Walkin In A Winter Wonderland

All the trees were dressed up in their wool sweaters, their hues set and illuminated by the street and traffic lights. A canopy of heavy arms extend down to create a dichotomous sense of warmth and shelter. The blanketing snow mutes all echoes making the stillness of the night quite a surreal experience. I had to capture what I could in the midnight cold. These 4 were my fruits. Enjoy.

 All photos by George DeMers

Adelphi Hotel

Beekman Street

Dublin, Franklin Street, West Side Saratoga Springs 

UPH

Unedited Interview with George Demers about Saratoga, and the Arts District

Interview with George Demers: George Demers is a longtime Saratoga resident with a relationship that dates back to the origins of Beakman Street. George discusses a unique perspective on Saratoga's art culture, or the lack thereof.

Photos of the Springs Under Deep Freeze

Deer Park Spring

The average temperature of the water from the chain of springs in Saratoga is around 41 to 45 degrees. This is why the springs continue to flow through the cold freezing days and nights of upstate NY. I braved the cold temperatures to snap shots of the current state of the springs around the city of Saratoga Springs, check it out. 
 ALL PHOTOS BY GEORGE DEMERS, don't steal, Santa is watching.
  First spring up is the most photogenic, the Orenda Spring. Here's a  shot of it's tufa dome formation from the SPAC bridge, the water cracking through the snow.

       The mouth of the Orenda looks a lot like a mouth. Got some ice on his cheeks.

                                A view of the dome from the Geyser Creek 

                    Up close and personal with the iced-over tufa dome.

                                             Ice ripples

Geyser Creek

Hayes Spring aka the Whippit Post

                         Geyser Spouter wearing a frozen skirt

                           Karista Spring, an icy tub.

                              Hathorn #3 has a little frosty action

Polaris looked the best, so fancy.

                    Icicles from Polaris were beady and looked like hair.

Congress Spring experiencing some ice build up.

  My personal favorite photo of the bunch, Deer Park getting frosty. 

                             Governor's Spring getting icy.

            Governor's peer, Peerless Spring, looking the same.

High Rock remains unfazed.

             Old Red Spring sporting a little bit of ice.

Last but definitely not least, the Hathorn Spring wins the Sparkling Spring Award. 

 For more info on each of these springs, may I refer you to my watercolor series, complete with history of each spring. Go to the right column under archive, and click on the posts, thanks for checkin' me out! 

***Update, a photo from the next day, Hathorn keeps cultivating that ice! 

Spa State Park Photos

Living here in Saratoga, I have a calling in the back of my head compelling me to gravitate towards the Spa State Park. If you dig through my archive, I have some nifty photos posted from last year. Here's some sweet ones. All photos by George DeMers.

   Melted snow puddles at SPAC make for a nice shot!

Geyser Creek 

                 Fall formations on Orenda Springs' tufa dome 

                                    A Neapolitan look 

                                      
                                         Leaf Imprints 

Tammany Hall, Presidential Politics and Saratoga Springs

Tammany Hall is a name that keeps coming up in history searches of this city called Saratoga Springs. The stories of history told, is told with the narration of the victors. So, a lot of history left to learn, pertains to the lives of wealthy white men. 
 It seems most of these wealthy white men that formed this city, have a long standing connection; Tammany Hall of NYC. It's history is tainted with corruption, graft and greed. The players were numerous, and their network branched into every facet of society. It was known as the Democratic headquarters of NYC, until mob busts, due to FDR, and LaGuardia, saw an end to it. 

Here's more info http://www.history.com/topics/tammany-hall

 The Tammany Society, a fraternal social club, was founded in Philadelphia, the NYC chapter in 1786. It was named after Tammanend, a Native American leader of the Lenape of Delaware Valley. Tammany Hall was a political machine that Aaron Burr built from the social club during the turn of the century, boosting him to Vice President of Jefferson's third term. Tammany pressed on into the political arena, against the Federalists, as a Democratic Party nucleus. 
 For my Burr-Saratoga connection, I refer you to this earlier post http://briefingsfromaspacitymetalhead.blogspot.com/2015/12/one-big-family.html 

   WHIGS VS DEMOCRATS

 30 years later, and a Democrat run White House, the Whig party came into play in response to Democratic president Andrew Jackson, Van Buren of Kinderhook, NY and Tammany Hall. Martin Van Buren was from nearby Old Kinderhook, and took on the nickname, thus he used to sign documents with an "OK.'' That's where okay comes from! Here's a rendering of Mr. OK at Saratoga, being snubbed by political rival DeWitt Clinton's widow. 

