Day 9 Addendum: Mansion Hopping

I felt I would be remiss if I only covered one of the mansions, so here's a quick jaunt back in time to our previous trip three years ago (pre-blog). Most of the historic homes are managed by the Preservation Society of Newport County.

The Breakers

If you only visit one mansion in Newport, this is the one. In fact, the tickets are designed that way. A two-house ticket is The Breakers plus the house of your choice.

Built by Cornelius Vanderbilt II (George Vanderbilt's oldest brother), The Breakers will look a little familiar to anyone who's been to Biltmore. It was designed by the same architect, Richard Morris Hunt.

Marble House

Probably the second most famous of the Newport mansions is Marble House, which pre-dates The Breakers (though not by much). It was built by William K. Vanderbilt (brother of Cornelius II and George) and also designed by Richard Morris Hunt. Actually, it was the pet project of his wife, Alva. As the name implies, more than half of the construction costs were spent on marble.

In the back yard, Alva had a Chinese Tea House added in 1914. This is where she would host suffragette meetings after she divorced Vanderbilt, but still married her daughter, Consuelo, off to the (mostly broke) Duke of Marlborough so they could be connected to royalty.

Chateau-sur-Mer

The first of the grand Newport mansions before (1852) the Vanderbilts moved in (1890s), this was the home of trade merchant William Shepard Wetmore. He died 10 years after the house was built and left the bulk of his fortune to his son George, who became Governor of Rhode Island and a US Senator. The main thing we remember was that it was really hot that day, and since the house was mostly wood, it was like a sauna inside. We really felt sorry for the women who did the guided tours.

The Elms

One of the first mansions you encounter on Bellvue Avenue, The Elms was built by coal magnate Edward Julius Berwind in 1901. When Mrs. Berwind died, Edward asked his sister to come live there and be the hostess of the estate. Then when he died, she inherited the estate and lived there for the rest of her life.

Day 9: North Carolina Connections

It was supposed to rain most of today, which is why we did the Cliff Walk yesterday. And why we played things a bit by ear, because we had no idea how long the sun would shine.

We slept in a bit (a habit to be broken tomorrow) then had breakfast again at Annie's. Then we hiked the remainder of Bellvue Avenue, all the way to Rough Point at the very end.

We were trying to focus on the mansions we hadn't done on previous trips. Fortunately, I still have all the photos on my phone (which predates this blog), so I spent a little bit of time figuring out which ones we'd already seen.

Our top priority for today was Rough Point. Thanks to the Cliff Walk yesterday, we learned that it has two North Carolina connections. The house was first built by Frederick Vanderbilt, older brother of George Vanderbilt (Biltmore). The grounds were originally designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, who designed Central Park and Biltmore estate.

Later, it was purchased by James Buchanan Duke (of American Tobacco, Duke Power, and Duke University) and expanded. James Duke died two years later, and the house went to his daughter, Doris Duke. She eventually made it one of her primary residences. Since Doris Duke lived until 1993, the house looks exactly as she left it, with everything intact.

Like the other mansions in Newport, photography is not allowed inside the house. We were, however, free to take photos outside.

Across the grassy lawn from house is a medium-sized garden. The entrance looks like something out of Alice in Wonderland. There are also two camel topiaries to honor Duke's pet camels (yes, really; they were a gift from a Saudi arms dealer) that used to roam the property.

Tours inside the house are guided and only given in small groups. The downstairs rooms are very much in keeping with the other mansions in Newport (if just a little less flashy). There is a grand ballroom, priceless paintings (including an original Renoir), priceless vases from ancient China, a floor from the Palace of Versailles, centuries-old tapestries, and more. Several pieces of antique furniture were not allowed for sitting.

Most rooms, from the dining room to the solarium and her bedroom, all have big windows that provide spectacular views of the ocean. They also have big drapes and blinds for privacy.

 

She loved dogs and had several rescue German Shepherds that had free reign of the house. Surprisingly, they never broke any of the vases, but you can still see the per stains on on modern couch in the solarium. The camels stayed outside.

Upstairs the house is slightly more modern. We got to see her bedroom, where the walk-in closet doors are practically hidden in the wall. Despite the opulent wealth on display downstairs, she dyed her bedroom carpet rather than buy a new one (when the room was redecorated) and the bed skirt and ruffles came from J.C. Penney.

There were also a couple of gallery exhibits (these rotate every year) on her collection of Islamic artifacts and on Shangri-La, her estate in Hawaii (which is also open for tours). There were several things we didn't get to see, such as her salt water pool. 

The final stop was the Bulter's Pantry and Kitchen, which are actually on the main floor (most mansions have them in the basement). All of her plates and silver are still there, including the modern microwave and fax machine (which she used to send recipes to friends).

The property gets its name from the rock formation in the back yard. Duke loved to swim and often jumped from the rocks into the ocean. We even saw a couple of her bathing suits on the tour.

The Cliff Walk path originally went right through the middle of the yard, but Frederick Vanderbilt had it moved closer to the water, which necessitated the bridge. The first bridge was eventually destroyed in a hurricane and was replaced by a couple of wooden ones that didn't last either. The current bridge is made of wood and steel and withstood Superstorm Sandy just fine.

There were a couple of things on the tour that I found interesting. Falcon's Lair, her home in Beverly Hills (where she passed away) was previously owned by Rudolph Valentino.

The second one is more of a round robin, so bear with me. Doris Duke loved to collect paintings of English royalty. In the stairwell is a large painting of an actual Duke, the Duke of Marlborough at Blenheim Palace (late 1700s, as I recall). This Duke's grandson (or great grandson) became the 9th Duke about 100 years later (also related to Winston Churchill) and married Consuelo Vanderbilt. Consuelo's parents (Wm. K and Alva) built Marble House down the street. And her uncle Frederick built Rough Point. Some coincidence!

Afterwards, it hadn't yet started raining, so we opted to do part of the Cliff Walk again. We weren't near an access point (there are only so many), so we had to walk back up several blocks to The Breakers. Then we walked back to the beginning and on back to the hotel.

I'd hoped to do another mansion (Rosecliff, which is where they filmed The Great Gatsby with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow), but we'd promised to take Madison to see The Secret Life of Pets and Martha's Vineyard is a bit short on movie theaters. Marsha found a theater that serves food so we opted to go there.

We had some extra time, so we drove down Ocean Drive. It branches off of Bellvue Avenue and takes you past several more modern mansions that are also built on the water. We found one for sale at the bargain price of only 19 million. Have to think about that one.

Sadly, we have to leave tomorrow and there's so much more I want to do. We'll definitely be back again at some point. Can't wait!

Day 8: Walking the Cliffs in Newport

We finally slept in today and had a really, really lazy morning. We didn't leave the room until after 1:30pm. Our original plan had been to visit some of the mansions today, but since we got such a late start, we just focused on doing the Cliff Walk.

We found a great little cafe called Annie's that we just loved. It was perfect because it was right on the way to the Cliff Walk and serves all-day breakfast. We just love all of the old buildings here. It's really like stepping back in time, and reminds us of England. How apropos.

Back during the Gilded Age, Newport was the summer playground of the Vanderbilts, Astors, and other millionaires from NYC. For anyone who's visited Biltmore in Asheville, NC, this is where George's brothers all built their summer "cottages." Most of these grand homes are built on a peninsula and back up to the ocean. Last time we were here, we only walked a small section, so our goal for this trip was to walk the whole thing.

The Cliff Walk is 3.5 miles and goes around the entire peninsula, connecting the mansions. The walk pre-dates the mansions; it was previously used by Native Americans and local fishermen. During the late-1800s, many of the mansion owners improved their sections of the path with steps, tunnels, and bridges. It was designated an historic walk in 1976 and restored under the direction of Claus von Bulow, of all people (had to tell Madison who he was).

The Walk runs between two beaches: you begin at Easton's Beach and end at Bailey's Beach. The first section is a little deceptive. It's all very nicely paved, there are hand railings, and it all makes for a good casual stroll. The views are just amazing.

Once you get past The Breakers (home of Cornelius Vanderbilt II), however, the walk gets a little more challenging. The trail completely disappears in places and you have to walk across giant rocks.

