SPAC Crowds, Track Crowds, Downtown Crowds

It's (unscientifically) unanimous: By August, Saratogians are tired of all the people. But what might Saratoga need "more" of? Now that's polarizing.

Being a seasonal town, it goes without saying that most Saratogians have a love/hate relationship with the crowds of people coming to town in the summer—”love” because of the revenue, “hate” because, well, if you have to ask then you clearly haven’t tried to make a last-minute dinner reservation since before July 14.

A quick glance at the local Facebook groups reveals that “crowds” (as in, tourists) aren’t the only thing that many Saratogians are ready to have “less” of during summer, although most are variations on a (people) theme: There’s also an ongoing debate about how to care for the rising homeless population, plus persistent complaints about too many drunk people specifically, and even talk of a diversified Caroline Street with “less” bars.

Not the first time you’ve seen this (heck, even here), or the last: the best way to illustrate how locals see the throngs of people currently descending on Saratoga.

But, Saratogians, as we crest the halfway point of track season, SLAH asks our readers: What do we need MORE of during our feverishly hot summer months? We asked, you vented—and the answers (unsurprisingly) ranged from ingenious to polarizing.

In many other situations, the first answer we’re going to share would be considered polarizing. But not during a Saratoga summer. Men and women alike said the same thing when asked what our town needs more of come summer: