Newport Walking Tour/Restaurant Recommendations

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Besides the opulent Mansions there is another story to be told of Newport, that prior to its Gilded Age. Found a walking tour which filled in the dots through a local free newspaper. Always look for these nougats as they enrich your visit.

After reserving our walking tour met our tour guide, Jean, at the Museum of Newport History. Arrived early and received free admission to the Museum. Learned of the early era of Newport and found an interesting printing relic of James Franklin, brother of Benjamin.

From here our walking tour began..

Newport began as Rhode Island’s state capitol and maintained this distinction till the 1900’s. Newport was also the 4th largest seaport in the colonies receiving many imports. Ships tied to a 2,000 square foot wharf, and delivered their wares to an open air market.

Newport Colony House – built by slaves which were 10% of the population.

Newport was a wealthy county and had the first library in the nation. To this day this library remains in use.

During the Revolutionary War there were 6000 British troops in Newport. They burnt houses for firewood and destroyed the area causing people to leave the area. The French were a positive influence paying for firewood and food, however, the maritime economy did not recover and a service industry rose. Newport transitioned to a great place to get away.

Beveled house – this house held many businesses. At one point it was a catering establishment operated by black entrepreneurs during the Gilded Era. During this era blacks worked in hotels and transportation industries besides catering ventures. The beveled paint is meant to make the building look more expensive.

The Alfred Smith House. This man is credited for developing the Bellevue Avenue of Newport. Starting as a New York City tailor he encouraged others to summer and vacation at Newport starting a real estate venture.

Also during this time Fort Adams was being created. This brought stonecutters from Ireland in the 1900’s. Their wives and other family members worked in the Mansions. Catholic Churches began to be built to accommodate their faith and with churches cemeteries were also needed for Catholics.

Kennedy Wedding Occurred at St. Mary’s

Catholic Cemetery

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Orthodox Jews also arrived in this area due to Rhode Island’s religious tolerance. The first Jewish synagogue in the United States was established here.

Tours are available.

The Perry Family of Antarctica fame have roots in the Newport area.

Commodore Perry Monument to China Trade

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The Hotel Viking built in 1926 was the last great hotel built in Newport. Often tennis stars stay here. There is a Tennis Museum and Auto Museum in Newport.

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In 1835 this yellow hotel was built to house those in the arts from New York City area. It currently is a private men’s club.

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The Newport Art Museum. It was donated to the Newport Society by a Chinese merchant, and is an architectural gem of Richard Morris Hunt circa 1862.

Some other homes for viewing – Newport has over 400 pre-revolutionary war homes, and is a delight to stroll every street. Take a glimpse at a few:

A home in transition – much work is needed to make these beauties.

And a few ideas for culinary delight..

For a truly British Breakfast…..

And for a truly American one..

Gary’s Handy Lunch

Amazing food – but bring cash.

Dinner Fare

Hot, spicey cider with a bit of rum – YUM.

Another idea – delicious clam chowder

Even resident Judge Judy dines at this place. Am told she tips 20%. Great atmosphere and food but Judge Judy would know!

And let’s close with a picture reflective of Rhode Island’s religious history.

Marble House

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This home was the 39th birthday present of Alva Vanderbilt from her husband William. It was built between 1888 and 1892 of 500,000 cubic feet of marble and held 50 rooms. The Vanderbilt’s also had homes in Long Island, South Carolina, Florida, the EU, and Cuba.

Here they summered 6 weeks a year with their 3 children.

The Grand Entrance

The Formal Dining Room

It was in this Dining Room, Alva, (Mrs. William Vanderbilt), breakfasted with her 3 children. During meals the children were only allowed to speak French.

Alva, was raised in France as this is where her family settled after loosing their money in the Civil War. Educated and groomed in France she was inspired by all things French which are seen in this Room’s decor. The Dining Room was inspired by a Salon at Versailles. The walls surrounding the room hold a collection of French courtesans portraits.

Richard Morris Hunt known in most circles as, “the Vanderbilt architect,” created Marble House as well as other buildings throughout Newport. Here he resided, built his first home, and married a local woman, Catherine Clinton Howland. They had 2 sons. Mr. Hunt is buried in Newport Island Cemetery in a memorial designed by Daniel Chester French, the creator of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Alva Vanderbilt was a fascinating woman. She was a leader in the Suffragette movement and often had meetings in the tea house to the rear of the Mansion. She divorced William after 26 years of marriage and married a Newport neighbor whom she remained married to for the rest of her life. An interesting read of this era is Lost Newport by Paul F. Miller.

Here is where Alva held her meetings, and now a great place for light fare.

Cliffwalk View From the Tea House

Returning to the Mansion – The Library

The Gothic Room – a collection of Medieval and Renaissance art from France.

