Off Track Saratoga Podcast

Saratoga as a Person, Utility Bills & Porch Life

Noel McLaren & Zac Denham

Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.

0:00 | 26:43

What would Saratoga be like if it were a person?

In this episode of Off Track Saratoga, Noel and Zac kick things off by personifying the city. 

From there, the conversation goes… well, a little off track.

They talk about the Southern tradition of “front porch sittin’,” why Saratoga feels like home to so many people who didn’t grow up here, and how the community has a way of pulling visitors in for good.

Then things get real. With residents and business owners sounding off about sky-high utility bills, the hosts break down what’s behind the spike in electricity costs and how it’s affecting both homeowners and local businesses.

And because this is Off Track Saratoga, the episode also takes a detour into Britney Spears news, Zac/s Louisiana connection to the pop icon, and why fans are watching recent headlines closely.

Along the way, they talk about friendship, finding joy in small moments, and who this podcast is really for.

Basically: porch life, real talk, and a little chaos — just the way we like it.

Support the show

Noel

I'm Emmy Award-winning journalist Noel McLaren

Zac

And I'm local business owner Zac Denham. And this is Off Track Saratoga Podcast.

Noel

Sometimes we're on track.

Zac

Sometimes we go a little off.

Noel

But it's always worth the listen. And we're back.

Welcome/Saratoga Personified

Noel

Hi, everybody. Welcome back. Hello. I'm just gonna jump right into this because I've been dying to talk to you about this since our last recording. Because I was like, this is gonna be such a fun segment. What would Saratoga be if Saratoga were a person? First of all, is like, are they a man or a woman? How old are we?

Zac

Okay, okay, I love this. Like, first reaction Saratoga gives big feminine energy for me.

Noel

Saratoga is a woman.

Zac

She's a late, she's a lady. Yeah. So if you were to personify Saratoga, like where do you go?

Noel

I'm envisioning like dripping in jewelry. She's probably like in her 50s to 60s, but she's still got like glam. A little bit. She's still got spunk. She's still going out on the town, right?

Zac

Yeah. Uh Saratoga gives uh Diane Keaton for me. Diane Keaton. Yeah. So if Saratoga were a movie and someone had to play her, it would be Diane Keaton.

Noel

Is she an actress, Saratoga?

Zac

Oh, I mean, I think I think she's no, she's very much a stay-at-home socialite. You know what I mean? I like to think Saratoga is effortlessly cool, timeless, but a little eccentric.

Noel

Oh, she's definitely eccentric. She does not wear what's a hundred percent on trend. She pushes boundaries.

Zac

Always.

Noel

Bright colors.

Zac

Always.

Noel

Did I say dripping and jewelry? Because I feel like that's important. Dripping and jewelry.

Zac

Fur, yeah. For sure. Lots of extra. Vintage fur, not new fur.

Noel

Yes, yeah. Rings on every single finger. Big baubles. Baubles everywhere.

Zac

She's not afraid to wear large sunglasses and sit on the porch sipping a martini, quietly judging the passers by.

Noel

No, no. See, here's the thing. You were saying like Diane Keaton. I was thinking more like Catherine O'Hara. Because I feel like Catherine O'Hara is like everybody's mom who would give you a big hug, too. So like she's she's eccentric, kind of like she was in Shit's Creek. Absolutely. But she loves you no matter who she who you are.

Zac

We're talking about two uh titans that kind of raised our generation, you know, in like movies and stuff. And I think that, you know, calling Saratoga, referring to Saratoga as such, um, kind of classify Saratoga as like a safe space because like those they played moms in movies when we were kids, you know, and they were everybody's mom. Yeah. I think that we're subconsciously saying that like we feel safe here.

Noel

Yeah.

Zac

I might just be thinking too deep.

Noel

Well, you're not from here.

Zac's Journey to Saratoga

Noel

I mean, I'm from downstate New York, moved up here quite. I mean, I I spent a lot of my summers and stuff up there. So I I'm like semi-local, I would say. You are not from here.

Zac

I uh I'm not from here. You're from Louisiana. I'm from Louisiana, from from a land far away.

