So, I’ve passed *through* Saratoga Springs on many an occasion, especially on the Greyhound bus between Albany and Montreal but also on the Adirondack train. The Greyhound stop in Saratoga Springs has been the train station for quite some time, but I recollect another location, a diner (?), in the 1990s. Drivers in times past would vary their route to the bus stop; one maybe 15 years ago or so got lost, which meant I had gotten a fleeting glimpse the charm of the main drag, Broadway.

*Getting There: Amtrak DC to Saratoga, Greyhound to Montreal*

But I’d never really visited Saratoga Springs before this year. And this year as I returned to Montreal where I live from Washington DC where I’ve been helping my mother this summer, I opted to split the journey in Saratoga Springs. (Yes, I do fly from Montreal to DC, actually have had to a good bit in the last few years but I do like doing it by land from time to time when time permits.) I had gotten Amtrak select status for 2024, which meant I had two lounge passes to use before the end of year, no easy feat if living in Canada. So, I bought my Amtrak ticket from DC to Saratoga using points (free, yay) and using the lounges in both DC and Moynihan station NYC, taking the NE Regional from DC to NYC and the Ethan Allen Express to Saratoga. I nearly decided to split my return journey to Montreal in Albany instead as hotel prices in Saratoga were *way* higher than in Albany but decided in the end to go with Saratoga given how much I’d saved in travel expenses by using Amtrak Guest Reward Points. The Metropolitan Lounge in NYC by the way is the best train lounge I’ve seen in the US and Canada combined, where meal options like sandwiches and salads are on offer in a glass display retrieved for you by an Amtrak employee; in comparison, in DC, there were only pre-packaged items like granola bars and muffins and in Toronto in June, only beverages were available.

*Saratoga Springs*

Needless to say, only seeing Saratoga Springs from the window of a Greyhound bus or Amtrak train does not give a sense of the place. Which was much more upscale than I imagined! I stayed at the Bluebird Spa City Motor Lodge for one night, centrally located on Broadway and ideal for a bit of exploring. I had only one evening and one complete morning (leaving after noon), far too little I know.

My evening I essentially explored my vicinity, admiring the grand hotels and stores on Broadway, as well as some of the establishments on the adjacent side streets. There was a charm in the architecture which seemed to me to have a 19th or early 20th century grandeur. Also in easy walking distance, Congress Park was delightful, with plenty of fountains, statues, pavilions and ponds to admire. In the park, I observed a variety of duck with mostly black body but white chest that I’d never seen before!

*Saratoga Springs History Museum*

After an early morning stroll through town, I decided to visit this history museum as soon as it opened at 10am, found in a beautiful building in Congress Park.
The museum has 3 floors and was well-done. Here I learned, that like the Thousand Islands region I’ve come to know better in recent years, that Saratoga Springs was quite the popular destination for New York high society in the latter half of the 19th century. People would come for weeks, women dressed in elegant fashions and cotillions would occur at grand hotels like Union Hall, Congress Hall and the United States Hotel; these were all razed by the mid 20th century. The Adelphi Hotel from 1877 which still remains on Broadway has echoes of this grandeur, but is smaller. The supposed healing power of the Saratoga water found in multiple springs in the area was part of the draw. I did not try the water as I didn’t want to risk tummy upset on my ride home although the history museum cashier recommended it.

Gambling was rife in Saratoga as well and the building that housed the history museum was a locale where gambling occurred. Names I recognized such as JP Morgan and Cornelius Vanderbilt were regulars in Saratoga Springs at this gambling establishment run by John Morrissey. Morrissey and Vanderbilt were said to be friends. Other names such as John Warne “Bet a Million” Gates and Diamond Jim (James Buchanan Brady) seemed like real characters.

With the rise of the automobile and the shift from train travel, as well as other factors such as gambling dens getting shut down by laws, the gilded age hotels faded and Saratoga Springs had to reinvent itself. However, even today, well over a hundred years later, echoes of those times, no longer in living memory, remain.

Adelphi Hotel

Hathorn Spring

Congress Park

Lovely pics. Hopefully you sampled some of our tasty waters... Not sure if that Hathorn spring is flowing again. The city dpw needed to do some pipe repairs. Hathorn is one of the stronger (iron/sulphur/bicarb) springs....but you probably saw the others in Congress Park that range from high mineral to milder.

Or tasted some of our other beverages - that old Saratogian (newpaper) building is now a nice brew pub.

J62– Alas, I did not taste the waters from the springs or try any local beverages. At the history museum, they had bottled Saratoga water ($2) and Dixie cups were available so customers could go try water at a spring first. The Hathorn Spring was not operational although some others appeared to be. I was just reading up on the varied mineral content of the different springs—might be interesting to do a taste test one day. 😊

let me know next time you come thru and I'd be happy to show you around....there are about 10 in the state park and others throughought town, including some that will roto-rooter your sinuses if you smell the vapors....

That Saratoga bottled water ($2) is now owned by a bottled water conglomerate - maybe Poland Springs?, and the sources are various springs located in ME, PA, or elsewhere in NY...., but alas no longer from Saratoga.

No time to place a bet at the track?

"When we get on the train to Niagara
And you can hear church bells chime,
The compartment is air-conditioned
And the mood sublime,
Then we hget off at Saratoga
For the fourteenth time . . ."

Nice report, as usual, Daniel. Thanks.

-- From "Adelaide's Lament" from "Guys and Dolls" by Frank Loesser

J62– Thanks for the offer! I could see myself returning one day—might be fun to introduce some Montreal-based pals to Saratoga as it’s a feasible weekend getaway! I’ve been surprised the number of my friends that had never even heard of Saratoga when I mentioned I went!
fradiavolo— I’m not a gambler but even if I were, I think I remember reading the racetrack is shut on Mondays. 😊 Thanks for the Guys & Dolls number; apparently in some versions (such as the one with Vivian Blaine), she sings about the Yonkers rather than the Saratoga racetrack.

True Daniel. They changed a number of lyrics as well as adding and subtracting songs in the movie version.

If any of your friends are woodworkiers and need a reason to visit Saratoga Springs.
https://woodworker.org/about-showcase/

Based on hotel prices for the weekend of August 23rd to 25th It appears that Saratoga Springs feels that the Gilded Age is still in effect..
CDN$1900, for a room at the Saratoga Springs Hilton.
(On the same dates,CDN$ 522, for a suite with breakfast included at Eurostars Gran Via in Granada)

Saratoga Springs is a popular fiming location: The Time Machine, Billy Bathgate, and a few others .

I always enjoy you trip reports, you find a way to make the mundane seem interesting

Cdnyul—I like that, making the mundane seem interesting. Meanwhile, that hotel price looks far from mundane, more like beyond the high stratosphere. I would imagine there is a race that weekend. Thanks for your comments!

When we visited Saratoga Springs in 2015 (I have a trip report posted), the hotel prices were definitely not low. They triple during racing season. which is the rate you report. But the hotel cost is less than airfare for two to Europe, so there is that.

Thanks AJPeabody— At the motor lodge I stayed at, I spent $240 for the night, which was the most reasonable hotel accommodations I could find within walking distance of Congress Park for the day I was there. The motor lodge was not at all a roach motel as some friends thought when I told them I stayed there, actually quite clean, modern and innovative, so I was ok with the price. Mind you, I was there on a non-racing day, which is when I would recommend people go who want to check out the town but are not interested in racing.

That weekend is Travers Stakes, the biggest racing weekend of the normal summer meet and most hotels would have sold out long ago. I know people that won't rent out their house for most of the summer, but will happily vacate / AirBnB / VRBO just for Travers weekend at crazy $$$$.

Rates do not go down for nonracing days during racing season, since many visitors stay for several days in a row.

Hi AJPeabody-- Have a look on TripAdvisor. You'll see the rates are often significantly lower nonracing days. From a TripAdvisor search: Saratoga Hilton C$314 Aug 18-19, C$724 Aug 22-23. Hotel Saratoga C$273 Aug 18-19, C$410 Aug 22-23. Hotel Adelphi C$891 Aug 18-19, C$2960 Aug 22-23. Embassy Suites C$303 Aug 18-19, C$931 Aug 22-23.

Thanks for your TR, Daniel. After college basketball, horse racing was one of Rhody's and his family's favorite spectator sports. But, we never made it to the Belmont Stakes! Great shots. Bravo as always.

TDudette—Thank you! My Mother and her friend Doris sometimes do penny bets on horse races but it’s a sport I never have followed. Funny enough, my Mom picked Mystik Dan for the Kentucky Derby who won this year with 18:1 odds, for no other reason than it’s my name and her brother’s name; good thing for Doris the stakes were low!

Daniel, your stop in Saratoga brought back memories of attending the ballet there years ago. Thanks for a most interesting report.

That sounds like a fascinating journey through Saratoga Springs! It’s amazing how a place can change over time yet still retain echoes of its past. Your detailed recount really paints a vivid picture of the charm and history of the area. The juxtaposition of the upscale 19th-century allure with the modern-day experiences you had is intriguing. The blend of old and new must have made your visit quite memorable. Thanks for sharing such a detailed account—I feel like I’ve just taken a mini trip to Saratoga Springs!

Thanks for the report, Daniel.
It is good to know that the Bluebird Spa City Motor Lodge is an ok relatively inexpensive choice in the downtown area.

Caffe Lena a Saratoga Springs coffee house has good music in a very intimate setting.