Saratoga ?'s

[Gander]

Originally Posted by wac

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? Its about 35 minutes from Albany Airpoort, exit 4 to exit 14 (straight up the Northway, no turns)
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 Avoid hotels in Saratoga. Look North of Saratoga, in the Glens Falls/Lake George area. The prices are much more reasonable and the area itself is a lot nicer than anything south of saratoga. There are mountains and lakes everywhere.
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. The nightlife in Saratoga is okay but gets very sketchy after midnight. My advice is go out for a nice dinner somewhere and a couple of nightcaps, but get out before the riff raff comes in. It aint what it use to be.
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. That sounds about right.

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.

Do it!

[johnny pinwheel]

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

[dellinger63]

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.

[Gander]

Originally Posted by dellinger63

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.

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

[Linny]

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.