Saratoga Day to Day

No pictures this post.  I promise some next time.

The new King’s Tavern is terrific.  It’s being run by three brothers in their 30’s.  They also own the five-floor Saratoga City Tavern with a rooftop deck downtown.  They keep King’s open all year.  I met Adam, one of the brothers, and we talked about the history of King’s.  Heh, he learned a lot from me.  They leased King’s for three years with an option to buy (this is their second year), so I asked him if they planned to buy.  He said they certaimly did.  Patty is asking $2.0 million for the bar, so it’s a steep price.  She says the price is firm, but I’m sure they will try to haggle the price down.  The terms of the lease sate that any improvements they make stay with the bar if they choose not to buy.  They have made a lot of improvements.

I have seen lots of friends at the track and in Saratoga so far:

• Patty Bendon and daughter Misty and son Jimmy
• Bob Paroyan (retired Boston Garden usher, retired Arlington Fireman, & my old barber)
• John and Linda Toomey (from Boston)
• Michael Alshuk (from NYC) – He’ll be back next weekend with wife Nicole
• Carole Reardon and her lovely daughters Chrissie (14) and Michaela (12)
• Anthony and Rose (from Ballston Spa) – they own horses now
• Miles (an ex-track maintenance man) better known as “Zoom” or “ZoomZoom”
• Bill, John, and Neil (locals from Saratoga)  Neil is now the track mailman.
• Joanne from Saratoga with her delicious chocolate chip cookies
• Milton with his mother (96!), granddaughter, and brother Jerry (from Auburn, NY)
• Milton’s daughter Nikki with her family entourtage
• John and Frank (from Montreal) – saw them with wives at the Brook Tavern
• Dennis (An old Suffolk Downs reprobate)
• Michael Geraghty, an artist who sells his stuff at the track
• Poughkeepsie Joe Brenner, roofer and former crazy drinker & gambler – dry 13 years
• Ron and Pam Evans, fellow Derby goers
• Ed the Pharmacist from Connecticut, also an occasional Derby attendee
• The Three Old Boys from Baltimore, annual weekend attendees at the Spa
• Museum “Stinky” Steve, former maintenance man from the Racing Hall of Fame
• Jean Cruguet, retired jockey, now staying at my hotel
• A collection of folks from Marshfield visiting the Toomeys

Too many of the people I have known here over the years are dead.

• Dick Bendon (King’s Owner and Proprietor)
• Bill Carrig from Connecticut
• Jim Ellsion from Connecticut
• Tommy Pascuma (an old Saratoga trainer and King’s habitué)
• Oliver Cutshaw (an old jockey and King’s habitué)
• Mike Geoghegan (really!) from Ireland and Staten Island

Unseen so far:

• John from North Adams
• Captain Mike, lobsterman from the Cape
• Mike and Steve, alcoholic gamblers from Hartford
• Jamaica Man, a street musician who started his Saratoga run in King’s
• Mut Mutansky, the red Sox pre-game host & Jeff Plummer.  Jeff got married here last week before I arrived.
• Mike and Rosemary – Mike is Alice’s brother.  Alice’s legacy lives on in Saratoga.

Dinners (in order):

• The Wishing Well with Patty and Misty was as good as ever.  Great steak.
• Hattie’s take out friend chicken for eating in the room was grand
• Home cooked spaghetti in the room – hey, one can’t always eat out
• The Brook Tavern (owned by the Wishing Well) with John & Lino – great veal chop
• Take out pizza with Bob from the new Gennaro’s to eat in the room – delicious – good pizza in Saratoga has been hard to find