Noel

And when you came to Saratoga, did you feel like you were welcomed with open arms?

Zac

Yeah, like immediately. Clark's grandparents kind of retired in the area. Yeah. And so when we started doing blended family holidays and stuff, we'd stay at the Adelphi and eat and drink around here. Nice, you know, because there's like stuff to do. And so I immediately fell in love with Saratoga. One of the first trips, I remember driving up North Broadway over by um Skidmore and just, you know, looking through the neighborhoods and seeing that there's pride in the yard. Right. You know, everybody has a porch, you know, like I come from porch people. So it's like, you know, I was like, oh wow, there's there's a um a familiarity. And then, you know, on top of that, uh, on top of that, the people, you know, were just so charming and hospitable that it it really did feel comfortable. Right, right away. Yeah. Yeah.

Noel

I don't know if that's like the vacation town vibe that like, you know, it's it's catered to people visiting so often. I mean, for me and my family. And I feel like this happens to a lot of people. They start by visiting, yeah, and then it just sucks you in because it's that warm energy.

Zac

It was our uh escape from the city for a long time. And especially when COVID hit. So like Saratoga was always like a little special oasis for us.

Noel

I'm gonna like go Barbara Walters on you and ask you, because I feel like nobody's ever asked you this. Like, what was that point that made you say, like, I not only want to visit here, but I want to like do business here. I want to open something and start something here. And what made you realize that you could?

Zac

Well, uh, it was one of those things for us that we had all, you know, Clark and I had both been in the hospitality industry for so long. And we always knew that we wanted to do our own thing. It's one of those things that I hate to admit, but you know, a lot of things changed with COVID, right? You know, including real estate. So we were, we were, we were those people who kind of took advantage of uh the slow err market. I mean, at the time, I was opening a restaurant in the city, I had just opened a restaurant in London, I had broken a finger. We were getting married, and then it was like at the all of that at the same time, we found Bokage. Yeah, you know, 10 10 Phila Street. What was Bocage? Bocage before us was the Palafel Den. It was like a grab and go Mediterranean.

Noel

I remember that. Uh-huh.

Zac

Yeah. So we kind of just took advantage of that and and we knew that okay, this was a community over the over the years, had been special to us, become uh a place that we loved. And we knew eventually we wanted to start a business, you know, have a family and things like that. So we're like, yeah, why not Saratoga? That and so Saratoga kind of became the end game for us in a lot of ways. And, you know, here we are, which is great. Yeah. You know, sitting in number two on Violet Street, you know, standard fare, which is like crazy. So it's awesome. Yeah.

Noel

So you're saying

Porch People

Noel

like porch people. What is a porch person? Because I've actually never heard of this before. What's a porch person?

Zac

Listen, all of my all of my Louisiana divas at home, whenever I like say front porch sitten, everybody knows exactly what we're doing. We're sitting front porch sitten is dusk, a mint julep or a glass of wine. A glass of wine, perhaps with some ice cubes in it. Um, and uh gossip, you know, with with with the friends or the neighbors or you know, and just kind of just watching watching the neighborhood happen. It's it's awesome.

Noel

We should do a French porch sitten episode. I actually love that.

Zac

I would love that. I would absolutely love that.

Noel

So actually, one of the biggest regrets that I have when we we built our home was we we only have like a stoop. So there's enough room to sit, but I kind of wish it was bigger now.

Zac

Anything can be a front porch if you it's all about it's all about the attitude.

Noel

I've heard a front porch sitting in country music. Yeah. Because Rob listens to country music and they're all like, uh, front porch sitting.

Zac

No, like it is a way of life.

Noel

I do it actually though, and I don't even realize that I'm doing it. Like, and we're very, very lucky in our neighborhood where we live in a cul-de-sac. The kids just grab their bikes, they grab their stuff, and they just go. But I feel like that's a very unique thing that we can still do that in this community and really special. And I love that my boys have that opportunity. I will say that I did get Mac an Apple Watch, though. He's eight, just so that I can keep track of. I love that, you know, he has that little bit of freedom, and I really barely use it. I'm not like tracking him. It's just like, all right, dude, time to come in. And I call him on his app. Let's make that.

