I recently moved back to Saratoga Springs after spending my twenties traipsing around the country like a gypsy (minus the mysticism, music and elaborate clothing, unfortunately).  During my visits home, I embraced familiar creature comforts: Mom and Dad’s house on Saratoga Lake, knowing the back roads (but no street names) like the back of my hand, leisurely afternoons at the track, or on the pontoon boat … re-living traditions and experiences that had long been chaining together the links of my Upstate New York DNA.  As memories moved further and further into the recesses of my brain, I built on them by revisiting old stompin’ grounds & the local favorites. By default my visits fostered only my nostalgia - Saratoga landmarks and dive bars, familiar antique shops and bookstores, and lazy Sunday drives around the Lake.

Now that I have moved back - with more time at my disposal and a fresh (ahem, refined) looking glass, my enthusiasm has peaked. It’s like a perfect storm of nostalgia and exciting new stimuli in my brain. I am no longer a teenager or college student. Plus, I am now a parent, providing the perfect conduit to experience what I may have taken for granted as a kid, while nurturing my pre-existing affection for this terrific city. (Exhibit A: State Park.Exhibit B: History.  Exhibit C: Yaddo. Exhibit D:Food. Exhibit E: Museums! The list goes on)

Whether you are here on business, pleasure, or you call it home; this blog is your resource and commentary on local flavors, events & culture from the unique combined perspective of a local townie and recent transplant. I am re-experiencing Saratoga, and as my long-distance friends can attest, playing tour guide (virtual or otherwise) thrills me.

-Karen