Saratoga ?'s
 

Ok ladies and gents, ive got the fever for toga!!!! im getting married in july and im trying to figure out a way to get my new wife to agree to go to toga some weekend fly up on thur track fri and sat but i need some help.

1) assume fly into albany and rent a car to drive to toga. how far is it there? is it a tough drive difficult to get to etc etc?
2) Where to stay? i know my wife and she is gonna want something nice so no dive motels. i have some money to go up there but would prefer to have the room be no more then 200/night
3) is there enough to do after the racing to make her happy? and no jokes about "hey you just got married, you shouldn't have to find things to do after the races" ha ha.
4) i gamble bout 300-500 a day depending on how things are going if good upper level if bad maybe only 150 day so for the 2 full days im thinking 2k spending money gambling food etc.

im really thinking about doing this and feel that i need to do it this summer b/c by next summer she may be pregnant then once a child comes along its gonna be tough. This may be my only shot for the next several years. Any input is appreciated.

.....

get a prenup

Do it!

hey, do it like the last guy said. you won't regret it. saratoga is one of the biggest reasons i love horse racing.

check Marriott's Fairfield Inn in Ballston Spa. There's a Dunkin Donut's next store and easy on/off highway to track in about 15mins. Not fancy but certainly clean etc.

Your best bet for getting a nicer hotel at that price is to look at any weekend besides Travers and opening weekend.

I recommend getting reservations for dinner. Plenty of options to eat and drink. All of the shops on Broadway stay open until at least 9 if that is something she is interested in. Also, you have the park that is gorgeous and really worth setting aside some time to go see.

Nice spot, but well above $200 a night now. I think they get you in the neigborhood of $270-300 a night.

There are hotel chains all along the highway between Albany and Saratoga. (It's pretty much suburbia, chain restaurants, chain hotels etc.) There is plenty for the new bride to do. At the track there is great people watching and if she likes to dress up, she will have fun with that. There is great shopping in town at smaller stores and some chains and just north of Saratoga is a strip of more classic suburban big box stores.
There is alot of history here and if she like that stuff I recommend stopping at Lyrical Ballad Bookstore and getting a book with a self guided tour of notable places.
There are great restaurants (though crowded and somewhat less fabulous during the racing meet) in and around town. If you want to go out for a "nice" meal be sure to make a reservation.
If you and the bride are into nightlife, there is more than enough of that, though one night you should get to bed early and wake with the roosters and go out to see the horses train as the sun comes up. (If you are significantly younger than I, you might stay up all night and then go to the works, it's what I did and I survived.)
The Museum of Racing is accross the street from the track and most of Saratoga is "walking distance" as the town is fairly small. If you are at a hotel off the highway you will need a car, get one near the airport. Getting around is easy. One highway (RT-87, locally called the Northway, even if you are southbound) runs between Albany and Saratoga. Hotels are all near exits and since it's pretty residential there are conveniences like CVS, liquor stores and groceries all over the place.

The ride is a piece of cake its only about 20 - 25 minutes up Route 87. Watch for cops when you cross the "Twin Bridges" between Albany and Saratoga counties. I got Nabbed me a few years ago.

There are a number of places depending on if you want to stay in down town saratoga or a few miles away. Last time I check there were still rooms to be had, in town.
There is plenty to keep both of you busy. There are a lot of choices for food, drink and shopping in downtown Saratoga.
You should definitely be able to get by on this budget, you just may have to stay a bit further away. I'm staying at the Marriot on Wolf Road this year as my sister in-law moved from Del Mar, NY to Florida, bummer no more free lodging.

My wife and I have been going for long weekends since 1995 and after we adopted our son at 4 months old in 2002 he has been coming along ever since. Granted we are only a 4 hour car ride away and not a flight but it has worked out for us.

My wife is not a huge fan of horse racing but she does enjoy our annual trips to Saratoga and actually wants to go up for two weekends this year.

Good luck and have a great time at the SPAAAAAA!

Just booked a couple of midweek nights at the Saratoga Inn, walking distance from the Barbecue if I am not mistaken, for $219 per night, through Expedia.

The Saratoga Inn website was getting over $325 for the same room.

Check Expedia and Hotel websites and see what you can do.

If you can't have fun in Saratoga during racing season then you can't have fun anywhere.

Well put.

How about if you work for PETA, still fun?

:D see ya there, fun guy!

They can go help the wayward ducks from Congress Park, that should keep them happy on Tuesdays at least...

I also booked Inn at Saratoga for an off night.

Weekend nights look a lot tougher though. I am paying $201 (Sunday), but see it is $188 on hotels.com today for some days. Called them up directly and they were very accomodating.

Make sure you try Clancy's for a cocktail. That's where all the sophisticated people congregate late in the evening to hob nob.

I just want to thank everyone for the tips!!! thank you so much i can't wait and hope that it works out. I hope to meet everyone at the bbq rest. and hope that all works out. Thank you so much for all the help.

if you work for PETA you are just not a fun kinda person.:zz:

You sure you dont want to do the Del Mar trip instead?