"This kind of outing" also served as a gateway drug for myself; spent many August Saturdays in the mid to late 1980's camped out in the backyard with friends. We used to be able to get there around noon and find a spot in our favorite area, a grassy area just north of the carousel with betting windows close by. We'd put down the coolers, lawn chairs, and blankets and use that as home base. Was easy enough to run out to the frontside or ride the escalators upstairs to watch the races.

That spot is now (of course) filled in with a tent selling craft beer (which I love, by the way, but I'd rather spend $12.99 for a four pack of Dogfish Head 90 Minute IPA at my local beverage center than $9 for a pint of something lukewarm and flat).

At some point in the early '90s I lucked into almost unlimited availability of "clubhouse" seats - I use the quotes because I always regarded the "clubhouse" as the box seats and tables where the blue bloods sat, not the grandstand style seats closest to the finish line; not sure when they started including those seats in the clubhouse, I want to say mid-80's? - and spent less time out in the backyard, but I couldn't help but notice the ever-dwindling amount of picnicking space available.

And now it appears as though some or much of that space will be available on a paid basis.

Is that a good idea? Who knows. I do doubt the 1980's versions of my friends and I would have plunked down money for a picnic table, etc. I do know that once my seats pipeline dried up, my visits to the track have dwindled, reaching a career low of two last year. Too crowded out in back, too expensive to sit in the seats (I break down and buy seats for Travers Day last year and felt like I got a steal getting two in Section G for $150 each).

Rekindled my long-dormant passion for golf last year and spent money I used to spend on seats, parking, concessions, etc., at local courses. Cheaper to play 18 at the crack of dawn and then play the races from home. The negative, as I see it, is that once you drive someone such as myself away...that person eventually says to themselves, you know what, there's other things I can do with my time and money, and that customer doesn't come back.