Saratoga Springs, New York
Saratoga Springs was established as a town in 1819 from a
western portion of the Town of Saratoga. Its principal community was
incorporated as a village in 1826 and the entire region became a city in
1915. The famous Battle of Saratoga, the turning point of the American
Revolution, did not take place in Saratoga Springs. Rather, the
battlefield is 15 miles (24 km) to the southeast in the town of
Stillwater.
The city is perhaps most famous for the Saratoga Race
Course, the oldest continuously-operating Thoroughbred track in the
United States. The track holds a summer meet lasting approximately six
weeks, from late July to Labor Day, every day but Tuesdays. The track
season sees a dramatic influx of people into the city. Hotels fill to
capacity, and many Saratogians rent out their homes.
Also located
in the city is the Saratoga Gaming and Raceway, a harness
(Standardbred) racetrack that includes a video gaming facility, the
Racino.
The Saratoga Performing Arts Center (known by its acronym
"SPAC," rhymes with "track") is a covered outdoor amphitheater located
on the grounds of the Saratoga Spa State Park, with a capacity of 5,000
in reserved seating and 20,000+ on its general admission lawn area. SPAC
is the summer home of the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York City
Ballet, and has hosted a weekend-long jazz festival for several decades.
It is a stop for touring national recording artists: over 20 popular
bands grace the stage every summer. Steps away on State Park grounds,
the Spa Little Theater hosts a chamber music festival as well as the
geographically-misdescriptive Lake George Opera Festival during the
summer.
There are several museums in the area, including the
National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, and more than 20 golf
courses.
The city is also notable for its vibrant night life.
Caffè Lena was one of the first venues in the Eastern US at which Bob
Dylan performed, in 1961. Arlo Guthrie played the Caffè early in his
career and has returned for occasional benefit concerts. Singer Don
McLean is said to have composed his "American Pie" sitting at a table in
the Tin & Lint, a bar on Caroline Street. A plaque marks the table
today. Numerous other establishments exist on Broadway, Caroline Street,
and the redeveloped Putnam Street.
Recently, Beekman Street
(four blocks west of Broadway) has become an art district, housing four
galleries and a bistro. Artists live and work in co-ops and arrange
social events. While many congratulate themselves on "revitalizing" a
"deteriorating" area, others consider such declarations an insult to the
generations of Saratogians of marginalized ethnicities that toiled in
support the tourism economy of the city, and were traditionally
segregated to this once-remote quarter.
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