Zac

Uh you know, my cousin, she she when they were going to Disney last year or whatever, she was talking about uh, oh my god, my husband air tags literally everything. I think that's so funny though, you know, because it's like also as a mother, that's gotta give you like a little sense of freedom too, right?

Noel

You know, like it lets me give him more freedom. He's not that age where it's like, I want you to be able to go out and like explore and do your own thing. But at the same time, I want to know that if you're in trouble, you can get in touch with me. It was the two-way thing with the Apple Watch. Yeah. He had to get a perfect report card to get it.

Zac

So listen, incentivizing babies.

Noel

But it was really more for me than it was for him because I can find him. Quick pause for a second. If you're a local business owner and you're listening to this podcast right now, there's a good chance your customers are too. Off-track Saratoga is all about the people, places, and businesses that make this community what it is. And we're looking to partner with a small group of local sponsors who want to reach Saratoga listeners in a real authentic way. Podcast ads work because they're personal. They're read by us, talked about on the show, and heard by people who actually care about what's happening in this town. So if you'd like your business featured on Off-Track Saratoga, send us a message on Instagram or reach out through our page. We'd love to work with you. All right, let's get back to the episode. It

Expensive Electric Bills

Noel

is that time where you can go outside and like start to have some 60 something degree days. It's not every day, but like we are getting hints of that. And honestly, thank God because I never knew I had seasonal depression until this year. Like the sun is out, it's great. But also, I'm sick and tired of these utility bills getting out of control. These electric bills are absolutely insane. And we've had quite a few people write in to our Instagram messaging us, which by the way, you should do if you have something that you think we should be covering. Please message us. Um, we want to be covering the important stuff. But I um I'm just gonna share one message from one viewer. She said, I live in a remodeled 1,300 square foot raised ranch, and my electricity bill was almost $600 in February. And then she went on to say, When I called to question what was happening, the man said, Have you tried unplugging your hair straightener? That was his response to her.

Zac

I'm silent right now because I didn't know if that was a joke.

Noel

Yeah. Like wow. Yeah. So she, this person, you know.

Zac

Wow.

Noel

And and she's not the only one. I mean, for us, our our utility bills this month, same month last year, we jumped 20 to 25%.

Zac

That's crazy.

Noel

That's yeah, it's wild.

Zac

I mean, like as a as a homeowner, it's painful, but like as as a business owner too, it's borderline shocking. We we're not the only people. And and I I know we've commented like here and there, I think, on a couple of other episodes. And anybody who has uh social media, you know, we've seen countless places step up and say, Oh, it spiked a hundred percent or you know, crazy numbers or whatever. I mean, for us, um, one of the things that was crazy, I mean, here's the thing Bocage is a 500 square foot space. Our electric bill is double what our listener just mentioned. She says 600 bucks. Our electric bill is well over a thousand dollars.

Noel

So many more utilities.

Zac

And yeah, we have a lot of refrigeration and stuff, but a space that small. That's a lot. That's insane. That's a lot. So, um, but with uh Standard Fair specifically, one of the things that was crazy and frankly, like really maddening um this season was although we had been paying our bill on time and consistently since we had opened, between December 26th and January 5th, Standard Fair was charged six separate times with numbers between $700 and $1,100 each time.

Noel

Yeah.

Zac

That's crazy.

Noel

That is wild.

Zac

And, you know, it was a whole kerfluffle. Uh no, I'm kidding, I'm kidding. It was a whole rigmarole because, you know, obviously we were getting daily auto debits and stuff like that. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, and here's the thing, you know, and I'm I'm gonna soapbox it just for a second. You sure. Okay. Um National Grid knocks on the door with bills like this in January and February, it's like getting an open letter from your accountant that's like, good luck, buddy. Yeah. You know, running restaurants is already a razor-fin margin as it is. And with Saratoga being a somewhat seasonal place and winter being a little slower by nature for business, getting bills like this is really, it feels like a like a death sentence every time you get the mail. You know, so you know, not only are our homeowners, you know, experiencing this, business owners experiencing this, you know, it is a share, it is a shared grief in that way, you know, that we're all really feeling that pressure. Right.

