Forgive my friend E-Street
 

I was in Boston over the weekend and headed to suffolk downs for a few hours saturday to watch the racing and make a few bets.. that wasnt the happiest place ive ever been.. you see so many cross sections of society there, unreal..not too many woman though.. prob 95-98% men!!
Also so many people came up to me asking me for money..

If you want to see depressing, go visit the OTB on 2nd and 52nd or so on a random Friday as I did last week. Eesh...

Try the one up the block at 68th. Even worse.

This thread is depressing me...

My favorite NYC OTB for degeneracy is definitely John St. The legends of that joint spawned an off Broadway play, for God sakes!

No- there's the restaurant on John/Water (which is very nice)- the parlor on John by Broadway. Michael Imperioli wrote and directed a play called "Ponies" a while back.

I'm telling you... this joint is stuff of legends. I was a regular when I worked downtown.

I was at Keeneland for the very first time today. It was cold and rainy and so what. I may not have showed it but I was in complete awe of the whole experience. :D :D cheesing big time. Riot made the trip special with some very nice box seats. Thank you.

I've got friends at the OTB that make the trip worth while. I'm not really worried about losing my money. It's part of the game.

Casinos.. I think I swear I will never go again but then do because I have a friend that has a thing for Hold 'em and Blackjack
Just wins often enough to make him want to go back

Wingnut,
That's just it.
I've been to Keeneland the last 3 years... all the first weekend in December when it's chilly and ratty out. And it's stilll... JUST SO COOL! I gotta see that place in the fall or spring. Wow!

The second floor at Hawthorne is a notch up and the facilites are better than some other big names (Monmouth!). No compariosn to Arlington!

AMEN!!

The most beautiful, serene, relaxing, fun, non-depressing tracks:

Churchill, Keeneland, Arlington, Belmont, Saratoga, Monmouth, Del Mar, Santa Anita.

Aqueduct, Turfway, River Downs, Thistledown, and others of that ilk are alright in a pinch (better than nothing) but can be too sad to bear on anything but the biggest days.

How would you classify the Meadowlands?

NON depressing!!!!! :D

But there's no outdoor enjoyment in the sun. It's almost like going to the movies - dark, lots of food, look towards the light... very different than most racetrack-y type of experiences. I haven't been to any other night racing though.