Saratoga Springs, NY Part 1 - Good Meals and Friendly Conversation

Day 9

Gab

Tonight’s resting point is Saratoga Springs, New York home of “health, history and horses.” The racetrack is closed this time of year and we weren’t visiting the world famous Spa so our visit consisted of walks up and down historic Main Street, a stay at a Victorian Bed and Breakfast, good meals and friendly conversation with the locals. A thoroughly pleasant experience.

The Brunswick Bed and Breakfast is a quick 10 minute walk from the center of town, across the street from the Saratoga Springs Racetrack and a block away from the National Museum of Racing. We were greeted at the door by the owner Kirk and his toy poodle Java and given our choice of rooms for the evening. We chose a large bright room on the second floor, complete with private bath, cable TV and a wireless internet connection. Not too shabby!

The house itself is a lovely Victorian Gothic building built in 1886 with 10 guest rooms. It’s not as large as some of the other B&B’s that line Union Street. Everything about it is cozy and inviting – from the furnished porch to the sitting room with complimentary local papers and magazines to the guest kitchen, stocked with free popcorn, VHS movie selection and Saratoga Spring Water in the fridge. Kirk told us that the same people stay with him year after year, especially during the racing season, which is August plus the last week in July and first week in September. “It’s like a family.”

Kirk was on his way out for the night so he recommended his neighbor, the Springwater Bistro, as a place for dinner. Monday night is Tapas Night and Kirk assured us it was the place to be. Kirk then left to prepare for his own evening’s engagement, the Benefit for the Ballet, a gala event to raise money to keep the ballet at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center.

Our stomachs were growling, but we decided to take a quick walk around town before settling down for dinner at the Springwater. After a few strolls down the wide, tree-lined Broadway, we had a seat at the bar at the Saratoga Brew Pub. I think it was the NCAA women’s basketball tournament on TV that started the conversation, but before I knew it, we were chatting away with the bartender Vinnie and a regular customer named John. Michael was bemoaning the treatment first seeded Penn State had received; having to play lower ranked UConn in Connecticut. He found an ally in Vinnie, who had spent a few years as a Penn State student. Both John and Vinnie gave us props for our plans and were genuinely interested in where we’d been and where we were going. John, a traveling salesman, shared travel tips and we tipped him off to one of our new favorite websites www.gasbuddy.com. Vinnie was most impressed that not only had we both maintained our fantasy basketball teams, but both Mr. and Mrs. Seed capturing 2 of the first 4 places in our league. “Man!” Vinnie said, “I would totally go cross country for two years if I knew I could manage my fantasy leagues!” If we didn’t have dinner reservations, we could have stayed and talked for at least a few more hours, especially since the large wooden bar was very comfortable and pints of their microbrews were only $3.25.

The Saratoga Brew Pub is two stories tall. The oval shaped bar is the centerpiece. Wooden booths with tall backs (my favorite) outline the first floor. The second floor is a balconied seating area which encircles the bar, leaving it open in the middle. Our favorite offering was also Saratoga’s newest addition to the menu, the Chocolate Brown Stout. Smoother than their Mile and a Quarter Porter, the stout had just enough chocolate to make it distinct, not so much to make it sweet or syrupy. I’m not sure I could have drunk more than one a night. It did stop my hunger pangs until dinner.

We said our goodbyes and briskly walked back up Union Street, hoping to make it back to the Springwater Bistro in time for our 7:30 reservations. There was a lively crowd both in the bar and dining room when we arrived, feeling a little underdressed since several people had clearly attended the Benefit Gala earlier in the evening and were still sporting their evening dresses and dinner jackets. As Kirk had promised, it was the place to be. And although we are months away from the racing season, talk of horses, jockeys, stables and trainers filled the air.

Michael and I were escorted past the crowds and into the quieter, less lively, back room. Michael believes this was because we weren’t part of the local crowd. I prefer to think we arrived a little late and our original table was given away. Either way, we were seated at a nicely lit, not uncomfortable table.

