The Mansions of Newport

The morning is still overcast, forecasts for clearing still a day away. It's perfect for us as we are planning on touring the mansions today. My dear sister, Kathy, has a very good friend who is the curator at The Newport Preservation Society, Paul Miller. He is graciously planning on giving us a VIP tour this afternoon and we are eagerly anticipating a great time.


Prior to meeting him, we take a quick tour around. From our room, we have an incredible view of the cliff walks, the backside of the mansions we'll tour later. Setting out, we pass the cliffs and take in the breathtaking front views of these homes along Bellvue Avenue. Continuing this route flows us into Ocean Drive for even more incredible sights, the Atlantic hosting to our left all through the drive. The winds and mist keep us inside our vehicle for observation today but it's enough. Homes dotting this roadway are amazing, one can only dream of what this lifestyle provides. We meander up to a beautiful spot housing Castle Hill Inn before turning around to meet Paul. We are ready for inside beauty now!












According to direction, we find Paul at the magnificent Marble House, one of the Vanderbilt's summer homes. He is a wealth of information as we take a quick tour around. A new exhibit, The Treasures of the Gothic Room, is in the process of opening in a week and we have an insider's peek into this preparation. This is Paul's baby and watching him direct is yet another perk. How fortunate are we!! A quick glimpse at the Tea Room in the backyard overlooking the cliffs finishes this mansion and we move on.


From the Marble House, we venture to Rosecliff, a romantic "little" home, one of the last Stanford White creations and in the style of Versailles. I am particularly drawn to this place. Paul's wealth of knowledge is an amazing plus to our tour today and we try to soak in as much as possible.


The magnificent Breakers is next, a 70 room Italian Renaissance style palazzo, aptly named for the magnificent waves that break at the landscaped yard's end. As the largest of the Vanderbilt's cottages, it is truly a work of art and unbelievable to conceive what life here for a summer could mean.

Our final stop on our tour brings us to the Elms, a french inspired chauteau. Here we are allowed a rare glimpse of entry through the back side, showing the more appealing side of the architecture, and take a private tour of the servants quarters before making our way into the main house. Even the servants area is quite lovely given the grandness of the place. Life here was a world apart. As the homes were indeed seasonal, so was the hired help. Some kind of summer job!
















Our incredible tour ends here but we convince Paul to join us for a cocktail. We agree on the Castle Hill Inn we had a taste of seeing from the outside earlier today. En route, we explore the other end of Ocean Drive and witness a small sailing spectacle as well as views of the Jamestown Bridge from the Fort Adams Park. The wind has continued to pick up and the waters are choppy to say the least. Absolutely stunning!

Cocktail hour at the Castle is wonderful and we enjoy getting to know Paul even better. He is a total delight and in addition to his artistic knowledge, he provides insight on what we should see and do in this beautiful area. He directs us to the Black Pearl down on the wharf for dinner and we experience an excellent meal and service. A walk after we finish is serene and lovely and the full moon over the Atlantic is the perfect ending to a magnificent day.

Everyone should see Newport this way. Thank you, thank you, Paul!!!!

Spectacular Seashores

After lunch, we head down the street to the Mystic Seaport museum, quite recommended in all my research. Upon arrival, we are given a map of the 17-acre property and a very helpful man, Bob, gives excellent touring suggestions, as there is more here than we could have imagined. It becomes apparent immediately why this place received such high marks.


There are ships to board and tour, a full scale miniature of old Mystic, art exhibits, interactive 18th century shops, including printing, clocks, drugstore, metal, rope - too many to name, all incredibly informative. Not what we'd seek out, but we find ourselves completely enthralled and are pleased to discover we can return tomorrow to complete the wealth of options afforded here as the three hours we've spent has just made a dent. This is one cool place!

























As our day winds down, we decide to try the Steak Loft, also highly recommended. Upon arrival, we discover a gem of a place and on Monday nights in the lounge, a jazz trio that is unbelievably good. We are able to order off the dining room menu here and share a delicious steak, have amazing service, and watch a 90-minute set of some of the best jazz you can imagine. A perfect end to this rainy but lovely day.



We check out of our place in the morning and head back to the seaport museum to finish our tour.

Most of the interpreters are volunteers who are incredibly knowledgeable and forthcoming in sharing all there is to know of this little seaport's history. You can feel their enthusiasm and pride as they openly discuss. After several more hours here, we get on the road to travel the short distance to Newport.

Again, the weather is mostly overcast, but the drive into Rhode Island as pretty as where we've been in Mystic. The Atlantic shoreline is spectacular! We find our new home sitting across from this ocean and settle in. The Newport Beach Hotel and Suites is a great find. Everyone is helpful, our room comfortable, if a bit small, but with an incredible view! On site dining is a plus due to the inclement weather and we meet several other travelers this evening, sharing information of the New England area - very helpful as we plan this section. We have a really fun evening and retire, looking forward to exploring Newport in the morning!