And they're off .... to Sartoga Springs!

Today we took a trip to Saratoga Springs, a journey of about an hour or so, north of Albany. Our first stop was the Visitor Centre where a very helpful person supplied us with a local map and two paper cups, to sample the mineral spring waters, as we walked through Congress Park.

Congress Park is small, but very pleasant, with its well tended gardens and 'spring points', mini-lakes, and carousel. Entering the Park, we soon found the Old Casino and discovered the building's varied and interesting history through the clever historical room settings.

Saratoga boasts the oldest horse racing course in the US and 'gambling' (though an illegal activity, back in the day) went hand-in-hand with it. Of course, the fact that it brought in lots of money to the town, meant that the locals turned a blind-eye! Roulette, poker, dice, and Faro were the favourite pastimes for high rollers and dubious characters, such as Mayer Lansky and Lucky Luciano, who were regulars.

Walking on to Union Avenue we made a fleeting visit to the racecourse, which was deserted, following the Labour Day weekend's frantic racing events and once a venue where Seabiscuit raced.

Then back to the the town centre, to take in the shops and the atmosphere, before heading back to Albany and a date with the Pump Station! In the absence of a better idea for a piece of music associated with with horse racing,Saratoga, or Upper NY State, generally, I decided to incorporate Simon & Garfunkel's 'Scarborough Fair' in today's post!