Noel

Well, and it's also probably cyclical because if you're paying more in other places that you aren't used to paying, well, you're not taking that money and spending it on local businesses either as well. You have less money to spend. So it's definitely a cyclical, cyclical thing. Yeah. Dan, when we were talking to Dan at Broadway Delhi, was saying, like, I mean, he mentioned, I don't know if he mentioned this on camera or off, but he was saying, you know, that's another thing that's just hurting local business.

Zac

And the rising costs of all of it. It's not just annoying, it's it's it's structurally brutal to a business.

Noel

Right. So someone else wrote in that um they've also started charging in tiers, meaning that the first 47 therms or thermal units are charged much higher, and then the rest of the thermal units are charged cheaper.

Zac

Interesting. Listen, I mean, I think this is a greater conversation, obviously. And then, you know, for us, it it there's no way that this is an exclusive feeling to Saratoga.

Noel

I have a friend in Pennsylvania who she lives in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and she said that her her husband was on her case. Like, why are you using the space heater? Like, that's the thing that launched her uh her utility bill. And it's that's not the case. So being the curious person that I am,

Why utility bills are skyrocketing

Noel

I had to do a little bit of research and find out, well, you know, what's going on with all this. Um, and so this is all according to filings with the New York State Public Service Commission that I got this information. There's three big reasons why we're feeling this like spike in utility bills. First, the state approved a multi-year rate increase for utilities like National Grid to pay for infrastructure and grid updates. So just purely making things better. It's a multi-year rate increase. So we're getting a little bit more each year over time. Um, so it's it's gonna go up, sorry. Um, sorry to report that news. And then secondly, the cost of generating electricity in general has gone up just because plants rely heavily on natural gas and the cost of natural gas has gone up. Um, and then third, this winter was just purely colder than last winter as well. I mean, we've had it's definitely felt longer. We talked about that on our first show. Um, so those seem to be the three big reasons that we're feeling this. I don't know if that makes me feel any better that we know that. I don't know if it makes me feel any better knowing that we're gonna feel it even more. So hopefully next year is a little warmer. I don't know. Yeah.

Zac

Yeah. Well, I mean, hey, well, it's just something that um I think we can all commiserate on for sure. Um, but from from national grid

Zac goes Off Track about Britney Spears

Zac

to Britney Spears, I'm gonna I'm gonna say it. If for anybody who knows me, um, we gotta talk about Britney.

Noel

Is that that is that why? Well, for sure.

Zac

I thought it was appropriate. I thought it was appropriate.

Noel

Um for those of us who aren't as familiar with Zach, Zach likes Britney Spears just a little bit. Just a little.

Zac

I love how she uses likes Britney Spears. He loves Britney Spears. No, but no, seriously, we've got to talk about Britney. And then I just I literally want to take just a few minutes to kind of run something back because I do get a lot of messages from people who follow my personal.

Noel

Do you know how many people on the day that it came out? So Britney Spears, this is why we're talking about her, was arrested for a DUI. Um and basically people messaged me the second they saw the news and were like, have you checked on Zach? Is Zach okay?

Zac

Guys, it's real though. I got so many texts, so many DMs. And it's like one of those things where I had to take a moment for myself and and the curious person I am had to do a deep dive on okay, what's going on here?

Noel

And I think it's important that everybody knows your connection to Britney goes just beyond being a fan. Like you guys are from the same area.

Zac

Yeah, it's deep and it's real.

Noel

She's from Louisiana, he's from Louisiana.

Zac

A1 from day one.

Noel

Yeah, so he he knows the stuff. This isn't just some random Britney fan giving us. Yeah.

Zac

I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but the timeline here is interesting, and I think people should at least be paying attention to that. So if you go back from December 30th, Britney sold the rights to her entire music catalog.

Noel

Okay.

