Backpack to Buggy

Is there anything better than soaking in a hot mineral bath, alone, with your kids nowhere in sight or earshot? No errands, chores, electronics, obligations for 30 minutes and your only concern is whether to heat up the effervescent spring water in your tub.  Guess why I book a bath (alone) at the Roosevelt Baths and Spa in Saratoga Springs during my visits?

Mom's time out at Roosevelt Baths and Spa in Saratoga

Located adjacent to Saratoga Spa State Park and SPAC, the Roosevelt Baths and Spa was renovated and reopened in 2004, restoring the 1935 bathhouse’s facilities with upgrades to meet today’s spa going tastes.  The subway tiled rooms, re-glazed bathtubs and porcelain drinking fountains (think back to elementary school) feels a bit “institutional” to me, but it doesn’t take away from the water at all.

Extremely lucky to make an appointment only two days prior, I arrived early for my bath and was shown to the very small locker room.  It was an awkward set up at best.  The locker room worked on a quiet Sunday morning, but with one or two more guests it would be frustrating.  As it was I had to wait for the shower and do a little locker dancing with another guest.

Walking across the hall to the steam room and sauna was okay, but with the layout of the doors and hooks, I felt like it was a potential peepshow.  The steam room & sauna were not coed but the hallway was.  I think just changing the hinges on the hallway door would be vast improvement.

The waiting/relaxation room was standard for a high end spa with lounge chairs, cucumber water and herbal teas, reading materials, and a soothing water feature.  It almost succeeded in creating a relaxing environment.  Two things made it an almost.  First, the only magazines were business and golf related.  I don’t know if that reflects the main clientele’s interest or the main clientele swipe everything but the golf and business mags. (Is it wrong to expect a Vogue, Coastal Living or Travel & Leisure to be lying around?) I am leaning to the latter due to the second relaxation breaker of two guests who thought the relaxation room was a perfect place to have cell phone conversations.

The relaxing bath at Roosevelt Baths and Spa in Saratoga Springs.

But, my visit was all about the bath and that is where I looked to find relaxation and quiet.  An attendant picked me up in the waiting room and showed me to the treatment room which included a massage table and deep porcelain glazed tub.  He explained the bath to me: how the water would feel, how to change the temperature, location of the towels, and gave me a heads up on when he would check on me.

The bath was wonderful.  It took about two minutes to get used to the rust colored water’s mild sulfur smell and not long after the attendant was in to make sure I had enough towels to pillow my head. Drifting in the bath, the minerals left a soothing film on my skin that was continuously assailed by the effervescence of the water.  Think taking a bath in champagne.  That’s what I was imagining and it certainly felt that luxe.  I was forewarned that I may not make it through the full 30 minutes of bath time. Sure enough, I was ready to get out after 25, right as the attendant came for last call.

Red, red bath, I love you right from the start, right from the start with all of my heart! (photo by caprijuliet)

I drifted out of the treatment room and am not sure my feet touched the ground for a least an hour after my bath.  Aside from thirst which I quenched from the mineral water fountains, nothing could bother me.  My husband and Mirielle spent time at the historic Victoria Pool while I took my bath, so Mirielle was falling asleep by the time they picked me up giving me two more peaceful hours.

A full menu of services is available including massages, facials, and body treatments, but Saratoga’s water is what sets this spa apart.  Be sure to make reservations in advance.

Roosevelt Baths & Spa, 39 Roosevelt Drive, Saratoga Springs, New York, (800) 452-7275

For location, amenities, price, and service, the Holiday Inn Saratoga Springs is my current favorite.  After suffering slow traffic last year, I booked the Holiday Inn with hopes of only needing our car to drive to SPAC.  It is at the south end of the downtown area adjacent to Congress Park.  Happily I discovered a staircase directly into the park at the back end of the Holiday Inn parking lot which we used for our jaunts into town.

Pillows Menu at Holiday Inn Saratoga Springs

Rooms are recently renovated with very comfortable beds including a “pillow menu.”  Not all rooms have a refrigerator so be sure to confirm if your room type does when making a reservation.  We made due with my own version.  The room was clean, comfortable and quiet even though it overlooked the parking lot.  Connecting rooms are available.

A comfortable and quiet room at the Holiday Inn Saratoga Springs where dogs are welcome.

Family friendly hotel amenities include both an indoor and outdoor pool and kids eat free.  The pools were a big hit with long hours and the novelty of switching between the two.

Mirielle and I had breakfast one morning at Bookmakers, the onsite restaurant, while Jack slept in.  The buffet cost as much as an entree and coffee so we tried it.  Frankly it wasn’t very good, but Mirielle was able to have her bacon and fruit and I was able to get my yogurt, granola and fruit.  The coffee wasn’t bad and I LOVE that not only do they leave the thermal pot on the table while you eat, but they drop off a “to go” cup with the check! (HINT => great idea to secure a great tip.)

