Last Sunday’s heat wave made the prospect of going to the Victorian Pool at the Saratoga Spa State Park even more appealing than a night on the lawn watching a show.
But, since we already had tickets for the Sheryl Crow/Heart show for the evening, we were committed to the latter. Or, perhaps, we could do both…
Getting four women from three different counties together in a fourth county takes some finagling. We all had busy weekends, and we couldn’t get it together until close to 4:15 p.m., rendezvousing in Latham to pare down from three cars to one.
By the time we hit the park it was 4:45 p.m., which gave us only approximately an hour of available pool time. Less than ideal, but how long do you really need to spend in the water when just a quick dip to cool off is the main goal?
We parked in the designated lot near some picnic tables, intending to make use of one of them ourselves after our swim. Since it was so late in the day, and we were exceedingly polite, we were ushered into the pool – surprisingly – without being required to pay.
We do all pay taxes, however, so technically speaking, we paid admission in an alternative fashion, right?
The water was fantastic. Refreshed after an hour poolside and post-swim showers, we returned to the car and unpacked a fairly impressive spread of food.
My picnic packing pro tip: leave the silverware at home and bring chopsticks instead. We have some I bought for a couple of dollars at a sidewalk sale, or you could grab some from your favorite takeout joint. No worries about losing pieces from a setting while out and about, and they work just fine for a pretty wide array of picnic fare items – including coleslaw.
Trust me.
After our meal, we tidied up and walked over to the gate and entered SPAC grounds, leaving our car in the golf/pool lot at no cost. The concert exceeded expectations and it turned into a beautiful evening, weather wise.
It may have been a fluke the way everything just fell beautifully into place for us, and it may never happen again quite like that, but for one day, I felt like I was totally winning in Saratoga – without placing a single bet.
I know I’m not the only one out there with SPAC secrets. What are your tips navigating for SPAC? If you’re willing to spill, share with a comment below.
