The Top 10 Saratoga Living After Hours Stories of 2023
Our most-read articles of the year, from a Celeb Shot interview with Caroline Street's most boisterous bartender to why 10 inflatable koalas were seen crossing Broadway this past spring.
That’s a wrap, Saratoga! Another year of SLAH is in the books, and in our last post of 2023 (we’re taking next week off—happy holidays!), we’re looking back at our most-read stories from the last 12 months. Have a favorite story that you think should’ve made this list? Drop it in the comments!
10. Flag Football and Bill Parcells
Yep, that Bill Parcells. After covering the drama surrounding the Saratoga NFL Flag Football League’s championship in 2021, we returned to the PBA fields to watch the legendary former Giants coach do what he does best: coach, but this time from the sidelines. (Our much-appreciated paid subscribers got to see pics of BIg Tuna in action.) Bill’s grandson was on the Saints this fall, and while he wasn’t the official coach, he offered plenty of pointers, oftentimes getting up and physically moving his grandson and his teammates to where they need to be as the “real” coaches watched in awe.
9. 28 Track Tips, Tricks and Hacks
Going to Saratoga Race Course—especially the picnic area—is a bit of a production. And if your family hasn’t been going to the track for generations, you may not know all the tips, tricks and hacks that make a day spent sitting outside in the height of summer actually enjoyable. In this story, we lay out 28 ways to make your track day cheaper, easier and better, from dressing appropriately and bringing your own water to hiring someone to reserve you a picnic table.
8. Saratoga’s Bathrooms, Ranked
Coming in at No. 8 is one of our most researched stories of the year. After months of frequenting local bathrooms and chatting with Saratogians who frequent local bathrooms, we put together a list of high-traffic loos, and then ranked them. The end result is a comprehensive guide of where to go—and where not to go—when you need to, well, go, in downtown Saratoga.
7. The Talk of the Town
This fall, Saratoga was abuzz with news of shifts in the city’s small business scene. Coffee Traders was closing, The Bunker was planning a wintertime opening, and PDT Market was in the process of becoming Franklin Square Market. And then there were the whispers of potential future restaurants—which still haven’t opened yet—coming to town. This story covered it all.
6. Wordle on the Street
Who could forget the colony of inflated koalas that took to the streets of Saratoga this past spring, making stops at Cantina, The Misfit and The Merc? SLAH had exclusive access to the ensuing mayhem, which turned out to be a Wordle-themed birthday party that turned plenty of heads. Trust us—it’ll all make sense when you read the story.
5. Celeb Shot: Paul Singh
Most of our in-person interviews don’t involve drinking half a bottle of wine and two shots of whiskey, but when Paul Singh is involved, you really never know what’s going to happen. After about two glasses of rosé at Thirsty Owl, things got deep, and our Celeb Shot interview with the longtime Saratoga City Tavern bartender covers everything from what it means to be a bartender to Paul’s philosophies on life.
4. Saratoga’s Men and Where to Find Them
Another heavily researched story, “Saratoga’s Men and Where to Find Them,” calls out 10 male Saratogians for always hanging around the same 10 watering holes. It came together after closely observing the crowds on many late nights spent on Caroline Street and many early mornings spent at Uncommon Grounds, and got the guys a fair bit of attention; Justin Metzger gained some 50 new followers after we posted about the story on Instagram. “@jammorrow109 for president,” someone commented. “This is absolutely the journalism I need!” someone else wrote.
3. Vibe Check: Single in Saratoga, Cuffing Season Edition
The popularity of this article only further confirmed what we wrote about in our SLAH column in the March 2023 print issue of Saratoga Living: You people love to read about dating. In this recap of our biggest and best Single in Saratoga event at Bailey’s, we recount tales of men shooting their shot, a vodka-fueled beer pong romance, and one successful relationship that came out of the event…sort of.
2. Celeb Shot: Ashley Salvadore
It’s no surprise that our interview with micro-influencer Ashley Salvadore was near the top of this list. The self-proclaimed professional pusher of fun came to Saratoga’s social media scene seemingly out of nowhere, using her platform to rocket her husband to back-to-back USA Mullet Championships. In this story, we cover where Ashley came from, where the infamous and life-consuming mullet came from, and why Ashley believes you should always “leave the resort.”
1. First Course: Kindred and The Coat Room
And coming in on top—by a landslide, may we add—is our preview of the two hottest restaurants to open in Saratoga this year. We kicked things off at Kindred, the new wine and cocktail bar from the owners of Henry Street Taproom, before revealing the secrets of the shrouded-in-mystery, speakeasy-inspired Coat Room. Since the writing of this story, The Coat Room has switched gears a bit so that you don’t need to present a literal password, but non-preferred customers can “reserve a coat check” online and may have to pay a $10 per head seating fee.
—Abby & Natalie
Quote of the Week
“Dango’s in the daytime is terrifying.”
—Overheard at Saratoga SantaCon
Save the Date
Last year, after four years off, Hattie’s Mardi Gras returned to the Canfield Casino in late January. This year, the beloved soirée is back, but in a new venue. On Saturday, January 27, the Business for Good team will transform the Saratoga City Center into a Carnival-worthy occasion, complete with chef Jasper Alexander’s famed Cajun cuisine and live music by Garland Nelson and Soul Session. The evening will raise money for The SEAT Center Culinary Lab, an organization that trains young people for careers in the culinary and hospitality industries. Get your tickets now.
Skip the Store
Still need to do some holiday shopping, but don’t want to brave the crowds at a physical store? Give the gift of Saratoga Living! One-year and two-year subscriptions to the print magazine are available on our website, or you can purchase a gift subscription to Saratoga Living After Hours.
Dinner and a Show
This week, Panza’s Restaurant presented a series of sold-out Holiday Spectacular shows, featuring live Christmas music by Michael Panza, Colleen Pratt, Kelsey Dodd and the All-Star Band. “It was actually really cool,” says Saratoga Living publisher Annette Quarrier, who stopped by on Thursday evening. “There’s nothing like that around here.”
ICYMI
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