Consuelo Vanderbilt, the daughter of Alva and William, was forced into a loveless marriage with the Duke of Marlborough by her mother. Her mother yearned for a royal connection for her family, and European royalty often sought out American heiresses to replenish their fortunes. Thus, Consuelo became a scapegoat. She stayed in this marriage for over 20 years, bearing 2 sons.

At the time of Consuelo’s divorce Alva testified she forced her daughter into the marriage. Consuelo received her divorce and the Duke 2.2 million a year for life. Consuelo later remarried, happily, to Jacques Belsan, a French aviator and industrialist.

Consuelo Vanderbilt

Consuelo’s Bedroom

William Vanderbilt remarried to Ann Harriman, and moved to France where he remained the rest of his life. He contributed and volunteered in the air corp during World War I receiving the Legion of Honor from the French Government.

Marble House was sold in the 1930’s to the family of Armour Meat Packing.

Marble House – sea side views.

The Breakers

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The Breakers was the home of Cornelius II and Alice Vanderbilt, who made their fortune in steamboats and railroads. Designed by the Vanderbilt’s premier architect, Richard Morris Hunt, it is considered the grandest of the Newport Mansions.

Cornelius II and Alice

The Vanderbilts had seven children of which 3 survived. They were of great faith and met while teaching Sunday school. They were cognizant of their great riches, and while loosing many children to death they were aware those given much have much taken away.

Upon Cornelius II death the $100 million fortune was passed to his son William, who in 7 years increased the fortune to $200 million. Not wanting to continue this career path he turned the investment over to JP Morgan, and his bank to manage.

Symbols of the Vanderbilt family – the acorn appear throughout the Mansion as does…

train and steamship representation. This is noted in the marble sculpture above this doorway.

The Christmas decorations throughout the Newport Mansions are spectacular. There are also night tours of the grounds. All fireplaces are functional and present in each of the 15 bedrooms.

Some of the decorations..

In the Library there is a fireplace from the Chateau d’Arnay le Duc in Burgundy, France. It is 500 years old.

Their daughter Gertrude, in a drawing below, was a prominent artist. She was instrumental in creating the Whitney Museum which I will be visiting in a later New York City blog. This was her bedroom and art.

The first Breakers was built from 1877-1892 of wood and burnt to the ground. The current Mansion was built from 1893-1895. The Mansion was named for the waves which break on the cliff below.

There is a cliff walk surrounding the Mansion. A must see and do, but dress warm..

Next: Marble House

Larry Ellison: Newport, Rhode Island

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The multi-billionaire of Oracle now owns 4 Newport Mansion properties. His newest asset is the Astor Mansion. This property is planned to house his art collection as a museum. It resides next door to the Marble House on Bellevue Avenue. The Pandemic slowed the progress of this renovation, however, Newport is looking forward to Mr. Ellison’s new attraction. Stay tuned.

And another home in the area for neighborhood comparison.

The Elms

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Entrance to The Elms

This Mansion was owned by Edward Berwind, a coal magnate from Philadelphia, and was occupied by his family from 1901-1961. It was built in 1901, at a cost of $1.4 million, which in today’s standards is in the $40 million range. Berwind owned coal mines in Kentucky, and West Virginia selling coal to the NY Subway system as well as the US Navy. Berwind Corporation remains functional today and is involved in other enterprises. Their coal mines are leased to others.

Berwind, his wife, and his office at The Elms

Mr. Berwind was President of his company for 43 years, from 1936-1988. He and his wife occupied the home with 43 servants in this 60,000 square foot space annually from July 4th weekend till the end of the summer. An engineering graduate of the US Naval Academy the couple had no children, however, were the wards of his deceased brothers 4 daughters.

At the time of his wife’s premature death his sister Julia came to live with him caring for the home and residing here till 1961.

Entrance Hall and Stairwell

The Conservatory and Drawing Room

Julia Berwind’s Room, Mr. Berwind’s sister

Miss Julia Berwind resided at the home beyond the summer season and loved the area. She was a fixture in society and well liked by all.

This is the fireplace in Miss Julia’s bedroom decorated for the holidays. Every room of the Newport Mansions are decorated gaily with Christmas decorations. Such beauty. What a wonderful season to visit.

Elms Servant Tour

There are several additional tours available for the Mansions. Recommend visiting the Preservation Society web site, newportmansions.org, to select a tour which fits your individual interests. We selected the Elms Servant Tour which was a fascinating small group tour with a docent lasting approximately one hour. It gives a great glimpse behind the scenes and fills in the gaps, and answers those Gilded Age questions.

The Annuciator – call bell area for the servants

There were 2500 servants in total during the summer season of Newport. Many were Irish and English as the owners wished to have English speaking servants. In the Elms there were 16 bedrooms and 3 baths on this co-ed floor with mostly 1 person per room, 23 lived on site with most living off site. Guests of the Berwind’s did not stay in the mansion as nearby guest houses were provided for their accommodations.

