Post (Track Season)-Storm Bliss
How downtown business owners are decompressing after track season—plus Sting at SPAC, an inaugural networking event and more.
I won’t say Saratoga was a ghost town this past Wednesday—two days after the 2022 racing season ended on a super-soggy Labor Day note—but you could certainly feel a stillness in the air. “It was nice to be able to find a parking spot,” Piper owner Alessandra Bange-Hall’s mom, Clare, told me when I stopped at the boutique, where fall styles are already flying off the shelves.
Signs that track season was over were most evident on Phila Street, where indoor construction was spilling onto the patio at Hattie’s, outdoor dining chairs were stacked on the Solevo patio, and a sign on the Phila Fusion door explained that the restaurant was closed while the owners took a vacation until September 15. (Solevo was also closed Monday-Thursday.) Elsewhere in Saratoga, I saw “closed for the week” (or at least for a few days) signs at 30 Lake, Lyrical Ballad, Silverwood Home & Gallery, The Spa Cafe, The Horseshoe and Saratoga’s Broadway Deli, whose owner, Daniel Chessare, is not afraid to share his feelings on track season. When I asked what the highlight of the last two months were, he quickly said, “everyone leaving. That was probably my favorite part of the season.” As for the low point? He shared that story on the deli’s Instagram:
To celebrate the end of the season, Daniel gave his employees Labor Day off (“I like to give my guys Labor Day off because it’s for laborers,” he says. “I always hate when I see businesses be like, ‘We really appreciate our employees—happy Labor Day…But we don’t appreciate you enough to actually give you the day off.’”) and took a trip to New York City before returning Wednesday to prep the deli to reopen Thursday.
The Misfit, Caroline Street’s newest bar, on the other hand, didn’t take any time off (though it’s closed Sundays and Mondays normally). “In the beginning, everyone was like, ‘It’s going to be chaos, it’s going to be crazy,’” GM Michelle Soroko says of the days leading up to her first Saratoga season on Caroline. “And it was, but it was a slower track season than everyone expected. I was expecting this mass chaos and it was great, actually.”
Brian Miller, marketing director at The Bourbon Room and Saratoga Soundbar, concurs. “To be honest with you, this wasn’t the craziest season we’ve ever had,” he says. “I didn’t see a lot of issues in town, the tourists were great, the locals were great—coming off of Covid it was nice to see a normal Saratoga.” While the calmer vibes Brian experienced may have been a result of his veteran team’s preparedness leading up to the season, Saratoga’s Broadway Deli’s Daniel has a different theory. “[Business] was probably down because of the two dark days,” he says. “After last year, tourists realized, what’s the point of paying for an Airbnb or a hotel room on Monday or Tuesday when they can drive home Sunday night and come back on Wednesday or Thursday?”
That wouldn’t really affect business at the bars closest to the track, though, since they see all their business on racing days anyway. Following a record-breaking opening weekend in terms of attendance and another action-packed year, The Horseshoe hosted an end-of-season party for its employees on Monday, before closing down for a few weeks. (The bar and restaurant will reopen September 23.) Kings and Saratoga City taverns hosted their end-of-season party on the same night, and eventually the three bars morphed their events into one big, happy party.
That track season camaraderie isn’t unusual in Saratoga. “I was really surprised with how much and how well all the bars come together to help each other get through it,” The Misfit’s Michelle says. (We concur: Brian’s The Bourbon Room even helped us out in a pre-party pinch.) “Sharing ice…like, ‘can I borrow a lime?’ It was really impressive.”
—Natalie
Quote of the Week
“I don’t know anyone between the ages of 5 and 33.”
—One devoted father
Sting, Like a G
After some somewhat gnarly weather, the blue skies and clear, crisp air opened up mere hours before the legend took the stage, because if anyone can control the weather, it’s Sting. And there’s no other way to say it: His Wednesday concert at SPAC was pure bliss. His mini-me son (who was both uber-talented and hilarious) opened for him, and then the coolest guy on the planet (objectively) took the stage. Not only was he a wonderfully gracious star, letting both of his backup singers and his 18-year-old (!) harmonica player each have their time in the spotlight, but he was as cool and heart-touching as ever. Audience members did some impressively enthusiastic dancing—even during his slow jams—and there was magic in the air. He approximated that this was his eighth time at SPAC and said he felt at home here. Swoon.
Networking at Night
Before the Bills Mafia took over Bailey’s on Thursday night, a group of 17 young professionals gathered at the downtown bar for the first-ever Networking at Night event, hosted by Marshall & Sterling’s Andrea Gorgen and Shelagh Conley. The goal of the group is to make personal connections in a laid-back setting, and future events will be held on the second Thursday of each month. To get added to the mailing list and receive info about future events, email agorgen@marshallsterling.com, or follow Networking at Night on Instagram.
Save the Date
This year’s Saratoga Motorcar Auction just got a little bit bougier. Join Saratoga Living from 10am-3pm on September 24 and 25 in the VIP lounge at the annual auction, which this year will be held at the Saratoga Casino Hotel. In the morning, snack on light breakfast fare while sipping coffee and mimosas made with Mionetto Prosecco; for lunch, join Bocage Champagne Bar for a high tea featuring tarts and treats, plus Graham Beck Rosé 2017, tea from Saratoga Tea & Honey and Misunderstood Whiskey Co. Old Fashioneds; and in the afternoon, indulge in charcuterie by The Charcutebrie, wine tastings by Freixent and mini spa treatments with Complexions! Get your tickets now.
This Week in Saratoga Living After Hours
On Monday, we mirrored The New York Times’ Daily Mini with a holiday-inspired crossword of our own.
Then, on Tuesday, we gave our best recommendations for coping with the end of track season.
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