As part of Season 03 of CulturallyOurs which showcases Lifestyle and People, we are thrilled to share letters from locals all around the world as they take us along a virtual journey of their city, village or hometown. This is a way for us to get to know one another on a personal level without any ‘must see‘ lists or ‘Top 10‘ activities. Getting a local’s point of view is a fantastic way to get a glimpse into the lives of the people of a place, city or country.

Today we travel to Saratoga, Upstate New York. Our friend Kristen Girard, an illustrator and an author, shares a glimpse of her beautiful town, its history and her favorite places around town in our local’s point of view series.From Kristen,

As an artist I fall in love again and again with Saratoga, New York every time the weather changes, the season changes, or the lighting changes as the sun moves across the sky. It is both the big and the little things that make this area so dear to my heart.  From green hayfields bordered by Queen Anne’s Lace to wide open skies to rolling ancient mountains always on the horizon. There is so much beauty and inspiration to take in as soon as I walk out of my art studio doors.

Locals call where I live Upstate New York. To a true local this is the real Upstate New York, never to be confused with the area just north of New York City often referred to as “upstate”. According to lifelong residents true Upstate New York is not anywhere south or west of Albany, NY. This is a cultural point of importance here because there is so much more to New York State than New York City. NYC is wonderful, but this gorgeous area of farms and forests is very different and awe inspiring in it’s own way. Though connected by the Hudson River and commerce to NYC, the Saratoga region often feels like a whole different country to people new to the area. The area surrounding Saratoga, NY and Lake George on up to Fort Ticonderoga is referred to as the gateway to the Adirondack mountains and steeped in rich history that reaches back through time to the Revolutionary War era in the United States and beyond into the past.

When you come explore upstate New York it’s incredibly helpful to know that when you are looking for the town of Greenwich, you are not in NYC looking for the neighborhood Greenwich. Locals are very practical and often plain spoken, which means that things are pronounced as they would be when sounded out phonetically. Here, Greenwich is not said as  “Gren-ich”. According to everyone who has lived here since early childhood, the town name of Greenwich is sensibly pronounced as “Green Witch”. And yes, the mascot of Greenwich Central School is proudly the Green Witch, who is naturally green.

Many of those early colonialists were of Dutch, English, and Scottish heritage. Some came to explore new opportunities and create businesses in the New World, but many came because they were in desperate need of a new life. There was little for them in their old home countries but prison or starvation. Many came to get out of poverty and worked as indentured servants who were promised passage to the colonies and a parcel of land after they had served their contracted number of years.

The echoes of history still reverberate throughout the small towns and farms that encompass the whole region. You can see it in the architecture of many of the houses, particularly around the small village main streets. Look closely and you will see that some of the houses date back to the late 1700’s. You can also see it in the way the seasons are celebrated. Winter is an opportunity to see the stars clearer, hunker down and rest under lots of blankets, and enjoy the outdoors via snow shoeing, You can see the ties to the land in how spring is a welcome relief, maple syrup is poured over hot pancakes, and colorful flowers are deeply appreciated. Summer is celebrated in a flurry of haymaking and alternate wishes for rain and sun in between hikes up and down the mountains and splashing at local lake beaches. You can feel the importance of the harvest in how everything is delightfully apple and pumpkin themed in celebration of the heat and humidity giving way to colorful trees flaming red, yellow, and orange across the landscape.

Who makes the best apple cider donuts and tastiest apple cider is highly contested by locals, including myself. I always vote for Hick’s Apple Orchard – drooling just thinking about their still hot cider and still warm donuts covered in just the right amount of cinnamon and sugar. It doesn’t matter how long your trip is to get here in the fall, those donuts and that cider is totally worth it.If you are a fan of James Fenimore Cooper’s Last of the Mohicans or Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, then you will love the historical side of touring Albany, Saratoga, Fort Edward, Glens Falls, Lake George, and Fort Ticonderoga.Finch Paper was once owned by the family that is behind the creation of the Hyde Collection Museum. This gorgeous little art museum is a local treasure. I love taking people to the Hyde because the art is displayed in the house it was originally purchased to adorn with the family’s original furnishings. It is a great way to view masterpiece artworks and really appreciate them in a setting that is warmer and more inviting than a typical art museum. The Hyde Collection Museum employs great guides who tell the story of the family and how they collected the art.

While in Schuylerville go check out the Schuyler House. The house is fascinating. It has been well preserved and often has period dressed guides. It is like stepping back in time. Despite having been the house of a well to do family it will make you appreciate your home! The Schuylers were a Dutch family that had a big influence on the area, especially during the Revolutionary War in the person of Major General Philip Schuyler. If you need to get your steps in for the day or simply love the challenge of climbing stairs until you drop or love cool architecture, I invite you to see the Saratoga Monument. There is a stairway that goes to the top of the tower and you can look out the unusually shaped windows on your way up and down. I love how the monument tells the story of the local Revolutionary battles in the artwork inside the base of the tower.Traveling north up Route 4 from Schuylerville you will encounter the location of Fort Edward. The town of Fort Edward was where a resupply and hospital fort was established because it is pretty much the north most you can safely go on the Hudson River by boat before you start getting to the rapids that bring you to Glen’s Falls. There are a couple of quaint and wonderful little museums in Fort Edward to see. First go to Roger’s Island and see the Roger’s Island Visitor Center. They have great maps and colonial antiquities including dugout canoes, beams from the original Fort Edward, and a reconstructed colonial army bunk room along with cool displays featuring what they have been finding on the island during summer excavations.Fort Edward was strategically located because the trip to Lake George and northward was critical for north to south travel in colonial New York because once the lakes were reached, the St. Lawrence River was nearby and travel up and down the New England coast was relatively easy. I say relatively because nothing was terribly easy in colonial days. As a result the water ways were critical for moving goods and people without literally having to hike over mountain ranges.

If you are up for over an hour’s drive from Fort Edward you can go tour the reconstructed Fort Ticonderoga and KIng’s Gardens and see why that fort was deemed critical during the French and Indian War and the Revolutionary War. You’ll see what I mean when you are at the fort and see how it is positioned between two lakes that would have been like a colonial highway for travel north to south. Fort Ticonderoga often has reenactments and just plain fun events for anyone curious about colonial history. The King’s garden is refreshing to wander through during the spring and summer.The upstate New York area, the gateway to Adirondack mountains is a fascinating mixture of United States cultural foundational history and yet also has a deep sense of peace, ancient as the mountains and the wildlife that calls the land home. Having grown up with this sense of deep history while looking up at starry night skies perhaps it’s no mystery that I find myself called to paint visionary portraits that show the deeply beautiful inner light of who we all are, and the quiet strength that flows through our hearts.

Thank you for coming along with me as I take you on a tour of my city and its surrounding areas.

Kristen, thank you so much for taking us along a virtual journey through your city. Upstate New York is so beautiful and there is so much history and culture there from all that you have shared with us. We cannot wait to visit and explore these places.

{Words and photos by Kristen Girard, Website: Girard Illustration; Instagram: @girardillustration }

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