from library of Congress.org

 Anyway, it was the year of the presidential election of William Harrison, a war hero from the Battle at Tippecanoe. He was of the Whig Party, the Democratic party's nemesis. "Tippecanoe and Tyler Too" was the slogan. Daniel Webster, a Whig party presidential primary loser, came to Saratoga to rally on behalf of Harrison's campaign. (I should note, that, Webster turned down Harrison's offer to make him VP, which Tyler obliged, Harrison then died a month after inauguration.)
 It was mid- August 1840, a presidential candidate parade marched down Broadway, with a makeshift log cabin and a ball about 30 feet in circumference in tow. Harrison was known as the "Log Cabin and Hard Cider Candidate" and he and the Whigs "Kept the Ball Rollin'. 
 They rolled down to the Congress Park, where Webster was to address ten thousand people. A makeshift platform was set and ready, where Mr. Webster commenced his speech. Then, suddenly, the entire platform he was standing on, collapsed, sending about twenty people on the stage into a hole of broken boards and banners. No one was hurt, Daniel Webster climbed onto a wagon and finished his speech. The joke amongst the Democrats, was, "The Whigs Platform has caved in!" 
As I alluded to earlier, 1840, Harrison won the election that year.
Here's the speech, check it out. 
https://books.google.com/books?id=zHxu84_-xWcC&pg=PA5&lpg=PA5&dq=daniel+webster+saratoga&source=bl&ots=2wduevJ1uM&sig=F9MMWNmJ3UC7uFsLV1gvaH3t2Kw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjBwqz11Z7QAhVk0FQKHTbsD6sQ6AEINDAD#v=onepage&q=daniel%20webster%20saratoga&f=false

The Saratoga reference is sweet.... 

"Fellow-citizens of the County of Saratoga! In taking leave of you, I cannot but remind you how distinguished a place your county occupies in the history of the country. I cannot be ignorant that, in the midst of you, are many at this moment who saw in this neighborhood the triumph of republican arms in the surrender of General Burgoyne. I cannot doubt that a fervent spirit of patriotism burns in the breast of their children. They helped to save their country amidst the storms of war.They will help to save it , I am fully persuaded, in the present severe civil crisis. Fellow-citizens! I verily believe it is true that of all who are left of us from the Revolution, nine-tenths are with us in the approaching contest. If there be a Revolutionary officer or soldier who has joined in the attacks of General Harrison’s military character, I have not met with him. It is not, therefore, in the County of Saratoga that a cause sustained by such means is likely to prevail."

from http://www.saratoganygenweb.com/Stone/Chap19.html

  

 It's mid 1800's, Tammany Hall was in full swing, issues facing the Democrats, such as supporting southern merchants, and slavery, brought local dignitaries such as Chancellor Walworth (of Saratoga), amongst the guests, to important meetings. 

 It was about this time, to the Whigs disdain, that Tammany Hall started taking in Irish immigrants, during the potato famine. In exchange for food and jobs, they turned these immigrants not only into votes, but gears for the Democratic machine. 

(side note, they were also signing up these Irish males for the draft, which is part of the reason why the Draft Riots 1863 occurred as seen in Scorsese's Gangs of New York.) Tammany Hall was also known for lending the immigrants into lives of prostitution, gambling, drugs, just a litany of vices, and profited from this.

  Of the toughest, and smartest of these immigrants was a guy named John Morrissey. Morrissey was from Ireland, parents moved him to Troy, NY. As a teen he was in and out of jail, then moved to NYC. He was a brawler and soon became a heavy weight champion bare knuckle boxer. He got the nickname "Old Smoke" after being thrown onto burning coals during a brawl, only to stand up, with his back smoldering, and proceeded to win the fight. Old Smoke joined Tammany Hall and joined Tammany's Dead Rabbit gang. The gang regulated elections and ballot rigging. They battled an up shoot political party called the Know Nothing Party. (they kept everything secret.) The Know Nothing Party were a anti immigrant party, who thought immigrants were taking over their American economy. The Know Nothings' gang were the Bowery Boys. 

 After Morrissey saw to the death of rival Bowery Boy leader a man named Bill The Butcher, Morrissey was allowed by the local Democrat politicians, to open up a casino in NYC.  Morrissey came back to upstate NY, and moved to Saratoga Springs. Here, he opened the Saratoga Racetrack, with other high rollers, that he had met, at/through Tammany Hall. Such high rollers, like, Corneilius Vanderbilt and Leonard Jerome, and William Travers.  With these big wigs behind him, Morrissey would become a congressman representing the Democratic Party. He would also open the Clubhouse Casino, later known as the Canfield Casino. Later, Morrissey would split from Tammany, and form Irving Hall.
Morrissey died in Saratoga, and had his funeral at the Adelphi Hotel.

from http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/harp/0710.html

                 Here's his autograph that was on sale online 

 Corneilius Vanderbilt was a railroad tycoon who helped finance the Saratoga Racetrack. At the time, when trying to make a buy out merger with Erie railroad, and his New York Central Railroad, he used Tammany's infamously corrupt Boss Tweed (State Senator at the time) to back him up in an Albany Courtroom. Thousands of dollars exchanged hands, only to have Boss Tweed turn his back on Vanderbilt, and sell out to the Erie Rail Company in the end.  

 Leonard Jerome, known as "The King of Wall Street," was a financial partner of Vanderbilt, and helped finance the Saratoga racetrack.  Leonard Jerome, a few years later, created his own track, Jerome Park, and founded the "American Jockey Club," who's first board member session included none other than Boss Tweed and John Morrissey. 
 Leonard Jerome would later have a grandson named Winston Churchill. Leonard's nephew, a man named William Travers Jerome, was the New York D.A., that at the turn of the century, busted Tammany Hall, and the Canfield Casino.

      OTHER LOCAL NAMES OF INTEREST, ASSOCIATED                                    WITH TAMMANY HALL;

From Life Sketches of Father Walworth, Ellen Hardin Walworth writes, 

 Not all Tammany Hall did was evil and corrupt. For instance, in  1913, after a fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in NYC that killed 145 people, many new labor laws were introduced to New York State by Tammany Hall.

                              THE GANGSTERS 

 Now, come 1913, Arnold Rothstein, Jewish gangster of NYC, became a major player in the Tammany Hall scene. Arnold Rothstein came to Saratoga and built a casino called the Brook, out on Rt 9n. He got married at his home on Washington St. to a NYC showgirl, Carolyn Greene. Tammany Hall is where he would align with Jewish gangster Meyer Lansky, along with Lansky's childhood friend from the Five Points gang-Lucky Luciano. There was also Joe Adonis, and Frankie Costello. These guys would run Tammany Hall, and it's politicians. These Italian gangers were Genevese crime family and had an enormous organization. All these gangsters would come to Saratoga Springs and with the help of local mobster Doc Farone, they set up lake house casinos, such as Riley's, Piping Rock, Meadowbrook, Arrowhead, and the Chicago Club. Al Capone named his club in Chicago, the Saratoga Club, in ode to his favorite spot back east, The Chicago Club.

 The 50's brought the Senate's Kefauver Committee into action, and busted all these gangsters, including Costello, who was in control of Tammany at the time. So ends the Saratoga-Tammany love affair.

 In Cohoes, NY, at a restaurant/bar Smith's of Cohoes, is the 50 foot African mahogany bar that used to grace the famous Tammany Hall. Smith's was owned by "Big Mike" Smith. Big Mike was a local Democratic leader of our area, during the 1920's and 30's. Also inside the bar are two Japanese urns, from the Vanderbilt family. I went there on election night this year, here's a photo of the bar. Go there, it's on Remsen st. it's worth it! (that floor is one of the last actual hand inlayed and pressed tile floors.)
http://www.smithsofcohoes.com/History.htm

links https://books.google.com/books?id=U5xWDQAAQBAJ&pg=PP1&dq=30+illegal+years&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiWhraqvZ_QAhXLz4MKHfg3Cx0Q6AEIHTAA#v=onepage&q=30%20illegal%20years&f=false

http://bigmikecraft.newsvine.com/_news/2008/07/21/1684271-meyer-lansky-and-saratoga-they-were-a-good-pair

Saratoga, Death Wish Coffee, & NASCAR.

 OCT 2nd 2016, Death Wish Coffee of Saratoga Springs,  will sponsor a car in a NASCAR race! 

screen shot yo!

photo from Fox Sports 

It all makes sense, this town (now city) that I write about, Saratoga Springs, NY, is blamed for being many things. To some, or shall I say most, one attractive quality about Saratoga, is horse racing. We are a racing town, (to most outsiders), whether us locals like it or not. 
 The Saratoga racetrack is the 2nd oldest track in the USA, (the oldest being Freehold), Saratoga has hosted horse racing since 1863. There actually was a few years where there was no racing, due to war, and other outside influences. In July of 1914, and 1915, we had motorcycle races at the track.

http://www.saratogian.com/general-news/20150701/when-race-track-roared

Here's some stuff i dug up...

 above: from Pittsburgh Daily Post July 11 1915
below: from Motorcycle Illustrated July 1915

The Albany-Saratoga Speedway in Malta is the local home for car racing fans, and home to important players in the NASCAR realm, and the track have even hosted some NASCAR sanctioned events. Robin Pemberton, former Vice President of Competition for NASCAR, and his family, grew up across the street from the track, his brother Randy is a NASCAR broadcaster, another brother Ryan, is a crew chief for JR Motorsports, and finally Roman, another brother, is a spotter for Cup driver Brian Vickers. The brothers learned the ways of the road between here and nearby Watkins Glen Speedway.

