126 Fifth Avenue, Saratoga Springs NY -After and Before photos.

126 Fifth Avenue.  Photo taken first week in February 2011.

126 Fifth Avenue. Photo taken sometime last year.  Property recently listed as selling for $400,000.

Chowderfest in Saratoga Springs 70,000 chowder samples served !

After circling downtown Saratoga Springs looking for a parking spot -to no avail- we headed "out of town" for chowder.  One spot we stopped at was the Brunswick Bed and Breakfast on Union Avenue.  We walked pass the meat smoker on the front porch and was greeted by a very friendly woman who escorted us inside to a quaint dining room.  It was there that we met the owner, Kirk Nichols, who was pulling double duty as the chef and also smoking the bacon on the front porch.  It was so nice to sit at a table inside and converse for awhile with other chowderheads.  The homemade corn and cranberry muffin was a nice extra treat.

Saratoga Springs Chowderfest "Chug" Ugh ?

Official Chowderfest Mug (Chug)

Re-usable, environmentally friendly mug/lid/spoon combination.

Saratoga Convention and Tourism Bureau.

Secure spoon lock and removable lid. Could also use for your daily latte 

after Chowderfest.

Snowblower found my Post Star newspaper before I did

Spring Run Trail ....Part 2

One of the first interesting items that you run across is this fencing  on the right of the path--anybody know what the City is protecting you from ???? From falling into the emerging Spring Run stream!

Here it is from the other side of the fence. Think back to  Congress Park, standing by the carousel, that is the last spot that you would see this stream above ground.  Some say the headwaters (or where it starts) is under CVS in Congress Plaza where it naturally runs underground to the park--pops up near the bandstand.....It then runs via culvert by the carousel- down Putnam Street to High Rock and is free flowing from this spot through Ten Springs - around the closed landfill to finally empties into Lake Lonely.

Later, we will add a 1800's map showing how stream ran through the area.

Spring Run Trail in Saratoga Springs. Part 1

We are soooo happy that the Spring Run Trail is finally opened !  The treasures abound !!!!!!

At the start of the Trail - this is looking north - across Excelsior Ave.  The field was where the City ice skating rink building was...now it is a DEC Brownfield.  We hope that some handicapped parking will be built there...otherwise there is no true handicap access.

This is the house that the Taylor brothers owned.  They developed the area that was part of the Ten Springs....More later.

How the building and area looked in 1888.

Go see Beckettshorts at the Tang Museum

Just be sure that you don't become part of the actors guild while waiting in the lobby.....