Farewell My Lovely, Let Me Introduce You

Saratoga is one of those places that never gets old. I've been there often, to hang out with friends in one of the many bars or restaurants, strolling the streets during a music festival or Victorian stroll, going to Gaffney's with my mom. No matter why I was there, I always made it a point to walk by the Adelphi Hotel on Broadway.

According to the hotel's website:

The Adelphi Hotel is a rare surviving High Victorian Hotel Inn from the end of the 19th century - when Saratoga Springs reigned as America's "Queen of the Spa's." The Hotel was constructed in 1877 during the heyday of the national rage for "taking the waters" at Saratoga. As you approach the entrance of the hotel, the distinguishing Italianate Facade rises four stories above street level with slender columns that are capped with a fantasy of Victorian fretwork. There is a 90 foot "piazza" (porch) on the second floor overlooking Saratoga's historic Broadway.

I have always wanted to stay at the Adelphi. The place has fascinated me since I was young. At first a ruin, then gradually restored to her former glory by Sheila Parkert and her husband Gregg Riefker when they bought the hotel in 1979. The Adelphi has always been part of the main street of Saratoga. Here is a picture of the hotel in the early 1970s, before Sheila and Gregg bought it. Duke Ellington's tour bus parked in front of her one winter. She stands in the background of busy Broadway at the start of the 1982 track season, and in the winter of 1981.

It was hard to justify spending a goodly sum of money to spend the night in a hotel twenty minutes from home. Cheaper in the off season, but when I was able to afford it I never seemed to time it right. The hotel was only open until the end of October, closing for the winter until spring. By the time I remembered, it was too late.

At the end of the track season I learned that the Adelphi was bought by new owners who intended to remodel the hotel and reopen as a year-round facility next year. My heart sunk. I'd heard so many wonderful things about the hotel and how beautiful the rooms were. And now I was going to miss my chance to experience that. I'd been in the hotel on a few occasions, but only in the lobby and ballroom for various functions.  The upstairs, where all the magic happened, was reserved for guests only.

The last days of the Adelphi in her current glory were winding down. So I picked up the phone and made a reservation for my husband and I for the last Friday in October, the last Friday they were going to be open before the remodel. It was fitting that it was fall. The Adelphi has a certain something about her that confirms the presence of the past wandering the hallways. When I made my pilgrimages I would stare up at the windows, looking for a glimpse of a hotel guest that had never checked out.

The day I checked in, the outside of the hotel was ready to receive trick-or-treaters.

I wandered the hotel during my stay, soaking in the ambiance and taking pictures of everything I could to preserve my one and only visit. The staff was wonderful, and I hope they all find new homes while the Adelphi undergoes her transformation. The next few posts will be an exploration and celebration of the Grande Dame of Saratoga.

I hope you enjoy it.