Everybody who is everybody, and then some, goes to the Streetwalk. This is, I think, the 26th year for this event. I'd estimate the crowd at at least 2,000, probably a lot more. Broadway was jammed with people from curb to curb. It's THE place to see and be seen during the winter season. From what I could tell, everyone was having a great time, enjoying the various musical venues, the food, and just the commaradarie that comes from standing in the middle of the street! Take a look:
My apologies! I didn't realize it had been so long since my last post. While we all know what Saratoga looks like during the day, I wonder how many of us have strolled the streets a night and noticed the little details? As we all know, things look different at night, and sometimes you notice things that you would not have seen at any other time. Take a look:
Streetlights near the City Center cast pools of light
The Turkish Bazaar shimmers at night
Neon is more noticeable at night
The ever present traffic on Broadway casts starlike shapes for the camera
Then the light changes and the headlights become streaks of light
The Adirondack Trust clock on Broadway looks imposing at night
Window displays are beginning to look a lot like Christmas
says it all, right?
Pedestrian traffic on Broadway doing some window shopping
How many of us have noticed the lights on City Hall?
Are they waxing your nails? ;)
You would never notice this display during the day
City Center takes on a Christmas hue
I hope you have the time to take a stroll at night and notice some more details!
Here are some images from the recent Water Garden Tour in Saratoga and Greenfield Center. 6 homes who worked with Chips Landscaping (http://chipslandscaping.net/) in Greenfield Center opened the doors to their gardens and backyards to show off their water gardens. All proceeds benefit the Brookside Museum in Ballston Spa (http://www.brooksidemuseum.org/) home of the Saratoga County Historical Society. For privacy reasons, I have only included photos that do not show the entire backyard or garden.
Saratoga Springs is beautiful. No one in their right mind will dispute that fact. However, there are a few places where I prefer the grungier, dirtier view of Saratoga.
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This "Photo Blog" only has two photos... but hopefully both will provoke some thought on how ugly can be beautiful, too.
The first image is of a jockey after a race. Being behind in a horse race on a muddy day isn't a glamorous job. Neither is the job of cleaning the silks afterward. But seeing it up close you can gain an appreciation for the work these guys (and gals) do to entertain us and to help owners, trainers and the horses to be the best they can be on race day.
The second is one of our famous springs. In Congress park under the white pavilion or gazebo (I'm not sure what one people prefer), there is a spring of almost drinkable water. It's fresher than most of the springs around the area what tells me that it probably won't do so much for my health, beauty or whatever other magic the springs bring. This spring also has some fresh graffiti on it, unfortunately. I found the freshness and purity of the water and the distastefulness of the graffiti to be ironic and therefore interesting. What do you think?
If you know of any other "dirty" spots around Saratoga - let me know. If I have the time (and permission) to shoot them... I'll post the images here, on the Snapshots Blog.
And they are off... I spent Sunday at the track with fellow blogger Mark Bernard. It was a lot of fun and despite the rain a great day for photography. I almost think the rain and the mud made some of the images even more interesting. Below is an image of the horses rounding the bend before the home stretch.
In this other image, "Lucky 13" shows the 13 horse leading the pack en route to the finish line. The race is an amazing way to spend a day and with friends it is even better.
So, what happens to the muddy horses? They get rinsed off, of course. This last shot for today's blog is the workers rinsing off one of the horses after the race.
My shooting partner, Jim Gilbert, and I went to the Saratoga Racecourse yesterday. We had noticed that there had not been a lot of people blogging about the racecourse this year and decided to do something about it. Although the afternoon started out fine weatherwise, a little hot, but dry, the thunderstorms quickly moved in and soaked us all. Fortunately, Jim had the foresight to purchase tickets in the grandstand for us, so we stayed drier than the railbirds (not by a lot though)! We spent a few hours there just watching people and the races. My hat is off to the people who make the track run, especially under those conditions! They do an amazing job of bringing everything off without a hitch under brutal conditions. The downpours did not stop them at all. The jockeys were incredible too. I cannot imaging riding a horse under those soaking wet conditions. As you can see from some of the pictures below, they get quite a workout! So here are some photos I took yesterday to show you what it was like.
Got a good seat! Let the races begin!
Enduring the rain
It was a hard race
The stress shows
Weighing in after the muddy race
Rounding the final turn and heading for the finish line!
Almost there!
Even though it was a soggy day at the races, it was still a good time. And I think Jim and his wife made some money! See you at the races!
Did anyone see the sky this morning? This was taken about 5:30 this morning just after the sun peeked over the horizon...
On Sunday, April 29th I attended "Greek Day" at the National Museum of Dance in Saratoga.
Traditional greek dances, dance lessons, traditional costumes, and Greek food were featured at this festive performance.
The dancers also got the audience to participate in the dancing, it certainly seemed like everyone was having a great time.
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Saratoga Snapshots Bloggers
Mark Bernard photographs Saratoga scenes and events and will be adding compelling photos from the area. To see more of Mark's work visit his Website.
JT Gilbert loves to photograph the world around him. From long exposures to HDR, color burns to black and whites, you never know what you are going to get. Website.
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