While we didn’t take our dog, the Holiday Inn is also pet friendly

Hampton Inn & Suites: A new hotel on the north end of the downtown area, across from High Rock Park and Scallions.  Indoor pool and studio suites.  It’s always sold out when we are visiting.

The Inn at Saratoga: A bed and breakfast feel in a historic hotel across the street from the Holiday Inn.

Saratoga Arms: Another favorite historic property on the north end of Broadway.

The Saratoga Hilton:  Across from the Saratoga Arms with an indoor pool.

With any lodging in Saratoga, I recommend booking in advance.  Hotels frequently sell out, especially during racing season.  We scored one of the last rooms available three weeks in advance.

For such a small town, Saratoga Springs hosts an impressive number of locally owned restaurants, coffee shops and other eateries. There is a flavor, price point and atmosphere for whatever the family is hankerin’ for.

(Special thanks to Jinny VanDeusen who recommended the first three stops.)

Putnam Market
A gourmet grocery that professed to be “the best food and wine store between Manhattan and Montreal” is our first stop in Saratoga to pick up a picnic before heading to SPAC.  This small grocery packs a variety of provisions including a deli counter, olive bar, bakery and lots of packaged eats including fresh bread, cheese, crackers, chocolate, cold drinks and more.   (The wine shop is next door.)  Sandwiches are creative but popular so expect a wait.  SPAC picnic boxes are available if you order in advance, but we ended up putting together our own picnic basket from the deli menu and cheese case.  It is a little pricey for a deli, but the great food is worth it to me.  Most importantly, don’t leave without a cupcake (or 4.)  Very limited seating is available in front of the market.
Putnam Market 435 Broadway, Putnam Wine 431 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY, http://www.putnammarket.com/

Cupcakes from the Putnam Market's bakery in Saratoga Springs, NY

Scallions
By no means a family restaurant, on both of our trips to Scallions we saw multiple generations enjoying a meal of fresh, seasonal and tasty food in a casual setting.  There is something on the menu for everyone.  If the specials don’t entice you, I highly recommend the Citrus Duck Salad, Maui Pork or Giant Wild Mushroom Crostini.  While generally, I discourage feeding kids from the children’s menu, we ordered the yogurt with fruit and granola off the kids menu for Mirielle.  (Probably the first time we ever ordered anything off a children’s menu, but healthy non fried food?!  Amen.)  After dinner, stop by the adjacent gallery which has some really funky handmade items for sale.
44 Lake Ave, Saratoga Springs, NY, http://www.scallionssaratoga.com/

Ravenous on Phila Street in Saratoga Springs

Ravenous
I love great crepes and frites.  Seriously, grown up pancakes and french fries?  Kinda like a kids menu for everyone.  Jinny warned me this small restaurant fills up quickly, so we made sure to be at the door at 10am when it opened for Saturday brunch (check the website for hours.)  Seating is cozy, but our family has a system of sharing one savory and one sweet crepe so a small table worked for us.  For “research” purposes I ordered a small frites cone with garlic aioli.  The coffee was great, the staff were kind to Mirielle, and the reasonably priced food satisfied our cravings for at least a few days.
21 Phila Street Saratoga Springs, NY, http://www.ravenouscrepes.com/

Enjoying sweet crepes and frites at Ravenous in Saratoga Springs.

Uncommon Grounds
I am sure there is a hotel out there with great in-room or in-lobby complementary coffee, but I am still looking for it.  In Saratoga Springs, don’t bother chancing it and head to Uncommon Grounds.  The coffee is roasted in house and on all of our visits, there was a choice of at least six different brews for your morning cup.  Bagels baked in house can be configured into lots of sandwich and spread combinations.  With plenty of indoor and outdoor seating, Uncommon Grounds is a easy place for families to hang out while mom and dad get their pick me up. (We enjoyed a cuppa while waiting for Ravenous, right around the corner, to open.)
402 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY, http://uncommongrounds.com/

There is always a line for Uncommon Grounds fresh coffee and bagels.

