Lack of lighting in parking lots was a mess. The place is usually closed well before sundown but when the last race was ending as the sun was setting there was no hope of everyone getting out before dark. Non regulars and even those used to parking in other lots were out there for hours.
When I was on Hempstead Tpke at about 10pm, there were people all over the place. One guy approached every car with "livery" or taxi plates. He and his friend were dressed up nicely, probably escapees from the LIRR who were stranded. I got the impression that Nassau Cty police had lost control of the traffic.
I read a TDN blog mentioning trying to attract new fans with great stakes racing but to the uninitiated, the difference between Close Hatches and Princess of Sylmar and a pair of 10k claimers is non existent. Meanwhile they bring in newbies and the trash barrels are over run by 2pm, the bathroom lines are eternal, the food lines are worse and then you discover that there is no food.
Regarding trash, I have one bit of free advice: Place big plastic filled boxes about for recyclable bottles and cans only. Enterprising people will (as they do nightly at Saratoga) gather them up for return. If the gathering had gone on during raceday the place would have been tidier and the trash cans which were mainly filled with bottles and cans would have been available for real trash.
__________________
RIP Monroe.
|