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From "Let's Go" Weekly
Entertainment & Travel Guide
The Sun Herald
September 15, 2000

Saratoga Springs more than horses and hats

By HADLEY PAWLAK
Associated Press Writer

SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY — To many, Saratoga Springs brings two images to mind — fast horses and fancy hats.

There are days in this upper Hudson River Valley city when most talk is about the race course, and feathered, fruited and flowered hats abound. That's the way it was this summer until racing season ended Sept. 4.

But longtime locals know life here revolves around more than horses and hats.

Natalie Sillery, the owner of Saratoga Trunk, adjusts the store's window on Broadway in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

"It's got a very cosmopolitan feeling for a city of 27,000 people," says Theresa D'Andrea, a second-generation native of Saratoga Springs.

"Especially for one in the foothills of the Adirondack mountains," adds her daughter, Louise.

A half-hour's drive from the Adirondack wilderness, Saratoga's cultural riches run deep. The New York City Ballet and Philadelphia Orchestra spend weeks here each summer performing at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center, an open-air venue in lush Saratoga Spa State Park.

The National Museum of Dance, also on the park's grounds, is dedicated to modern dance, ballet and dance in film and theater.

For art lovers, there is the Hyde Collection in Glens Falls, about 15 miles north of Saratoga Springs. It includes works by Botticelli, Rembrandt, El Greco, Degas and Renoir, as well as Homer, Ryder and Eakins. The total collection includes some 3,000 works obtained by Louis and Charlotte Hyde over 50 years. About 1,200 are on display at one time, mostly on the walls of the deceased collector's home.

Artisans display and sell their wares in downtown Saratoga Springs, and summer "camps" for adult and child musicians, visual artists and dancers bring talent from around the country.

"This place draws a lot of fascinating people, who I think help stir up creativity," D'Andrea says. Her other daughter, Jean, thinks the creative energy might come from "something in the water."

Indeed, "something in the water" is what started Saratoga Springs' history as a tourist destination for the elite in the 1800's. Natural springs found throughout the area contain minerals that many believe have healing properties. The springs are free for the tasting, and a map available from the Chamber of Commerce points to those thought to heal skin disorders, stomach troubles and one that was once bottled as an antacid.

Ancient sea water is trapped between layers of limestone in the region and while a solid layer of shale traps most of the water below it, a fault that zigzags through Saratoga Springs cracks the shale and releases the water. When it escapes, either through natural springs or drilled wells, it brings dissolved minerals from the limestone and natural carbonation with it.

The Iroquois, who enjoyed the healthy properties of the water for centuries, introduced the first settler to the springs in the 18th century when they took the British General of Indian Affairs to soak a leg wound that wouldn't heal.

Following the Revolutionary War, a trail was cleared to the springs which brought such dignitaries as George Washington and Alexander Hamilton to the area. The first hotel was built in 1802 and in 1830 the spring water was being bottled, with about 1,000 bottles being shipped out each day. That put the name Saratoga Springs into households across the country, and brought an estimated 10,000 to 15,000 vacationers to the area annually by the end of the decade.

Today the springs continue to draw tourists. The Lincoln Mineral Baths is a state-run facility where people can soak in the famous Saratoga Springs water. Mineral baths take place in private rooms and other services such as massage, aromatherapy and mud and algae body wraps are also available. The Crystal Spa, a privately run facility, also offers baths and other spa services.

Jane Olsen, who works at the Chamber of Commerce information booth, said the wide range of activities in Saratoga Springs attracts a diversity of people.

During racing season, Saratoga Springs' busiest time of year, Olsen might get 500 people a day asking questions. And, of course, some of the questions are about buying hats.

"We start selling hats in early spring and it grows exponentially," says Natalie Sillery, owner of Saratoga Trunk.