Ithaca Blog

Friday, May 16, 2008

The Preakness, and an Update on Day-Tripping to Cortland OTB

Saturday 17 May is the day of the Preakness stakes race, which means it's time for a road trip to Cortland for big OTB bets. We have a quick update after our definitive posting about this sojourn last year, at Kentucky Derby time.

We made the trip for this year's Derby, and we're sorry to report, we must take away a star from Uncle Louie's eating establishment there. Maybe two stars.

The parking lot was full, but past capacity, so we had to park per dolem next door at the Footy Freeze. That's not so bad, because it gives up the opportunity to say "Footy Freeze."

But Uncle Lou and crew had problems dealing with the full house, which meant a 15 minute wait for us and 3 other people ahead of us. Not an exaggerated 15 minutes, but an actual, and no one even said boo to us in that time. When we were finally seated, it took a lot of action on our own.

Finally, the food was cold, and the drinks were warm.

There is the vast drawing card of the fact that the betting parlor is actually connected to the restaurant, separated only by a curtain.

This trip, however, our culinary standards being what they are, we think we will have to take our dining business to the A&W, where you get to call in your order to the counter from a pink phone on your table. Then we go to Footy Freeze and have something, to pay them back for the use of their parking space. Then we will put some semolians on Stevil to win, a custom-made hunch bet for me if ever there was one.

Steve Burke
for Ithaca Blog

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