With Belatoga come and gone — and this year’s weird “regular” summer meet kicking off on a very early July 3 — we have three precious weeks to relish being a local.
So why don’t we all meet each other!
And support local restaurants while we’re at it…
Only six days left to sign up for the June 17 Dinner Club.
We already have six tables booked at restaurants across town.
That’s 31 potential new friends — without any awkward mingling!
See you there.— Abby
🍴 New to the Dinner Club? It’s easy!
Take a short quiz. (You’ll be asked at the end if you have a Plus 1.)
Every sixth ticket sold, I’ll book a six-top at a new downtown restaurant for 6:30 p.m. June 17.
Morning of June 17: You find out your restaurant!
Show up, and have dinner with 5 of your neighbors.
Nightcap at Bibulous after — to gossip about how it all went down.
🙌 A huge thank you to the June 17 Dinner Club’s sponsor, Helen Simpson of Keller Williams.
“Helen is unparalleled as a realtor. She not only negotiated our dream home with amazing skill, but also helped transform the home we’re selling to maximize its value far beyond expectations.”
Play ‘Trash Trivia’ Friday with the Trolls (as in, ‘Save the Humans’)
Danish ‘recycling artist’ Thomas Dambo’s larger-than-life troll giants have landed in the Adirondacks — here’s how you can play Trash Trivia and other interactive games this Friday.
Thomas Dambo’s giant trolls have stolen hearts world-wide, and now they’ve landed right here in the Adirondacks. And this Friday, the Wild Center’s “Trolls: Save the Humans” exhibit takes over the Adirondacks Welcome Center for four hours of fun (seriously, who thought up “Trash Trivia?”).
Inspired by the troll Kamma Can — whose “creative spirit” can upcycle anything — the workshop’s stations include making upcycled jewelry and keychains from discarded toys such as LEGOs and Christmas lights, guessing how long different materials take to decompose, and of course the brilliant Trash Trivia. “Think equal parts art studio, science lab and treasure hunt,” says my source, who reminded me of the adventurous nature of the Wild Center exhibit itself. (If this is your first time seeing the trolls, search for the Troll maps online.)
And when you work up an appetite from all of that crafting and treasure hunting, sample from local food producers will also be on hand.
The Adirondacks Welcome Center Taste NY is located off of I-87 Northbound (between Exits 17 and 18) in Queensbury; the Trolls workshop will be there Friday, June 12 from 12 to 4 p.m.
📸 Belmont news and pics
DeVaux will bring Derby, Belmont winner Golden Tempo back to Saratoga — our star horse’s travel/Spa racing schedule, from the Daily Gazette
The thought and coordination that went into some of these Belmont looks is making me extra sad that this was our last Belatoga. Take these guys: jackets courtesy of the new “curated thrift” store Stirrup, painting by Daniel Fairley, artsy pic by Zack Skowronek. Looking sharp, boys!
Looking for a tolerable, maybe even fun mom-teen shopping date?
Adventures in parenting at Plato’s Closet.
Repeat after me: Shopping with your young, fashion-crazed teen can be fun. Shopping with your young, fashion-crazed teen can be fun. Repeat as needed while shopping with your young, fashion-crazed teen.
Upstate New York offers a plethora of cultural and recreational options. But shopping? There are a range of options for 16 years old and way up (and 10ish below), from Saratoga, Troy and Albany boutiques and big box stores to Lake George outlets. But pity the 11-16 set.
My son couldn’t care less, and is content having me shop for him online and at Target. (Grateful for his shopping paradigm every day). My daughter? Offended on a personal level. (Prayer hands for mama.)
She could frolic around Crossgates for hours, frittering away my hard-earned cash on tacky, borderline inappropriate outfits, while guzzling gallons of Starbucks Refreshers in between credit card swipes and arguments fueled by excess sugar and bad fitting room lighting.
Me? Hard pass. Still, a girl needs to express herself + growth spurt = Mom is going to have to eventually cave.
Thankfully (in this case), word spreads fast around Maple Avenue Middle School, and Emily caught wind of Plato’s Closet, allegedly HQ for reasonably priced, trendy, teen-approved fashion. On a Sunday, against my instincts, I submitted to the inevitable and escorted Emily to Plato’s Closet in Clifton Park.
Not only did we survive, we thrived.
Plato’s Closet does, as advertised, buy and sell gently used clothes, shoes, and accessories for teens and young adults. (No appointment necessary). Making my way through the racks, it brought me back to my own high school career of thrifting, and that frisson of delight when you discover a genuinely fun / sassy / gorgeous item from a brand you crave at a massive discount.
When presented with gems I found for her, I was informed that “those are all Gen X and Millennial brands. Ew.”
“But no one will know.”
“I will.”
Facing down another multi-hour unsuccessful shopping trip, I gave up on my mantra, mumbled “whatever” to myself Gen X style, and meandered over to the vintage sunglasses section. I was briefly charmed by a pair of bedazzled emerald cat eye glasses before Emily snapped me back into reality. Bad, very bad reality.
But wait.
Was that a smile on her face?
“Look at these shirts!” she was saying. “Hollister and Brandy Melville shirts and a jean skirt, so cute and like $8. I’m totally trying them on.”
They were more “like” $10-$20, but they were, as reported “so cute,” plus they “totally fit, and were honestly such a bargain.” (When compared with their full-price counterparts at $30+ a pop.)
And instead of the usual rush-rush, angry-stressed-pushy vibe of the mall, it was a lot of fellow teen-parent shoppers, unaccompanied older teens, a genuinely helpful staff — and a great vintage shoes, t-shirts, sun-glasses and weird-but-chic blazers for Gen X moms.
Plato’s Closet makes shopping with fashion-crazed teens fun. Pass it on.
📌 ICYMI…
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I couldn’t do this without you.
— Abby