Cantina
Living in a Mexican food wasteland, I jump at every opportunity for good Mexican food.  Walking by Cantina, we stopped in for dinner and were not disappointed.  While crowed at 6:30pm on a Saturday in July, we were seated immediately.  Normally I hate the high tin ceiling, noisy restaurants, but with Mirielle in a cranky mood it was great not to have to hear her whining or share it with other patrons.  The innovative Mexican food includes dishes like Baja and Yucatan style fish tacos, duck taquitios and wild mushroom quesadillas.  I had the coconut-chili Mahi Mahi with cilantro rice.  The pumpkin seed coating on the fish gave it an unusual look, but with the creamy coconut and plenty of spicy chili flavor, I was impressed.  Everything on the children’s menu is $4 with a portion of the proceeds donated to a local hospital.  How cool is that?  Mirielle had the children’s chicken burrito which was probably enough food to feed all of us.  How big was the adult burrito?
430 Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY, http://www.cantinasaratoga.com/

Cantina's innovated Mexican food, Coconut-Chili Mahi Mahi

This week I’m heading to BlogHer in New York and I am most excited about talking up the recently launched family travel resource, Best Family Travel Advice at BestFamilyTravelAdvice.com.  While there are lots of informative family travel websites and blogs out there, there hasn’t been a dedicated, professional resource where anyone can ask their own family travel question and have it answered by a diverse panel of experts.

Front and center on Best Family Travel Advice’s homepage is a question form where you can ask YOUR question.  Recent questions asked included “Is Umbria a good location for a weeklong family stay?” “What are some good resources for finding family-friendly hostels?”  “What is the best way to get from the airport into Paris with a toddler?”  Previous questions are archived by topic and age.

Like parenting, everyone has their own opinion on family travel and not all solutions will work for all families.  Best Family Travel Advice has a panel of well traveled experts, including myself, to answer your questions. As none of us travel or parent the same way, multiple points of view are reflected in Best Family Travel Advice answers.

What’s you family travel question?  Visit Best Family Travel Advice right now and ask it!  Or, subscribe to the feed to see what others are asking.

Lawn seating at SPAC.

Anyway you define it, the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) is the most family friendly place to indulge mom introduce children to the performing arts. A couple of years ago, SPAC introduced themed nights like Family Night, American Girl Night, Junior Ballerina Night, et cetera, to attract more children and families to classical performances.

Free Stewart's ice cream at SPAC's Family Night.

What does family friendly mean at SPAC? Family nights are full of activities for children which this year included free Stewart’s ice cream, balloon animals (more like sculptures, they were so complex and innovative), photo magnets, a magician, a chalk art contest, and my personal favorite the children’s workshop on the lawn.

Mirielle learning from NYCB principal dancer Daniel Ulbricht.

I can now say that my daughter has danced with the New York City Ballet! After an informal question and answer session, principal dancers Daniel Ulbricht and Abi Stafford led a ballet lesson that culminated in a choreographed performance. “Performers” ranged from three to about twelve years old and anyone could join in. For those who worry about boys and the ballet, a handful of boys participated in the lesson. In fact, a four year old boy with a fantastic leap even managed to work Star Wars into the workshop, multiple times.

Rehearsing spectacular leaps with NYCB dancers Daniel Ulbricht and Abi Stafford during the children's workshop at SPAC's Family Night.

If the preshow activities aren’t enough, watching the performance from the lawn (children under 12 free) takes the stress out of squirmy, thirsty and I have to pee in the middle of act one kids. Lawn patrons are far more forgiving about talking during the performance, though this is a great time to teach good theater etiquette. (I must warn you about one usher who was so mean to kids, my husband suggested that she was trying to drive them over to her gingerbread house.  Avoid in earshot of her.)  If you’re brave, there is also standard reserved seating in the amphitheater.

A laid back picnic on the lawn at SPAC before the performance.

The real treat at SPAC is enjoying world class performances rather than the watered down, silly-ed up versions that are usually available to kids or the annual we’ll let kids come because these performances are a cash cow, Nutcracker.  I learned my classical music from Loony Toons (How can you not think of Bugs, Elmer and “Kill da Wabbit” when you hear Wagner’s Ride of the Valkyries?), took only one ballet/tap class, and really know little about the world of classical arts. Yeah, I even had to google “kill da rabbit” to find out who wrote the music.

NYCB dancers and their students en point at the children's workshop at SPAC.

I do, however, enjoy watching live performances.  After multiple performances at SPAC, my  three year old daughter now loves going to the ballet and the orchestra if she can dance.  She may not grow up to be a prima ballerina (or corps de ballet) but it looks like she will grow up to be a patron and every prima ballerina needs a few thousand of those to pay her way.

Two years of FotoMagic photo magnet memories from SPAC.

Details:
Tickets: Can be purchased online or at the box office. Lawn seats are usually available before the show. Check SPAC’s website for special events or performances. If you can make it, try the August 12 Family Night with the Philadelphia Orchestra’s “Cirque de la Symphonie.” A circus set to classical music.

Food: Picnics on the lawn are encouraged. While vendors sell a variety of food and drink including beer and wine, avoid lines by bringing your own food and drink from town. Putnam Deli has boxed picnics for SPAC (and an adjacent wine store) or try the farmers market.

Other things to bring: Blankets or chairs (the center lawn is reserved for blankets and very short chairs), bug spray and an umbrella.