Saratoga Springs, New York
We called this fountain at Congress Park the "Spit and Spat." or "The spit at each others."
Long the hometown for my family, we enjoyed the opportunities afforded by city living within walking distance of wilderness. What could not be reached easily by walking was visited by bicycle when I lived there. Vehicle traffic now makes the bike a bit more risky, but cycling can be slow enough to be able to see the terrain and it is easier to stop to enjoy places that a car will fly by.
In those 1940s years everything was uncertain: rationing, blackouts, civil defense, low income and none of the gadgets of the modern cyberspace age of today. I did make a crystal set radio receiver, and I did have a simple film camera. I wished for a Stereo Realist but I only got to use the standard movie & photo equipment and darkroom at the high school, where I served as photography editor for sports, yearbook and as a student in the photography club.
Many of the landmark buildings I knew in the 1940s and 50s are gone. The railroad station and the tracks themselves, the Grand Union Hotel, the United States hotel and the Woodlawn Park mansions are only images and memories. Even the Empire Market that was built on the United States hotel site and where I worked stocking shelves and packing food has long been gone. The Community Theater where I worked as a usher, and Kaye's Drug Store on Church Street where I got my first job at eleven years of age have gone out of business. The New England Congregational Church where I was Assistant Pastor in the mid 50s has become an apartment house, the Stone Abbey.
Today, I recommend at least a visit to the city. To anyone attending a convention... get out and wander around! The old Convention Hall where my high school graduation was held is another building I can mention as no longer there, but Saratoga has better places for conventions these days.
While I write and remember, here are some active websites that can serve as portals to the Queen of Spas. Many more could easily be included, but this gives a start.
Wilton, New York
The Town of Wilton is probably best known as the site of Grant's Cottage, but we know the town as the place where our branch of the Stiles family settled in the 18th century. The mountain in Wilton is the setting for my book Hotel Balmoral on Mount McGregor.
The Internet has several links about this town:
South Hartford, NY is actually in the Champlain valley, but it is close enough to mention that I served as the pastor of the Congregational Church in South Hartford while I was attending Union College.
Schenectady, NY;
I earned by B.S. at Union College, and Janet became a Registered Nurse at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady.