Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
Saratoga Springs has been a popular destination for over 200 years due to the area’s natural mineral springs. The Saratoga Fault allows the water trapped beneath the surface to rise. The springs can be found throughout the town. These waters are believed to have health and healing powers. They are famous for varied and distinct tastes. Though there is a sulfur odor connected, records show there is no presence of sulfur to mention.
These springs can be found all over town. Some are covered by small pavilions and marked by plaques. A spring can be found in a rock with a spigot. All are welcomed to bottle the water for personal consumption.
The famous springs quickly attracted travelers to the area. Europeanstyle spas were developed and Saratoga Springs became a center of health in the United States.
Large hotels were built to accommodate the growing attractions in the area. To name a few: the United States Hotel and the Grand Union Hotel. The Grand Union was the largest hotel in the world in its day (later torn down).
This picturesque area was first occupied by the Mohican Indians. They were pushed east and became the Stockbridge Indians, finally settling in Massachusetts. The movement of the Mohican people started when the first Dutch and English settlers arrived.
In 1691, Fort Saratoga was built on the west bank of the Hudson River. The first European settlement appeared about 1776. Saratoga Springs was established in 1819, was considered a town in 1826 and was incorporated in 1915.
By the mid-1800s, Saratoga Springs was home to the wealthy. It became the hotbed of tourism and gambling, serving as a distraction from the Civil War and those seeking refuge from the heat of New York City and Boston.
The next largest attraction in Saratoga Springs is the Saratoga Raceway (track).
John Morrissey organized the first thoroughbred races with a fourday meet in 1863 just one month after the Battle of Gettysburg with over 5,000 people showing up to watch and gamble.
Morrissey was a gambler, a casino owner, an ex-boxing champion, as well as a future congressman. He enlisted many of his influential friends to form the Saratoga Racing Association.
Over the years, the meets have gradually grown to last four or five weeks. This year’s was July 22 through August — traditionally ending on Labor Day.
There was a period of time when the raceway declined. In the 1960s, there was an up-swing when the grandstand was extended. Today, the track is owned by the state of New York and operated by New York Racing Association.
The track is known as the “Graveyard of Champions.” Famous winners are known to lose there, as well many upsets occurred in the racing world.
There are three separate tracks — the main track, the turf track and the inner turf track. Race classifications include Grade I, Grade II, Grade III and Ungraded. A Steeplechase Race has been added, as well as a new addition of the “Twilight Race” — post time 2:30 to 2:45 p.m. Usual post time is 1 p.m.
Many believe the actual up-swing is due to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. This covered outdoor amphitheater has seating of 5,000 reserved seating and an additional 20,000 general lawn admission.
To name just a few (very few), it is the summer home to the Philadelphia Orchestra and the New York Ballet has hosted weekend jazz festivals since 1978. About 20 popular bands and/or groups are on stage each summer, and the list goes on.
Saratoga Springs hosts food tours throughout the area. There is heavy support for local farmers and farmer’s markets.
The Saratoga Raceway features five restaurants, plus food vendors and hosts many private functions. A popular restaurant is The Porch. It is at ground level with the track and opens early for breakfast. This allows diners the advantage to watching the horses and ponies at eye-level during their morning workouts.
The original clubhouse is often given credit for the potato chip and the club sandwich, also known as the clubhouse sandwich. But who can really tell? Many others have laid claim to being the first.
When it comes to the club sandwich, there are several givens in making this tower of foods. First, you must use three slices of toasted bread and cut the sandwich in quar- ters, each quarter held together with a toothpick, and I have been told you should eat a club sandwich with a knife and fork, not your hands. The contents for the filling is up to you. Experimenting, I came up with the following.
BREAKFAST CLUB SANDWICH
Place first piece of toasted down, spread with mayonnaise or favorite dressing then layer as follows: lettuce, prepared egg salad, tomato slices, bacon slices (1 slice cut in half) – spread mayo on both sides of second piece of toast and place on top of the bacon. Next layers deli thin slices of ham then cheese, some more lettuce – now the last piece of toast with mayo spread on the bottom side of toast. If you like you can add thinly slice onion somewhere in this sandwich you have just built. Cut into quarters and stick a toothpick in each quarter. Let me hear from you: banjack303@verizon. net. Search YouTube for Look Who’s Cooking as well as phoenixvillenews. com for this column. Find Bette on Facebook by searching “Bette Banjack’s Downtown Kitchen.”