美しいカスタムホーム-サラトガ競馬場からの短い散歩

Jenn and I have been together for 26 years. Jenn grew up in Alabama (Roll Tide!), while I grew up not far from the Saratoga Springs region, about 40 miles south in Rensselaer, NY. Our paths crossed while going to college together in Boston and we have been together ever since. Jenn went on to law school in Virginia while I worked in the Northeast. Eventually we split the difference and moved into an apartment in Philadelphia. We lived near the Art Museum in Philly for 4 years before buying a home in the Western suburbs near Valley Forge Park. We continue to live there today.

Jenn works as an attorney for a Scottish asset management firm with offices across the globe. Luckily for us, that includes a hub in Philadelphia. Her loves include bold red wines, very spicy food, copious amounts of TV, and our dog, Griffin.

I worked as an actuary for most of what I would call my "first career". Status of my "second career": It's complicated. I have been attending the meet at Saratoga since I was 9 and I have only missed one Opening Day since. My love of the horses has led me to become an avid handicapper. I have been a participant at the National Horseplayers Championship (NHC) the last 10 years, finishing in the top 15 of the NHC Tour in 2018, 2019, and 2022. My other passions include writing and nerding out on Excel spreadsheets.

Because Jenn and I are always in Saratoga for Opening Day (and the occasional extra visit or two), we had toyed around with the idea of purchasing a place near the race track. For the last year or two, those talks were more wishful thinking than anything else. This year, we decided to go for it. While looking at various properties, we came across 129 Adams St. and thought the location was perfect. The house itself was outstanding, with 4 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms in the main section of the house. There is also a spacious basement that can be entered separately from the main house. There is a pool behind the main house to relax in. Parking is always tough to come by in Saratoga, especially during track season, but this house had a fairly large driveway that can accommodate multiple vehicles. Beside the house was a two-car garage (for even more parking!) with a carriage house above it. We knew that we would love this place and we felt very confident that those who rented it while we were back home would enjoy it too.

Our goal is to get your visit off to a wonderful start. We leave a gift basket to welcome all of our renters. The typical welcome basket consists of a few bottles of wine and some items from local stores on Broadway. We are happy to personalize the basket towards your preferences, but that depends on how much you want to share with us about what you like and why you're visiting. (Don't worry, we won't pry if you'd rather not share that information with us!) There is a pantry stocked with snacks that is our version of a free mini-bar for the guests. Forgot to bring toiletries? Each bathroom has items like toothpaste and Q-tips in it for you. There are also hair dryers in each bathroom (this was not the bald guy's idea).

If you're coming to Saratoga during the summertime, you probably have a fondness for horses. You only have to walk about 3 blocks from this house to get to the race track. If you just walk to the corner of Adams St., you can see the clubhouse turn of the race track up ahead. Don't want to walk that far? We can do you one better. Several of the stables are close to the house. If you love horses and are renting the house during track season, I would highly encourage you to wake up early one morning, sit on the porch, and take it all in. The day after we closed on 129 Adams, I woke up at 7am and sat on the porch of my new home. For the next two hours, I watched a parade of horses walk down my street and the street at the end of the block as they went off or returned from training. It was remarkable watching teams of 4-5 horses go off on their morning routine. The street at the end of the block (Gridley St.) essentially connects to the back stretch of the race track, so lots of stables are located there, making it easy for trainers to bring their horses over for an early morning jog.

Even if you aren't into the horses, the location of 129 Adams St. makes it possible to walk just about anywhere you'd want to go in Saratoga. Race track? Check. Casino? Check. Downtown? SPAC? Restaurants and bars? Check. Check. Check. And if you're not in the mood to walk, an Uber or Lyft ride to any of these places is super cheap.

With so much to do in Saratoga, you might not spend a whole lot of time in this house, but if you do, the Sonos sound system installed throughout the property is a really nice touch. You'll also enjoy the pool during the hot summer days in Saratoga. If you think the water is too cold, you're in luck! Our pool is heated and the water can be warmed up to a temperature of your liking (just not beyond 85 degrees please!).