Zac

That's a huge Oh, yeah. I forgot about that right before a $200 million plus deal, right? Why would she do that? Yeah. Why would she do that? Right. At first glance, any fan, any person's like, oh yeah, like she's out. She this is retirement, which we I respect and we respect. She owes us nothing. Yeah. But then things kind of progress. So February 17th, Lynn Spears, her mom, is spotted arriving in Los Angeles. February 25th, Sean Preston and Jaden, who are spotted arriving in LA. Her son, Sean, hasn't really had a relationship with her post-conservatory. She's sad, yeah. So the fact that they are both there gives a little bit of question. Right. March 4th, Britney got arrested for an alleged DUI. March 5th, she's taken to the hospital. March 5th, her uh current business manager Kate Hudson tells TMZ that Britney's quote, loved ones are coming up with an overdue needed plan to set her up for quote success. Here's the thing. I feel like the timeline tells a lot.

Noel

Yeah.

Zac

This is somebody who, you know, after everything happened in the conservatorship, I think people are understandably paying a close attention to the way that things are kind of unraveling. Uh for me, uh, I personally think that, you know, this woman owes us nothing. This woman deserves to live in peace. This woman deserves to be respected and celebrated and um, you know, live her life on her own terms. And because she was in a 13-year unnecessary conservatorship that propped her up to work in rough conditions against her own will, used her children as pawns to get her to work.

Noel

Yeah.

Zac

Uh putting her on a $2,000 a week allowance when she when she's raking in millions of dollars is crazy. Yeah. So anybody who thinks about this or knows about this can look at the timeline that I just shared with everybody and say, something's a little sus. Like I said, I'm not a conspiracy theorist. I just think it's something we should. I have my own thoughts, feelings, and opinions on what I think is happening.

Noel

Do you want to share more? Or you don't want to put it out there because you don't.

Zac

I don't, I don't know. And I don't want to conspire in a way that may um be perceived negative or whatever, or like I'm feeding into the problem when I'm not feeding into the problem. I like to say that I pay attention to everything around her as a concerned friend. Yeah. Right? Um, all I can say is those of us who are aware of everything, um, all I can say is keep an eye. Keep an eye out. Yeah, and and and send good thoughts, feelings, and vibes and energy to to our princess.

Noel

Yeah, I I think it was at least comforting to me. This is the boy mom and me, to see her kids rush to her side.

Zac

I like to think that it's genuine, but I can't help but think that there's something in it for them.

Noel

Yeah, that's so sad.

Zac

More to come, I I suppose, uh, but uh I hope nothing's to come at the same time, too. Yeah. I just I wish for peace.

Noel

Yeah. Isn't that what

More Peace, Less Noise

Noel

we all want anywhere? We should all be able to live in peace. I feel like that's the um the thing that has kind of like made my I'm I'm nearing the end of my 30s, like this part of my life so much better, is that I've just accepted if it works, great, bring more of it. If it doesn't, be gone. Be gone. And just like not caring as much, probably not at all, but maybe a little bit in a healthy way, what other people think about me. But um, I I feel like that's the best gift anybody can give themselves is just peace by just being you, going out there and being your true self, hanging with people who ignore the noise. Ignore the noise, right?

Zac

Yep.

Noel

And and we say this as deep feeling people who deeply care about the things around us.

Zac

You guys should see the the shit we text each other. I mean, it's like if one of us is not crashing out, the other one is crashing out.

Noel

But at least we take turns. That's what I want to say. Yes, we do take turns.

Zac

I listen, we are both emotional support for one another on countless, you know, uh for various reasons at any time during the day. Um, but listen, I think there's a lot going on, you know, around town, a lot going on in the world that, you know. Things feel heavy. If things feel really heavy, and I think all we can do is just, you know. In bed. Oh god, yes, rotten bed. But also be there for your friends, you know, try to find for try to find joy as much as you can find joy.

Noel

In the little things. It doesn't remember. Trinity was telling us is it's not always about sitting down. Trinity in our last episode, where we she was, you know, her family owned the Muzon house previously. Um, and she was saying it's not always about the big sit-down dinners, it's about just the little meals, taking the time to do that. And it's about finding the little joys. I do that all the time with my kids. Yeah. That's the best thing that motherhood has done for me personally is instead of just making it be about, like, I don't know, a big trip somewhere or, you know, some big extravaganza, it's about finding joy in just walking down the street and finding a rock that looks cool. And that's the Best part of my boys' day. Or, you know, like we're going to travel for my son's wrestling tournament. They, I mean, like, they're excited about the tournament, but they're more excited about just sleeping in a hotel.

