#48 Cape May

Cape May

I drove almost the entire trip to Cape May in a east coast thunderstorm. Those members of my family who recently visited the east coast now have an understanding of what that actually means. Because it took a little longer to get to the Cape than I had planned, I didn't get to spend quite as much time there as I would've liked. (I had a ferry reservation at 6:00 to head across the bay to Delaware.) I will say, that what I've heard about Cape May is true. It is a Victorian wonderland on a beach.



Private Residence, but I couldn't help myself.  Look how awesome this place looks!


Inn, it's right across Ocean Street from the beach.


Boutique in town



Bike rental seemed like big business based on a) how many vendors I saw, and b)how often I was nearly run down by cyclists riding on the narrow sidewalks instead of the bike lanes in the street.



Across the street from the shore.



Just look at that scenery!



Nikita is obsessed with ferry boats, especially the kind you can take your car on.  So, I promised her some pictures.

#47 Cliff Walk

Cliff Walk

Included in Cliff Walk are the Newport Mansions. Cort and I bought tickets that gave us access to five of the properties. I can say that they are mind blowing. It is terribly unfortunate (but understandable) that photos are not allowed inside the mansions. There is no description for the grandeur they posses and exactly how ornate they are. We had fun imagining what it would've been like to live in one of them.




Forty Steps



Chateau-Sur-Mer
The least impressive of the properties we saw; it was very dark, very Victorian. I would feel suffocated if I had to live here. It was also the only property was visited that had a live guide. Most places include audio tours - I have to say that I thought our guide had a very dry, funny, wit, but also had a bit of an accent that was difficult to follow at times.







Marble House
As the name implies there is a lot of marble in this house. Here we learned that the summer season was 7-8 weeks of the year and the elite society held at least 10 dinners with more than 60 guests and at least 6 balls with 600 or more guests. Their budget for the season was about $500,000 or $7 million in today's dollars.







Rosecliff
Rosecliff was the "on the cheap" version of the Newport Mansions. Although it appears to be constructed with white marble it is actually glazed terra cotta. The terra cotta;provided good fireproofing while coming in at a fraction of the cost. This house was eventually purchased by a woman who did not live in it or maintain it and during the winter the pipes burst and flooded the house. One of the curators was a young boy at the time and remembers coming to see the grand staircase encased in an ice waterfall.




The entire middle section of the house is the grand ballroom. Flanking are the main entrance on the right and the dining room on the left.



The Elms



This wisteria covered circle shielded the view of the service entrance from the rest of the grounds. The owners were seeking to convey that everything just magically appeared without benefit of a legion of staff and service people.


Weeping Beech Tree - that's Cort standing next to it, just so you can understand the scale of these trees.





The Breakers
The crown jewel of the Newport Mansions. The Breakers was built by the Vanderbilts and was the height of modern day technology and comfort. You cannot possibly understand the scale and grandiosity of The Breakers unless you visit. And then you will be BLOWN AWAY.






View from the Loggia. I may never have left the loggia if I lived here.








View from the first floor porch








This is the playhouse. THE PLAY HOUSE.


There were several of these lighting fixture in the front of the house, but this was the only one with purple globes.

#46 Museum Mile

Museum Mile
Oh, the Metropolitan Museum of Art. THE museum to visit in America, and my favorite part of the NYC leg of the trip. Claudia Kincaid is a genius!




The Guggenheim




Temple of Dendur


And if we have the time we can see the Sphinx...


Oh, Piet Mondrian, how do I love thee...








Vincent, you crazy, possibly color blind genius. I just adore your work.



The Pointillists -- FOR REALS!

A study of my FAVORITE PAINTING IN THE WORLD - (at least, so far).




Close up of above




And the close-ups