Scrolling down the tapas menu for the evening was like viewing a wish list. I wanted everything. This is no exaggeration. Not limiting itself to traditional Mediterranean dishes, the menu offered tastes of designer pastas, thin and crispy pizzas, satays with peanut sauce and a decent selection of miniature salads, all at pretty affordable prices. Being tapas, one could easily regulate how much or how little one wanted to spend. Michael and I finally settled on white bean hummous with grilled flat bread, bacon wrapped bison mignons and veal enchiladas with green chili salsa verde and kept a menu at the table in case we wanted to add to that selection later.

The fresh rolls and lemon aioli that we were downing with rapid speed were savory, but after 15 minutes, we started to wonder where our hummous had gotten to. Was it so difficult to bring out a side of dip and some chips? The waiter apologized and said he was still waiting for the chef to complete it. ??? When the dish arrived a few minutes later, we felt a bit foolish. What we had ordered did not consist of chips and dip – it was a freshly prepared, hot from the oven, flatbread, spread with the white bean pate and drizzled with olive oil, black olives and mint leaves. It was delicious and worth the wait.

The rest of our order quickly appeared. Three 2-inch veal enchiladas were served in a pool of salsa verde, sprinkled with queso blanco. The bison mignon was about as big as a very large scallop. Portions were small but enough for both of us to get some good bites out of the dishes.

Springwater Bistro can be proud of their sauce chef. The salsa verde definitely had a bite, but wasn’t overpowering; a fine line to walk when dealing with hot peppers. The demi-glace that the bison mignon rested in was rich and subtle. Thank goodness we had a second basket of rolls. Once again, Michael and I were members of the clean plate club.

We had already decided against dessert since the couple next to us had been waiting for theirs for well over 30 minutes. The trio of crème brulees was tempting; the $8 price tag was a little steep.

We came to the conclusion that there may have been someone new in the kitchen last night since we noticed wait staff apologizing for longer than usual waits for dishes. Tapas are tricky, especially since most of them were made to order. One thing that did not suffer was the sauces. And the friendly atmosphere more than made up for the wait.

Snags and Saratoga

Day 9

Michael:

Seven National Park-related snags already. Yes, we have only been traveling for about a week. Some we knew, some we should have known and some we did not know. Here they are:

*Thomas Edison NHS in Edison, NJ. Closed for renovations until sometime in 2005. We knew, called to see if they would let us in anyway. No dice.

*Martin Van Buren NHS in Kinderhook, NY. Open Memorial Day through October. We knew, called to see if they would let us in anyway. Again, no dice.

*Saint-Gaudens NHS in Cornish NH and
Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller NHP in Woodstock, VT. Given that Saint-Gaudens is a sculptor’s house and Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller is a mansion, I had assumed that they would be open in late-March, early-April. I was wrong. They do not open until Memorial Day. These, sadly enough, fall into the ‘I should have known’ category. I am a little embarrassed about this one, but at least we had not driven the whole way to New Hampshire before realizing this error.

*Vanderbilt Mansion NHS near Hyde Park, NY. As you may have realized, we were in Hyde Park a few days ago and have nothing written about an Historic Site located there. This is for good reason. We did tour the lovely and crowded grounds of the Mansion on the first gorgeous day of the spring. We stamped our National Parks Passport. We took plenty of pictures. But we did not tour the Mansion. Nearly all of the furniture and spectacular opulence of the Vanderbilts is covered with white sheets. Just as it would have been when the Vanderbilts would have been traveling. The reason: a new boiler has just been installed in the Mansion. The beginning of spring seems like a funny time for a new heating contraption, but who knows. They are worried about soot bellowing out onto the furniture. So until the Park Service works out the kinks, you can tour the Mansion but you can’t actually see anything inside of it. We will try to come back.

*Springfield Armory NHS in Springfield, MA. This one is a little maddening. We got there on a Sunday. The National Parks Guide indicates it is open Wed-Sun. In fact, it is open Tues-Sat. The web site gives the correct open days, but I am not taking responsibility for this one. I love armament museums, so we will find a way to come back. I do not think we will see a armament collection that will compare to the Askeri Müzesi (Military Museum) I went to in Turkey, but I am keeping an open mind.

*Saratoga NHP near Stillwater, NY. We will get to this one in a bit.

