I’ve always been a night owl. Even as a kid, I was one of those cloying children who begged their parents to let them stay up late “just this once” without much success. It’s not that I’m against mornings, exactly (after decades of being in charge of can’t-miss deadlines, one tends to get up early naturally), but, as someone who has chosen to live almost exclusively in massive, chaotic cities, for me, life really gets good when the sun goes down. That’s when Papi comes alive.
Is it any wonder that the last four cities I called home—Manhattan, Miami, Vegas and LA—are famous for a lot of things, not the least of which is their legendary status as places that know what it means to party (and after-party) hard. Now, as I experience my first full Saratoga summer, I think I know what’s headed my way (happy hours, galas, late dinners), but, according to nearly everyone who finds out it’s my virgin tour this Spa City season, apparently, I don’t have a clue.
Look, it’s not like I’m some wild Millennial experiencing freedom for the first time, but there does seem to be something different about a Saratoga summer and, honestly, I can’t wait to fully find out what that is exactly. Certainly, SPAC’s jaw-dropping mix of impossibly gorgeous ballet and classical music offerings together with Live Nation’s A-List concert series is front and center as is, of course, the Saratoga Race Course, with its global reach luring the betting masses and horse racing elite to our idyllic corner of the planet.
Truth is, I have so much work in front of me—editing more saratoga living issues this year than ever in our history, for starters—but, somehow, I have a strong hunch that I’m going to make my initial season in Saratoga one for the record books (it really helps that I live in the heart of Downtown, a three-minute walk to my office, and the delirium known as Caroline Street!). But, again, folks, this isn’t my first rodeo.
Yes, I know you throw down with the best of them, Saratoga, but after my long, successful stints in some of the world’s greatest party capitals, you may have just met your match. Tell you what, I’ll even host the after party. Now, let’s have some fun.
RICHARD PÉREZ-FERIA
Editor in Chief