ), Hattie’s (Fried Chicken), Cantina (Margarita), 9 Maple Avenue (Martini), Cardona’s Market (Meatballs, Sandwich/Sub), Druthers Brewing (Pretzel With Pub Cheese), Saratoga Winery (Wine/Winery), Panza’s (Saratoga Restaurant), The Children’s Museum at Saratoga (Children’s Museum), SPAC (Concert Venue, Outdoor Summer Venue), Balzer and Tuck Architecture (Architecture Firm), Complexions Spa for Beauty and Wellness (Day Spa), Wesley Senior Solutions (Home Healthcare), Sensory Six (Interior Designer), Morgan Campbell Photo (Photographer), Julie Bonacio (Real Estate Professional), Mark Thomas Men’s Apparel (Menswear), Saratoga National Golf Club (Golf Course) and The Inn at Saratoga (Inn). Many more were finalists in a wide range of categories.

And there are plenty of opportunities for other Saratoga businesses to become first-time Bestie winners. Allerdice Ace Hardware could usurp Guilderland and Slingerlands’ Robinson’s Ace Hardware for best Hardware Store, Purdy’s Discount Wine & Liquor could take the Liquor/Wine Store crown from Albany’s Empire Wine, and 15 Church could nudge out 677 Prime in the Fine Dining category. But Saratoga businesses will only get the regional respect they’re due if the people who love them do something about it. Cast your votes for the 2024 Bestie Awards here.

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