Zac

It's those moments.

Noel

It's like friends, eating like in the lobby. Like, that's the stuff that matters.

Zac

I love I I couldn't agree more. I love that. Yeah, find joy in the simple things. I'm gonna leave

Who should listen to Off Track Saratoga Podcast

Zac

you with one question today. Okay. We've got a few of these episodes out there. I think people are having a lot of fun if they are. And we're we're super stoked and appreciative. Um, but if you were to say this podcast is for blank, what or who is this podcast for?

Noel

I feel like this podcast is for anybody who is looking to learn about the world and area around them, the local area, and be educated about local stuff while also being entertained and not having it feel heavy. I feel like working so many years in news, telling stories, which is what I love, and listening to stories, like in my downtime, I listen to documentaries, can sometimes feel heavy because especially the news and information can be heavy. And yeah, we're gonna sometimes talk about heavy stuff. Yeah. When you go out to breakfast or to coffee with your friends or to brunch at Standard Fair, which you should definitely try out, by the way. Um you when you go out with your friends and you're having a time, like you're talking about the heavy things, the light things, and all of it. So I wanted to create, we wanted to create that environment where people, anybody can show up and learn a little something, but not have it feel suffocating and sad. I don't know. It could be any really, really, truly, it could be anybody. Yeah. I don't know. I think that's great. Is that a good answer? Yeah, for sure. I'm not very good at being interviewed, I'm better at better at interviewing.

Zac

It's okay.

Noel

And what about you? Who do you think it's for?

Zac

I think off-track Saratoga is for the listener who begs the question: were these people raised in a goddamn barn?

Noel

I think everybody knows I wasn't raised in a barn. What kind of barn did you come out of, though? I'm kidding, I'm kidding.

Zac

Uh, I actually grew up in several barns. Being from Louisiana, we had two at my childhood home. My grandparents had three. My second set of grandparents had three or four. I grew up in several mini barns. Were they pedazzled? No. What's so funny is though, the first time I snuck cigarettes as a young person. Listen, listen, so the first time I snuck cigarettes as a young person, my mom used to smoke Virginia Slim Ultralight Minthals. So the long ones, but not quite as long as the Misties, right? So I stole some cigarettes and then me and my cousins went out into the wait for it. Not the first barn closest to the house, but the second barn was a little bit of a little bit of a little bit that housed hay straw. And we proceeded to smoke cigarettes in the hay.

Noel

It's kind of dangerous, actually, now that you think about it.

Zac

Yes, I was bad. Of course, my mom finds out isn't mad at all. And Alice said to me, Do me a favor, if you're gonna do that, please don't smoke in that barn.

Noel

Yeah, because it could light on fire.

Zac

I had no idea. So anyway, uh, that's enough barn life. Uh, I want to encourage all of our uh listeners, uh, if the sun is out, get out there, get that vitamin T. Hang out with the kids, hang out with those dogs.

Noel

Get that porch life.

Zac

Take a moment for yourself.

Noel

Wait, you know how they have salt life stickers?

Zac

Porch life.

Noel

Porch life.

Zac

I love that.

Noel

Yeah.

Zac

Yeah, let's make sure that this season we do an episode from a porch. And we can interview people that pass by the porch. So if you have a beautiful porch and you want to hang out with Zach and Noelle, let us know. Um, I think that would be such a fun one. That would be a fun section. Yeah, if you have like a fun neighborhood or whatever, or a quirky neighborhood.

Noel

Oh, I love this. I love this. See, you get to watch like this all kind of this is this is how things happen.

Zac

Absolutely.

Noel

This is how the podcast came to be. It's just us, yep.

Zac

Yeah, I want to wish everybody an excellent week, and we'll look forward to having you uh tune in again next week.

Noel

All right, thanks everybody. See you next time. Bye.