Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1860-08-31
An Ensiishman's Opi.ien Of an American
Watering Place-His Views Of Fashion
able Life At Saratoga. '7-~ -


One of the reporters of the London Times
came over in the Great Eastern, and il now re-
porting the progress of the Prince for that jour
nal. Before entering Canada, he visited sew
eral points of interest in the United States. OF
Saratoga Springs he writes: e.
Sarstoga, as q place of fashionable resort, is,
in the season one of the most extraordinary
places Of its kind, perhaps, in the world. The
village Is mere accident Of the situa ion; the
hotels are Saratoga, and they are such hotels
a. only America can show.
Two of them, the United States and Union
Hall, occupy FIVE acres Of ground The dining
saloons ara bigger than the Floral Hall, and
are laid with tables 10 dine LOCO people; the
dancing rooms are larger, loftier and hand
somer than any two public rooms of the kind
we have in all London. The grounds attached
to these are almost little parks, where, between
the trees. are detached cottages, all belonging
to the hotel. and occupied by wealthy south
erners and others. willing to pay any price for
that inestimable luxury in America-a little
generally, some $4,000 people come in the sea-
son to drink the waters, to dress, drive, lounge,
gamble, and to 60 away again, after q six
weeks stay, to Newport, Niagara, or any other
place whore American citizens In holiday cs n
enjoy that idle and luxurious life to which they
sesm particularly given.
In the evening, Saratoga seems a charming
plscs-a kind Of rural Baden. Everybody sits
under the c0lonades Of their hotel until the
sun goes down, when the ladies saunter through
the streets in evening dress, passing with their
friends from hotel to hotel, joining in dances,
or hstlessiy promenading between the trees.
Sometimes when look at this hotel life, bril-
liant as it is, cannot help congratulating my
self that We have no such hotels in England
To an Englishman it seems an artificial dressy
state of existence-a kind Of high comedy life.
where the curtain is always raised, and crit
icsl, rather than an sdmiring audience, sits,
judges, praises, or condemns. What il may be
behind the scenes | do not know or care to
ascertain, beyond that all the better class of
educated and travelled Americans dislike hotel
life for families, and can give their reasons for
II. As for Saratoga, Of course, such q spot is
necessary, and seems charming enough-not
that it is gay. There may be excitement, but
there seems no amusement. The ladies dress
"msgnifcently' three or four times a-day,
though there are only two or three promen-
ades through which 10 loiter and display the
toilettes-for the we'll in the morning, for the
drive, for dinner, and for the evening. Gen.
tlemen, OF course, find it great center of at
traction and the place is even more filed with
them than with ladies; and Saratoga in the
evening, when the eolonnades are lit; the vis-
tiers all abroad, the bands playing and the sa-
looms filed with walters, looks wonderfully
well. In word, it is at this season, not only
the fashion but the rage, and no visiter who
wants to see the out-of-town amusements of
the Americans on the greatest, and what passes
for the gsyest, scale, should omit a visit to
Saratoga.