Needless to say, our itinerary is wildly off course. I was worried that planning every single day would be too stifling and not spontaneous. What a silly worry. In the first two months, the northeast corridor, we will not be at one planned site on its prescriptive day. Not once. Not at all. It is great.

Back to Saratoga. We arrived on March 29th. Auto tours along the ten-mile Park loop do not start until April 1st. Had my logistical planning failed again? A volunteer said ‘no way, we couldn’t drive. That doesn’t start until the 1st’. ‘But that’s only a few days from now’. ‘Doesn’t open until the 1st. You can walk it though.’ OK. We toured the small but helpful museum and watched the year old film hoping upon its finish to ask to Ranger for permission to drive.

The film was good and informative, but too much in the Ken Burns style of documentaries. Why do people insist on copying that man? Must we suck the life out of every instance in history? The museum near the theater entrance was small but did include a few nice artifacts, dioramas and battle explanations. It is clear that a dedicated local community as well as the Rangers love this Battlefield but there is simply not enough money to do much upkeep, museum improvements or much else.

After the film we did not bother to talk to the Ranger. It was a beautiful day and we were walking. What a wonderful decision it turned out to be.

About a mile into the walk along the auto tour path there was a high-pitched din emanating from a pond on the right. It was hundreds of frogs a courting. Nothing spoiled the sound. The park was ours. It was refreshing.

It is easy to make comparisons between Saratoga and Gettysburg. They were both turning points in their respective wars. The terrain is similar and the parks are about the same size. At least the five hour walk along the auto tour in Gettysburg seemed a lot like the five hour walk along the auto tour we took at Saratoga.

I would even argue that the Battle of Saratoga was far more important than the Battle at Gettysburg. The National Parks Guidebook ranks the Battle at Saratoga as one of the 15 most decisive battles in World History. I should say so. It was our nation’s first significant victory of the Revolution. Had we not won, the Britons would have effectively cut New England from the remainder of the breakaway nation, dooming our chances for success. From the victory came French support and perhaps most importantly an impetus to France to rekindle war efforts in Europe against England. No Saratoga victory, no United States. It is as easy as that.

We as Americans forget that. We think that the Revolution was a foregone conclusion; an end ensured by destiny. It was not. Our successful breaking from our colonial power was a long shot, a miracle. Saratoga helps one to remember this. But how many of us know anything about the battle? Quick, who was our commanding General there? Who was the British Commander? Who brilliantly chose the encampment site at the Hudson narrows designed the fortifications? Which American officer’s heroic charges in battle led to the British surrender? Here are your choices: Benedict Arnold; John Burgoyne; Horatio Gates; Thaddeus Kosciuszko. Answers at the end.

The Park is equally neglected. Although this is not necessarily a bad thing. There is not the abundance of monuments, akin to Gettysburg. There is very little clutter to the eye. Helpful colored stakes in the ground indicate the position of the British and American fortifications. One can very easily place oneself in the field of battle. Except for the paved road very little has changed. And without the myriad cars and the fast food restaurants in the background, like Gettysburg, the imagination can run wild.

The most powerful part of Saratoga was the hike through the woods from the American fortifications to the Balcarres Redoubt, the place where the most decisive fighting occurred. The path is the same trail that the soldiers took over 225 years ago. When you edge out of the forest and see the cannons pointed toward you and the British fortification stakes it is not hard to be transported back in time, to the fighters who we as American should be eternally thankful to.

What we thought had been a logistical snag here at Saratoga turned out to be a blessing. It was probably the perfect day to visit this Site. Beautiful weather and before the cars. If you come here after April 1st, get out of your car and walk through the woods from the Barber Wheatfield to the Balcarres Redoubt. For me it was an unexpected pilgrimage and one of the most important retracing of steps we as Americans can take.

Here are your answers. Horatio Gates led the American forces. John Burgoyne was the British General. Thaddeus Kosciuszko, Polish Patriot, planned the American fortifications. Yes, Gabby’s Polish students, we should be thankful to your native son. And Benedict Arnold was the heroic America soldier. Yes, his name has come to be synonymous with traitorous activities. It was not the case at Saratoga. Click here to learn more.