All Over Albany

Saratoga Trunks

Try getting this through airport security.

Before the rich and famous sported Louis Vuitton luggage, they packed up their Saratoga Trunks for their summers at The Spa.

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Diamonds are a (very large) guy's best friend

His eduction was minimal, and his manners unrefined, but in the 1890's Diamond Jim Brady was one of the richest and best-known men in the country. And he and Lillian Russell were a big part of the Saratoga scene.

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The Churchill connection

He has nothing to do with Kentucky's "Churchill Downs" but Winston Churchill does have a connection to the Saratoga Racecourse.

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The Spa Park gold rush of 1932

Saratoga's Hall of Springs. No, there's no gold left.

On a hot summer day in the depths of the Great Depression, Saratogians found something other than water, and much more valuable, beneath the ground.

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Caffe Lena

A slice of music history.

When you hear it on the radio, you can be pretty sure the D.J. is out on a smoke break. But here's what you may not know about the longest song ever to top the Billboard charts-- it was written in Saratoga Springs and debuted in an historic Spa City coffee house.

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Who was that Travers guy anyway?

Line up here for the midsummer derby

Tomorrow marks the 139th running of the Travers Stakes. Saratoga's signature race is the oldest horse race in the nation. The first "Travers" was run 11 years before the Kentucky Derby. So who was Travers? And why did they name a race after him?

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Spa State Park

The Hall of Springs and the reflecting pool at Spa State Park

So, do people actually drink and bathe in that stuff? It's the most commonly asked question about Saratoga Springs mineral water. And one whiff will tell you why they ask.

The answer is, of course, yes. In fact, the popularity of this odorous (read: stinky), bubbly water put Saratoga Springs on the map, and led to the construction of one of the area's most popular parks. And a former confederate surgeon was behind the whole thing.

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Saratoga is not faultless

The springs at High Rock Park.

The carbonated mineral water that bubbles up from the springs in Saratoga is what put the city on the map some 200 years ago. And it's still a big attraction today. But why is it here? There's a fault behind it -- but no one is to blame.

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Madam Jumel

Madam Jumel's Circular Street home. No, Aaron Burr never slept here.

One of the raciest residents of Saratoga Springs began life as a prostitute, befriended Napoleon and married a U.S. Vice President. Her name was Betsy Bowen, but she
was better known as Madam Jumel.

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Nevermore

Edgar Allan Poe

The Raven is one of Edgar Allan Poe's best known works. The poem has been read
all over the world. But the first time the mysterious black bird quoth "nevermore"
was in Saratoga Springs.

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The Trasks of Yaddo

The house that Trask built.

It's one of the best kept secrets in Saratoga, but John Cheever, Leonard Bernstein and
Truman Capote knew about it. They're just a few of the thousands of artists who've
spent summers at Yaddo.

But the romantic tragedy that surrounds Yaddo began years before their visits.

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The double agent bartender

You never know who might be listening at the bar.

The term "double agent" didn't exist in the Revolutionary War, but that's how you'd describe Alexander Bryan today.

You'd also describe him as the guy who helped win the Revolutionary War.

But today, you'd probably recognize his name for something else.

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The graveyard of favorites

Champions beware.

You've heard it called "The Graveyard of Favorites," but the more appropriate name may be "Graveyard of Champions." Some of the world's most amazing thoroughbreds learned what it is to lose in Saratoga.

And one of the most dramatic defeats took place 89 years ago today.

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Gideon who?

Saratoga's Gideon Putnam Hotel

Gideon Putnam? Sure, he's the guy they named that swanky hotel for. But who is he? And what exactly did he do to get a swanky Saratoga hotel named for him anyway?

Nothing much. He just designed the streets, established tourism and made sure the springs in Saratoga would always belong to the people.

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The Saratoga chip

Yummmm. Crispy, fried, potatoey goodness.

You know you can't eat just one, but do you know where they were invented? Or how?

Here's something you can chew on with your next sandwich.

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O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A

Oh what a beautiful morning.

What do Rodgers and Hammerstein have in common with Saratoga's training track?
Nothing really. But there's a reason people make the connection.

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It's 10 o'clock. Do you know what time it is?

That sculpture behind the bank on Broadway--it's for Charles Dowd.

If it's 10 AM in New York City, what time is it in Boston? How about Philadelphia? Or Washington D.C.? These questions were a lot tougher to answer before a Saratoga headmaster stepped in and synchronized a nation.

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The not so Grand Union Hotel

Yeah, today it's The Gap.

Here's a little something to toss out while you're sipping drinks at The Adelphi. Back in its heyday, this old Victorian gem offered something many of the Spa City's other hotels didn't. An open door policy.

A what?

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The Governor who saved the springs

mmmmmm... spring water.

He was a NY State Governor, a presidential candidate and United States Chief Justice, but in Saratoga, he's best known as the guy who saved the springs.

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George Washington slurped here

In an alternate universe this could have been Mt. Vernon North.

Here's something to think about while you're shopping for tomatoes at the Saratoga Farmers' Market.

After the Revolutionary War, and before he became our first President, George Washington had a little time, and money, on his hands. In the summer of 1783, he made a day trip to Saratoga.

If he had his way back then, you'd be shopping somewhere else today.

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It's Batcheller, not Bachelor

Bachelors didn't live here. Batchellers did.

It's an easy mistake. When you hear the locals talk about the well known mansion above Congress Park you'd think it was an elaborate "Bachelor pad" from the Rat Pack age.
But the BATCHELLER mansion wasn't built by a swinging single cat in the 1940's, it was designed by a guy named Batcheller in the 1870's. A pretty impressive guy.

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The Canfield Casino's house rules

The Canfield Casino in Congress Park.

Today it's used for weddings and big fancy parties like the annual Whitney Gala, but there was a time when The Canfield Casino would have been off limits to Mrs. Whitney.

When bare knuckle-boxer-turned-gang-member-turned-US-Congressman John Morrissey opened the casino in Saratoga's Congress park in the early 1870's, the house only had three rules. But those rules were enough to keep the place both "exclusive" and open when gambling was illegal.

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Birth of a bank

Protecting your money (and decency) since 1902.

You hear the phrase "financial institution" and you probably don't think "colorful back-story," but one Saratoga Springs legend links a notorious gambler to the creation of The Adirondack Trust Company.

We're not sure if you can take this tale to the bank, but it sure is fun to tell.

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Breakfast with a history

Breakfast at the track.

When you order your eggs and bacon for breakfast at the Saratoga Racecourse, you're following a tradition that dates from the late 19th century.

Only backwards.

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The Big Red Spring

Slurp at your own risk.

Thirsty at The Track? Don't want to wait in line at the Jim Dandy Bar? Rather put your money on the horses than an expensive beer?

Well, maybe you should raise a glass to Secretariat and Man O'War.

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How Congress Park got its name

Congress Park in Saratoga Springs

Today it's known as the center of downtown Saratoga Springs, but back in the day, when Saratoga was just a settlement, Congress Park was only a swampy hunting ground.

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Become a Saratoga know-it-all

There might be one or two things to say about this place.

From the Editors: With the return of track season in Saratoga, we figured we'd drop some conversational currency about the Spa City on you. Impress your friends over drinks at the Adelphi! Fill that awkward silence with out-of-town guests! Be a know-it-all! We'll feature a new fact/tidbit/historical note each day about Saratoga from now until September. Here's the first...

Quick, what's the oldest sporting venue in the United States?

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