Springs, Winding Down

Aug. 8-10

We traveled almost due south from Burlington on Sunday toward our next stop, a little below Albany.

On the way we passed near Saratoga Springs. Neither Joanna nor I had been there before, and we had heard that it is a pretty place. So we left I-87 to take a look.

It is a handsome town. No doubt about that. The business district has much the same flavor as Southampton, but on a larger scale. 

Buildings are three and four stories high. Many date from the 19th century. And there are more of them.

The sidewalks are thronged with expensively dressed people who come for the expensive shops and bistros.

Horse racing is a big theme in town, which is home to one of the country’s oldest racetracks. So there are jockey statues in front of stores, bronze horses in parks, horse heads, saddles, and other equestrian imagery all over the place.

I don’t know. We may come back some day to spend a little more time, maybe take a closer look at one or two sights. Joanna might like the museum devoted to dance. She’s a big fan.

I had been curious about the Saratoga National Historic Park, where the Continental Army defeated Burgoyne in 1777. That is some distance from Saratoga Springs—so far that it isn’t even mentioned as one of the local attractions.

I was excited about our new digs for the night. It was a Holiday Inn Express, near Rensselaer, N.Y. The Express franchises are a different world from the traditional Holiday Inn. I’ve stayed in both and it’s hard to believe they are owned by the same company. 

The Express brand hotels have always been reasonably priced and above average. 

It’s a good thing, however, that this wasn’t my first stay at a Holiday Inn Express. The people were all delightful, as they always are in this franchise.

But I couldn’t believe the room they put us in. I had trouble signing on to the wifi system, so I tried to call the desk. There was no phone in the room.

What the fuh? Last time I was in a room with no phone it was at a dive called Lee’s Motel in Edison, N.J. Actually, there was a phone, but it was broken. I had a tire slashed in the parking lot that night.

Holiday Inn moved us to a room with a phone, but in a room for two, there was only one chair. Come on. How cheap can they get? 

Most of the surrounding restaurants were closed on Sunday, so our only nearby option was Recovery Sports Grill. The menu was so uninspired that the best we could do was have sandwiches for dinner. 

The taps had lost their refrigeration, and the only bottled options were as uninspired as the food. I wound up with Stella Artois. I don’t care much for lagers, but this one is a notch above the rest.

Then things perked up a bit when we went to Walmart, where I found a six-pack of Southern Tier IPA. I’ve had it before, and it has plenty of flavor.

The hotel, sitting high up on a hillside, did indeed have a spectacular view of the valley, which included the Albany skyline.

Our last day on the road was a sentimental journey of sorts that brought us to Ossining.

One of Joanna’s friends and mentors in Hong Kong was a Maryknoll Father named William Mulcahey. Joanna told me that the Reds actually jailed him for a while before he came to Hong Kong. After his service in China was over, he returned to the Maryknoll community in Ossining.

He remained in contact with Joanna after she came to the United States and helped her adjust to the new country.

He is buried in a cemetery on the Maryknoll grounds, so we went to pay our respects.

We stayed at yet another Comfort Inn, and this one, in Hawthorne, N.Y., was among the best. Plenty of space, real chairs to sit in.

A lot of places were closed but we found the menu for Rini’s, an Italian restaurant in Elmsford. They had escargot. That’s always a win for us. Maybe not like hitting the lottery, but it could be like having two bucks on a winner at Saratoga.

The escargot preparation was similar to the classic Bourguignon, but was served on wedges of Italian bread. 

For dinner Joanna had linguine with a clear garlic sauce that included shrimp and scallops. I opted for pizza Margherita.

Joanna had half a glass of an OK Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, which I helped her finish. I had a bottle of Poggio Chianti, which was OK but not among my favorites. I finished the bottle back at the Comfort Inn.

We got back to Montclair in less than an hour on Tuesday morning. 

So that was the end of the latest road.

Stay well, everyone. Now that the world is opening up, please travel safely and, above all, enjoy.

Harry