Sneak Peak: Saratoga Showcase of Homes
Look inside two houses on this year's tour, which is going on this weekend and next. PLUS: Saratoga in the spotlight, new eats at Henry Street and more.
On Tuesday, we all gathered in the bathroom.
“It’s big enough, right?” someone said.
“Come on, Jackie, let’s take a shower,” said someone else.
Of course, there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation for why half a dozen adults were standing in the primary bathroom of a newly built home in Mechanicville: It’s officially Saratoga Showcase of Homes season, and we were on the realtor tour that’s put on a few days before the nine homes open to the public.
This year’s tour kicks off today, and is open from 10am-4pm both this weekend and next. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at any Showcase home. A ticket will gain you entry to all the homes, which this year stretch from Clifton Park all the way up to Lake George. The star of this year’s show, we hear, is the Witt Construction home in Greenfield Center; no fewer than four people asked if SLAH correspondent Annette Quarrier and I had visited it that morning. (We hadn’t, but we did feature the home in the Haute Property section of our fall issue—check out the story and photos here.)
“Everybody loves John Witt,” says Showcase of Homes super-fan Carol Fitzgibbons, who has been to every Showcase since the tour began 27 years ago. “His houses are just spectacular.”
Carol’s other favorite builders are Kodiak Construction and Belmonte Builders (she lives in a Belmonte home), and she makes sure to bring friends and family to those homes each year, when she serves as a tour guide leading multiple excursions to the show’s top homes. “I go every day,” she says. “I have a carload of people. I’ll take my neighbors one day, I’ll take my writing group one day, I’ll take my family another day. If I have an empty day I’ll go by myself. I just love it.”
Assuming you’re less dedicated than Carol, you can visit all the houses in this year’s tour in one day. If you do, there’s a spot on your ticket where you can enter a drawing to win gift cards to Kohler, Jacobsen Rugs and Curtain & Carpet Concepts. If you aren’t able to get to all the homes, be sure you check out the DeGraff Bloom Custom Builders one. Specifically, that bathroom.
—Natalie
Next Stop: Saratoga Springs
Last week, travel guru Darley Newman of the PBS series Travels With Darley stopped in Saratoga Springs to film scenes for a “Revolutionary Road Trips” segment. She really lived it up while she was in town, taking a ride on the Congress Park carousel; dining at Morrissey’s, Hattie’s and Olde Bryan Inn; meeting Upset the miniature horse at Impressions; and visiting Saratoga Apple, Caffe Lena and Revolution Rail Co in Hadley. See more photos on Darley’s Facebook page.
Acting Out
SPAC devotees will love the movie Theater Camp (streaming now), and will even get a little reward at the very end. The adorable comedy follows some serious theater kids who descend on their favorite summer camp only to find that it's been taken over by the director's bro of a son, who's eager to replace the purity of the performing arts with his poser ideas of how a business should really be run. Written and co-starring Dear Evan Hanson stars (and now, fiances) Ben Platt and Noah Galvin, the behind-the-scenes romp includes antics by Amy Sedaris and Ayo Edebiri (who rose to fame in the Netflix hit The Bear). The satirical "where are they now" movie ending has one of the main stars sent to Saratoga Springs. To find out what he's doing in our town's alternate universe, you'll have to watch for yourself.
ICYMI
Last week, the Saratoga YMCA began welcoming members to its new second floor wellness center and multipurpose room. Check out our preview of the space here, and click the Instagram post above to see more photos.
Save the Date
AIM Services annual Vin Le Soir fundraiser returns this November 1 to a new location—the Saratoga Eagle headquarters. This year’s event theme is “The Spirit of Portugal,” and guests will be treated to wines and cuisine inspired by that region of the world. Funds from the evening will go toward supporting winter needs for the community AIM serves. Tickets are $150 a person.
We’re the Best
According to a recent report by WalletHub, Saratoga Springs is the ninth best small city in the US. The report looked at more than 1,300 small cities across the country that have between 25,000 and 100,000 residents, rating them on affordability, economic health, education and health, quality of life, and safety. Saratoga is the only city in New York that made the top 30, and fell directly after the Massachusetts cities of Milton and Melrose.
What’s for Dinner?
Looking for an excuse to eat out this weekend? Well, here it is: Henry Street Taproom just unveiled new food and cocktail menus. Be one of the first to test out the wings, which were finally added to the menu after years of requests, and wash it down with a C.R.E.A.M cocktail—Vespertino Tequila Crema, Casamigos Cristalino, English breakfast tea and fall simple syrup.
Stories You May Have Missed
Power Player: Tom Nardacci Is a Different Kind of Banker
The 5 Most Popular Dishes at 5 of Saratoga’s Most Popular Restaurants
The Talk of the Town: Businesses Opening, Closing & Changing Hands in Saratoga