Arrive Magazine - May/June, 2010

Spa City

EAT

Beverly’s

Fresh omelets and eye-popping strong coffee to revive you from late-night revelry. 47 Phila St.

Putnam Market

Pick up some gourmet sandwiches and a bottle of wine and head to the gorgeous, Frederick Law Olmsted-designed Congress Park (Broadway and Circular streets) or the track for a picnic. 435 Broadway

Wheatfield’s Homemade pastas and outdoor seating to watch the Broadway people parade. 440 Broadway SLEEP Gideon Putnam Resort A historic, Georgian-style resort with all the amenities. It also handles reservations for the Roosevelt Baths. Inside the Spa State Park, 866-890-1171

The Inn at Saratoga This modernized but still period-like Victorian inn also boasts one of the city’s best restaurants and a cocktail lounge overlooking Broadway. 231 Broadway, 800-274-3573

SHOP Lyrical Ballad Bookstore This unique, maze-like warren of crooked hallways, closet-sized rooms and even an old bank vault houses thousands of items, from first-edition hardcovers to your favorite paperbacks to a fine selection of horse-racing prints and publications. 7 Phila St.

G. Willickers

This old-school toy store features the kinds of products—dolls, wooden toys, games—you played with, before kids needed computer skills to have fun. 461 Broadway

Celtic Treasures

Authentic treats from the Olde Sod, including woolen sweaters,

Claddagh jewelry and tweed caps.

456 Broadway

cities this small—the year-round population is just about 28,000—have so much to offer. Anyone who lives here or visits comes away with a sense of the area’s pride in its special mix of culture, history and geography.

To be sure, the city’s current claim to fame stems predominantly from the equine tourists who visit every summer. Saratoga Race Course, which opened for business way back when Abe Lincoln was president, is arguably the most successful horse racing track in America.

While other tracks are cutting back or going out of business, Saratoga is actually increasing its season by four days this year. The track, with its mix of old-money, fancy-hatted bluebloods and shady characters out of Damon Runyon, offers endless fascination and world-class people watching—even if you don’t know how to box an exacta. The 2010 meet begins July 23 and includes 40 racing days through Labor Day, Sept. 6.