Hey Morris....Saratoga Help?

[sharky17]

Hey Morris.....My wife and baby and I are going into Upstate New York for a few days away at the end of the month.

We'll be at the Courtyard in Saratoga on the 24th and 25th of this month, and will be trackside for the Wednesday card, and maybe a few races on Thursday before we starting heading back towards home.

I know it is Travers week, but I am hoping that the Wednesday card won't be that busy. Do you have any opinion on what the crowd would be like at that time of the week? We're planning on taking our lawn chairs and cooler and hanging out in the picnic area for most of the time, but not having been there, I'm not exactly sure what to expect.

We're planning on going for breakfast and taking the backstretch tour one morning as well.

If you have any tips or advice for anything around the track that might be useful, that would be great.

Also, if you're going to be trackside on one of those days, I would be happy to buy you a cold one! :toast:

Thanks,

Sharky

 

[Striker13]

Here's some restaurant ideas for you--


Pennells on Jefferson for Italian
Juicyburger for a pretty good burger
Olde Bryan Inn, Wishing Well, and Longfellows for fine dining

Hatties for seafood and cajun
Stadium Club for pub food and sports atmosphere
Leons for mexican, owned by a former jockey
Ben and Bills Deli for sandwiches
D'Andreas, Popes and Inferno for pizza
Horseshoe Inn for breakfast
Wheatfields
Karavalli if you like Indian food

Look some up and see what you think.

 

[redsfann]

We're planning on taking our lawn chairs and cooler and hanging out in the picnic area for most of the time, but not having been there, I'm not exactly sure what to expect.

If you have any tips or advice for anything around the track that might be useful, that would be great.

Also, if you're going to be trackside on one of those days, I would be happy to buy you a cold one! :toast:

Thanks,

Sharky

I was out there on Monday, Aug 2nd and it was a full house on the backstretch. 1 PM 1st post and if you want any type of close-in picnic table with shade I'd plan on getting there at least 3 hours early.
Got to meet Morris and have a few beers with him. Great guy and I'm sure if he has the ability to make it over to the track the day you are there, he will. If he hasn't seen this in a day or two, ask the mods for his e-mail address and get in touch with him.

 

[Morris]

Sharky, sorry i didn't see this till now. Lawn chairs, cooler and picnic area is what I do and the best place to be for me anyway.

Wednesday shouldn't be too bad as far as crowds and the good thing is you have lawn chairs so you can sit anywhere and then go and explore.

You can have breakfast there or you can get coffee and donuts at a shop and bring them in. They charge you $10 to park inside the track but give you your money back if you leave by 10am. Are you planning to make it a full day or do the morning thing and go back for the races?

The Courtyard is a block away fron The Old Bryan Inn. Good place for steaks but it will be crowded it's crowded off season.

EBI beverage is 1/2 mile up the street and has the best prices for beer.

Let me know what your schedule is and what you're interested in doing. (Dinner plans etc.)How old is the little one?

 

[Morris]

If you bring a cooler...no bottles! Only cans.

 

[sharky17]

Hey Guys.....Thanks for the replies and help!

I am really looking forward to getting there. :00hour

Morris - I am glad to hear that Wednesday shouldn't be too crowded and that you recommend the picnic area. Our plan is to do as you have suggested - set up shop with a couple of lawn chairs and cooler and wander around after that.

The little guy is 4 months old, and I don't want to jinx anything, but he has been nothing short of a dream child - he loves to eat and sleep, he travels really well and doesn't seem to mind crowds, so we thought we would give this trip a shot.

We really don't have any plans other than being at the track all day on Wednesday. We will get into town late afternoon on Tuesday and then maybe catch the early Pick 4 on Thursday and start heading for home after that (we are staying at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino near Syracuse on the Thursday night).

So....it would be great to run into you at some point if you are around. Maybe I will try to get your e-mail from Jack (or vice versa) and we can talk for a minute. :toast:

 

[Morris]

Hey Guys.....Thanks for the replies and help!

I am really looking forward to getting there. :00hour

Morris - I am glad to hear that Wednesday shouldn't be too crowded and that you recommend the picnic area. Our plan is to do as you have suggested - set up shop with a couple of lawn chairs and cooler and wander around after that.

The little guy is 4 months old, and I don't want to jinx anything, but he has been nothing short of a dream child - he loves to eat and sleep, he travels really well and doesn't seem to mind crowds, so we thought we would give this trip a shot.

We really don't have any plans other than being at the track all day on Wednesday. We will get into town late afternoon on Tuesday and then maybe catch the early Pick 4 on Thursday and start heading for home after that (we are staying at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino near Syracuse on the Thursday night).

So....it would be great to run into you at some point if you are around. Maybe I will try to get your e-mail from Jack (or vice versa) and we can talk for a minute. :toast:

Sounds good.....get my email and we can exchange numbers and get together!

 

[sharky17]

Well Guys,

The beer is chilling for my day at Saratoga tomorrow as we speak. That's the good news.

Bad news is that rain is forecast for most of the day tomorrow and this card doesn't look too sporty: 5 of the 9 races are for 2yo's and 5 of the 9 races are scheduled for the turf. There is one 5 horse field, and two 6 horse fields before any scratches. And the scratches could be plenty if the rain does come tonight.....

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to seeing Saratoga, and Morris and I are going to try to meet up for a couple of cold ones later in the card, so it will be a good day regardless!!

I've got a couple I have been looking at, but will wait to see what the morning brings. I will try to post.

Did I mention I'm excited about seeing this place?

:mj06: