Siro's August 20, 2010
CK: A recent article in the New York Times made Siro’s out to be a swanky joint for high rollers and mobsters. Maybe this is true in the restaurant but the outside tent is for people leaving the track who want to drink beer out of plastic cups and ogle one another. On our first visit (following a day at the track) I was amazed at the number of men of all ages, shapes and sizes. The ratio must be about 10 men to every 1 overdressed woman. Our companion was not into it at all, so this first trip was a dry run for our actual blog research a few days later (a Thursday evening). We definitely met a lot of men at Siro’s but as with our first Saratoga experience in June, most of them are from out of town and most of them are married. Neither of which stops them from attempting to fondle women, stick Paddock Passes on their chests, or buy them drinks even if they walk away repeatedly. I actually recommend Siro’s; the band was fun, we ran into people we know, and it’s good for the ego.
DT: Great scene for men and, on some nights, decent crowd-pleasing music. But a band that plays ONLY Springsteen can make even the biggest Springsteen fan somewhat despondent. The mixed drinks, even disregarding the plastic cups, are poor. But men . . . yes many men of all shapes, age, sizes and abilities. You can dance with abandon if you want to, or encircle the bar to view the varied clientele. Beware though, the summer in Saratoga scene lends itself to excessive drinking and reckless abandon. If you can finagle your way into the indoor bar, we're told you can find high-rollers, but we discovered they aren't as interesting as the low rollers. And don't ignore the local men in wheelchairs - they can be very entertaining. A fun place to go and meet men and women!The Horseshoe Inn September 3, 2010
CK: Our new friend MC told us the Horseshoe is the other good place to go after the track. We went on a hot Friday night and found the place to be hopping. It also h
as an outdoor tent with a band and about a million men of all varieties milling about. I ran into Phil McCracken from high school (not his real name, of course) and his friends. I stayed near the auxiliary bar because I’m not into crowds, dancing or sweating. I wasn’t trying as hard as most of the women there but successfully attracted a harness track aficionado (47, attractive and local). He told me I was part of the "magic of Saratoga." Also Bob and his friend (48, attractive in a Clark Kent sort of way and local). Bob is the one who asked me if I’m in the book! He’s too much of a womanizer for me but the Horseshoe is the best place by far of any we’ve visited since we started the blog!! Highly recommended.
as an outdoor tent with a band and about a million men of all varieties milling about. I ran into Phil McCracken from high school (not his real name, of course) and his friends. I stayed near the auxiliary bar because I’m not into crowds, dancing or sweating. I wasn’t trying as hard as most of the women there but successfully attracted a harness track aficionado (47, attractive and local). He told me I was part of the "magic of Saratoga." Also Bob and his friend (48, attractive in a Clark Kent sort of way and local). Bob is the one who asked me if I’m in the book! He’s too much of a womanizer for me but the Horseshoe is the best place by far of any we’ve visited since we started the blog!! Highly recommended.DT: Agree that this place is highly recommended (during track season anyway). Raining men indeed. Just plain old fun . . . although one could easily confuse it with the scene at Siro's. A band that must play there frequently -- because they were there both nights I was -- actually plays the Violent Femmes! How cool is that? As with Siro's, beware of married men in town for a good time! And kudos go out again to LP for accompanying us and tolerating our shameless man-hunting behavior.
