Bridge of Sighs

Most Saratogians agree: Having to drive south of the Twin Bridges requires a destination of MAJOR importance. So...what exactly makes the cut?

At the second meeting of Networking at Night, the networking group my friend Andrea cofounded, I met a guy named James who works for Capital City Cycle Tours and Tiki Tours on Lake George and Saratoga Lake. After talking about his job and the companies as a whole—and after we’d all had a couple pumpkin beers—he switched topics and addressed the group: “Do any of you girls want to play flag football?”

He couldn’t possibly have known, but he’d come to the right place. “I can’t stress enough how in I am,” I responded quickly. My enthusiasm didn’t even falter after he told me the where and when: the Saint Rose athletic fields at 9am on Sunday mornings. I’ve been known to complain when I have to drive as far as Clifton Park. But for flag football? I’m willing to cross the notorious Twin Bridges—which serve as the defacto barrier between the north half and south half of the Capital Region—and then some.

My three trips to football this fall got me thinking: For what reason will other Saratogians travel south of the Twins?

Family

Quite a few Saratogians (and those from points north) are willing to travel 30-plus minutes to see family. “My mother’s family is from the Albany area and my son attends SUNY Oneonta, so I am always on the Northway!” Glens Falls resident Deb VanAnden says.

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Live Entertainment

Then there are concerts. “I’ll travel south of the Twins for a good winter concert at The Palace or The Egg like Umphrey’s McGee,” says fellow Glens Falls-ian Tom Iwinski. “I commuted to HVCC and swore off ever working south of the Twins.” Saratogian Arthur Gonick, on the other hand, says he’ll be traveling to see Hamilton when it comes to Proctors in the spring. (The jury’s out on whether Schenectady is south of the Twins; technically it’s the tiniest bit north of the actual bridges but south of the Mohawk. Regardless, the Electric City is a hike.")

Food

Food is perhaps the biggest driver in getting us northerners to get in our cars and, well, drive. Some of the eateries Saratogians have deemed worth the trip?