On this day, Oct. 2nd, 1948, the first road automobile race in the USA since stoppage due to WW2, commenced at Watkins-Glen, known as the "Day The Trains Stopped"

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/checkered-flag-waves-at-first-postwar-u-s-road-race-in-watkins-glen-new-york/print

Death Wish Coffee is a coffee company based out of Saratoga Springs, and today, they are sponsoring a car driven by Ty Dylan in a NASCAR race at Dover International Speedway in NH. I'll have to say, that car looks pretty badass with the logo and jet black look,  it's pretty slick.  Death Wish Coffee recently won a commercial spot during the Super Bowl last year, and look to continue the winning streak. The race is at 2pm Oct.2nd 2016.

https://www.deathwishcoffee.com/blogs/news/nascar-ty-dillon-death-wish-coffee

Death Wish Coffee started out at Saratoga Coffee Traders, a coffee shop on the main drag in Saratoga. It is reported to be the strongest coffee in the world, and the brand is becoming a household name. Saratoga is actually the home of the oldest continuously running coffee shop in the USA, a place called Cafe Lena. http://www.caffelena.org/ Cafe Lena is currently seeing an entire makeover, and I am not sure how I feel about that, but that is a whole other post. Saratoga has had numerous coffee shops over the years, here's some old ads, from the Saratoga Springs Public Library 

Also, I read that coffee became a popular drink during the times of the American Revolution, namely the Battle of Saratoga for this blog's purposes. It was because of the Boston Tea Party, that made tea no longer the choice drink, coffee forever taking over as the choice drink in America. A glimpse into life during the American Revolution in Saratoga, can be read about here, where Baroness Reidesel at one point, speaks of tea being replaced by coffee, due to the Boston Tea Party and duties placed on tea.  https://books.google.com/books?id=q4UBAAAAMAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false

It seems racing and coffee have always kept this town buzzin' about! I hope nothing but continued success for the local favorite, now an international obsession, and employer of some every close friends of mine, DEATH WISH COFFEE.

Saratoga Springs and the Pittsburgh Steelers

It's preseason football already, and, I got a little ditty about my favorite team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Saratoga Springs.

 The Steelers were founded by Art Rooney, Sr. in 1933. Art was a horse handicapper, and invested $2,500 to purchase the team. He had made a trip up to Saratoga, and won a series of long shot bets, took that money and made the Pittsburgh Steelers. 
https://books.google.com/books?id=yQ1FWZ03ncsC&printsec=frontcover&dq=beyond+the+scoreboard&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiP3dr9mLDOAhUDQiYKHQqGAdwQ6AEIJjAB#v=onepage&q=beyond%20the%20scoreboard&f=false
Pittsburgh Gazette
https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/96452463/
 Art, four years later, in 1937, came back to Saratoga, and won somewhere around a quarter of a million dollars, and invested more into the ball club. Art, and Giants owner Tim Mara, were avid bookies and gamblers of that era. Eventually, the NFL made them choose one or the other, the Mara family and the Rooney family chose football. The Rooney's own Yonkers Raceway, and the Mara's still have horses that race. 

Saratoga Springs is home to the National Museum of Dance. I guess it's ballet, because I didn't see any mosh pit relics or articles of twerking, but all kinds of ballet stuff. They currently have a theme of Sports and Athletics on display.

Ballet is used often by athletics of all sorts. It seems to mix with everything from fencing, to hockey and football. One of my favorite Steelers to ever play the game, Lynn Swann, has a bunch of stuff on display in the museum, for the current theme. He used ballet to train his feet, and was known for the "circus catch."

I stopped in and payed tribute to my favorite player of all time, Lynn Swann.

My first impression of the Steelers and Lynn Swann, was a Super Bowl, the Steelers won, I have been a fan ever since. My older brother was a Cowboys fan, so, I had to root the 'other' team, and I still do!

Here's a football from one of the 3 Super Bowls between the Steelers and Cowboys, signed by Lynn Swann.

 Here I am at the museum..

Yeah, I have all his rookie cards, here's his locker room nameplate.

Here's to the Steelers, and Saratoga!