A visit to upstate New York and Vermont – National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame, Saratoga Springs

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According to Wikipedia:

The National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame was founded in 1950 in Saratoga Springs, New York, to honor the achievements of American Thoroughbred racehorses, jockeys, and trainers. In 1955, the museum moved to its current location on Union Avenue near Saratoga Race Course, at which time inductions into the hall of fame began. Each spring, following the tabulation of the final votes, the announcement of new inductees is made, usually during Kentucky Derby Week in early May. The actual inductions are held in mid-August during the Saratoga race meeting.

The Hall of Fame’s nominating committee selects eight to ten candidates from among the four Contemporary categories (colts and horses, fillies and mares, jockey and trainer) to be presented to the voters. Changes in voting procedures that commenced with the 2010 candidates allow the voters to choose multiple candidates from a single Contemporary category, instead of a single candidate from each of the four Contemporary categories. For example, in 2016, two mares (Rachel Alexandra and Zenyatta) were inducted at the same time.

The museum also houses a large collection of art, artifacts, and memorabilia that document the history of horse racing from the eighteenth century to the present.

History

The National Museum of Racing was founded in 1950, led by Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney and a group of people interested in thoroughbred racing. The museum first opened its doors in 1951, at which time it occupied a single room in Saratoga’s Canfield Casino. The establishment was supported by the city of Saratoga Springs, which donated $2,500, the Saratoga Racing Association, which donated $5,000, and various patrons of the sport, who also donated various pieces of art and memorabilia. The first item in the museum’s collection was a horseshoe worn by the great Lexington.

In 1955, the museum relocated to its current location on Union Avenue, across the street from the main entrance of the historic Saratoga Racecourse. The museum was relocated to a newly reconstructed building and a thoroughbred racing Hall of Fame was included. Since then, the museum has expanded several times to allow for the display of its extensive art collection and more multimedia displays on the history of the sport.

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Sea Biscuit, 1933-1947.
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A nearby plaque reads:

Pimlico Race Course Gate
Wrought iron, ca. 1870
9 feet, 5 inches high by 13 feet wide
Gift: Mr. and Mrs. E. Stack Gately
This gate once stood at Pimlico Race
Course near the clubhouse of the
Maryland Jockey Club, which operataed
Pimlico beginning in 1870. Chanins and
pulleys were used to raise and lower
the gate. Removed in 1966 when fire
destroyed the clubhouse, the gate is an
excellent example of mid-nineteenth
century wrought iron craftsmanship

Taken with a Sony RX10 IV

In New York City with Jasmine – In Chinatown

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My feet were no longer hurting (much). I wasn’t thirsty, but I was starting to get hungry. Luckily Jasmine appeared with a couple of her friends. We had a drink (or in my case another drink) and after a while one of her friends left. We went to Chinatown with the other friend (who I’ve known since she was about 14 and at the International School in Geneva with Jasmine).

The chosen venue was Dim Sum Go Go. You can see the sign behind me in the fifth picture. There we met Jasmine’s friend’s two sons.

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Lin Ze Xu. According to Wikipedia (which has a lot of additional) information:

Lin Zexu (30 August 1785 – 22 November 1850), courtesy name Yuanfu, was a Chinese political philosopher and politician. He was a head of state (Viceroy), Governor General, scholar-official, and under the Daoguang Emperor of the Qing dynasty best known for his role in the First Opium War of 1839–42. He was from Fuzhou, Fujian Province. Lin’s forceful opposition to the opium trade was a primary catalyst for the First Opium War. He is praised for his constant position on the “moral high ground” in his fight, but he is also blamed for a rigid approach which failed to account for the domestic and international complexities of the problem. The emperor endorsed the hardline policies and anti-drugs movement advocated by Lin, but placed all responsibility for the resulting disastrous Opium War onto Lin.

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Picture courtesy of Jasmine.

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And that was about it for this particular trip. The next morning, we had breakfast, and after that I went back to Grand Central Terminal and took my train home.

Taken with a Sony RX10 IV

The boathouse

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I went to New England recently…well actually I didn’t but it looks like it from these pictures. They were actually taken in Ossining, New York a short walk from Sing Sing prison. I like this restaurant. It’s pretty much on the river and I like the “nautical” feel. I had a craving for steak (unusual for me as I don’t eat much beef) and ordered a ribeye, which I enjoyed immensely.

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Taken with a Sony RX100 M3

A walk to Sparta Cemetery – Overview and a statue

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It’s been very hot and humid for the past several days, so I haven’t been getting out much. After a few days of this I was starting to get “cabin fever”. I decided that I would get up early and go for a walk while it was still fairly cool. My plan was to leave the house, walk down Scarborough Road to Route 9/Albany Post Road, which I would cross near the Presbyterian Church and go down to historic Sparta Cemetery. After that I planned to continue on the Stop and Shop, pick up some groceries and then get an Uber back home.

My first picture taking opportunity was the statue above. It’s not far from my house. I’ve tried to take pictures of it before, but it’s quite a long way away from the road on private land and I’d never been able to get a picture I was happy with…until now. I was quite satisfied with this one.

I don’t know what the subject of the statue is. I thought it might be Pan because of the pipes he’s playing, but the statue doesn’t seem to have the goat’s legs normally associated with Pan. After a bit of research, I’ve found images of similar statues called: “Boy Playing Pipers”. I thought the flowers were a nice touch, as were the frogs around the base.

Taken with a Sony DSC-H50