There are also a couple of tunnels, particularly when you pass by Marble House (home of William K. Vanderbilt) and the Chinese Tea House.

And of course, all along the way you've got incredible natural views to one side, and all the splendor of the Gilded Age on the other. As I said, it really is like stepping back in time.

The last section is probably the most challenging. In addition to all of the giant rocks you have to cross, there's a two-mile stretch with no exits. The mansions are all open for tours, so they're fenced off from the Cliff Walk.

When we finally reached the end, we found ourselves at the very end of Bellvue Avenue, the main road that goes to all of the mansions (and directly back to our hotel). Marsha wanted to keep walking, so she opted to walk back. Madison and I took an Uber.

After we got back to the hotel, we took a few minutes to relax before we changed into warmer clothes (this is July, isn't it?) and headed out for dinner. Didn't have any reservations tonight (probably not the best idea), so we just strolled down Thames Street until we found something with a good menu and not too long of a wait. Our top choice was Brick Alley Pub, but they had a 90 minute wait.

We finally settled on The Red Parrot, which was pretty good, but unbelievably noisy. Definitely in our top three loudest restaurants (the other two being McGillin's in Philly and Nando's in Cardiff, Wales). They have bars on each floor, nothing to absorb the sound, and there seemed to be multiple wedding parties there (we seen several groups of bridesmaids).

Back at the room, we settled in with some TV before calling it a night. All in all, a great day in Newport and a welcome reminder of what we love about this place.

Day 7: Charting a Course from the Vineyard

Or: "New Boat, Old Hotel"

Last day on Martha's Vineyard, so we got up a little early and packed the car. We were scheduled for the 2:45 ferry from Oak Bluffs, so we wanted to make sure we left the hotel in time to do a few more things before we sail.

The weather was a cloudy and cool this morning (no surprise after last night), but I think the rain will hold out for a bit. Overall, I'd say we've been pretty lucky.

Breakfast this morning was at another of our favorites, Among the Flowers Cafe in Edgartown. I'm surprised we hadn't been here yet, but there's so many great places to eat in MV. We almost had dinner there Monday night, which was unusual (Fourth of July), because they're usually only open for breakfast and lunch. But the wait was way too long. So glad we went back. Great example: Madison ordered a bowl of strawberries, and they took the time to slice them up and plate them artistically.

Afterwards, we drove up to Oak Bluffs for some last-minute shopping before getting on the ferry. Marsha bought a sweatshirt (necessity) and finally picked out a new Black Dog shirt that she liked.

Thanks to the weather, we thought the ferry ride would be a bit rockier than the trip over. In fact, we could feel it moving while we were still sitting at the dock.  But once we got moving, the ride was perfectly smooth. What's more, we immediately noticed that our ferry was brand new (built this year) and still had that new boat smell.

The drive to Newport was just fine, though it took a while to get out of Woods Hole and Falmouth. Those little tiny roads with traffic lights every few blocks aren't meant to handle the endless stream of vehicles coming off the ferry. They could use another road just for ferry traffic or let the lights stay green longer. Still, we made good time and arrived with plenty of time to get settled in at the hotel before our 6:45pm dinner reservations.

Or so we thought. Our hotel, which was on the water and rather pricey, was less than we expected. There was no elevator, so we had to carry the bags up three flights of stairs. That was no big deal, but the room itself had a musty smell. Madison's bed was in an upstairs loft (which was cool), but the sheets had stains and the bed cover was torn. For the price we were paying, we expected something cleaner. They offered to move us to a different room, but our preference was to just go elsewhere.

Fortunately, they were nice about it and gave us a full refund. Marsha was able to book us another room at the hotel we stayed at before (which we really liked), so we repacked the car and rushed over. By this time, it was almost 6:30. We checked into the new hotel and they left our car out front (parking is now valet only; they had both before), then we rushed off to still make our dinner reservation just in time.

After dinner (at The Mooring, which was great), we went back to the new hotel and got our bags. The new room actually needed a few lightbulbs, but otherwise was a huge improvement over the previous one. We'd switched rooms before, but this is the first time we've switched hotels.

Once we finally got everything situated, we got comfortable and settled in by watching The Shawshank Redemption on TV. Great movie to end the day.