Servant room and bath.

Often the servants stayed 7 to 10 years then became American citizens and left for other positions. Some traveled with the Berwind’s from their New York City home on 2 East 64th St.

The Berwind’s acquired staff through an Intelligence Office, similar to an employment office. A questionnaire was completed and potential staff were interviewed. The staff worked 12-14 hour days having one morning and one evening off per week.

Beds were changed twice daily, and up to 7 clothing changes occurred daily during the season.

At one point servants had decided to strike due to working conditions. The Butler in charge of the home fired all and replacements acquired.

Picture of the Butler and his wife- she was 20 years younger. They had one daughter.

And as part of this tour a unique look at the basement was received.

Coal for the home was delivered from the street into a basement tunnel then placed into generators. As technology progressed Mr. Berwind implemented and upgraded.

If you have time take the servant tour, but book early as these tours fill quickly. Admissions are reasonable, however, the Newport area is quite pricey.

And before departure stop by the stables, and tour the grounds.

And let us say farewell to our tour – the back of the Mansion.

Tomorrow: The Breakers

Transition Day and on to Providence, Rhode Island

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Once the suitcase was repacked from summer to winter gear in the Florida cruise parking lot journeyed to Orlando Airport. Was another stellar day, and grateful as the mid-west was being plummeted with snow. Good for the reservoirs.

Haven’t heard the friendly Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer overhead messages in quite some time, and missed his greeting.

Orlando is a great airport, busy, but well maintained.

Photo by Jeffry Surianto on Pexels.com

Am back in love with Delta, my go to airline, however, continue to mask with current conditions.

In searching for a free Delta picture found there is a Delta museum in Atlanta on, (of course), Delta Blvd. Will have to check that out in the future. Here’s their web site for those Delta fans, http://www.deltamuseum.org.

Landed in La Guardia promptly, and subway’ed over to Brooklyn to begin our journey to Newport, Rhode Island. Was greeted by Rocco, the grand-dog, who continues to be in a puppy state of exploring and getting into trouble. He somehow found vitamin packets in my suitcase and consumed fish oil capsules, and vitamin e. After investigating several web sites we found these to be non-toxic, and notified his care giver for while we were away.

Later we found he had colorful poo but no after effects.

On to Providence..

Providence State Capitol

Found Providence to be a interesting city with much history. Stopped at the Roger Williams House for a visit, and a “stamp” as my daughter is a collector of National Park stamps. Traveling with her and the beau is different than going solo, however, we have traveled together before and successfully. In November 2019, we even managed to be safe while the Proud Boys carried on in our Washington DC hotel. Oh, what a visit!

Back to Roger Williams.. During the development of our Country Rhode Island was a harbor of many escaping religious persecution. Roger Williams believed that religion must not be subject to persecution and his ideas eventually became part of our First Amendment US Constitution which states,

“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.”

At the site there is an interesting movie, informed rangers to answer all questions, and during the summer a 17th Century colonial herb garden to view.

I also found a Volunteer-In-Park brochure which will explore. This would be an excellent senior volunteer experience for those interested in history, and getting involved in a positive volunteer experience. For more information http://www.nps.gov/volunteers.

Providence is also the home of Brown University, and Providence College. After our visit to Roger Williams we drove through the streets lined with perfectly restored historic homes.

Like stepping back into the 1700’s.

Having followed Gina Raimondo, Rhode Island’s former governor, and now our 40th Secretary of Commerce, knew there was a large Italian area in Providence. Sought out some Italian food, baked goods, and wine during our stroll. Quaint, and well decorated for the holiday had a fun visit.

Besides the Federal Hill area of Providence also visit Downtown as beautiful restored buildings and shops are available for retail delight.

On to Newport, Rhode Island a short jaunt away!

Final Day: Open Cruising

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Another fabulous weather day on the Freedom.  As the final day of cruising it was a wind down day with many events:

  • music at the pool
  • a towel folding demonstration
  • Bingo
  • A multitude of cruise shop sales
  • Gambling
  • Bean Bag tosses
  • Mini Golf
  • Trivia Games
  • Debarkation Presentation – this is probably the most important information given on the cruise.  Here you learn how to obtain any liquor purchased, get your bags off the ship, documentation needed to depart, etc.. etc..  This was especially important for me as it reminded me of the need to update my charge card information due to the recent scamming. No charges are placed on a closed card and all passengers need to be cleared before debarkation can occur. Didn’t want to hear my name called over the PA system with 3200 passengers on board.

“Old lady forgot to pay her bill!”

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And from here have an afternoon Orlando flight to LaGuardia.  Will need to ensure ship departure is prompt to catch the flight.  Packed two suitcases – one summer and one winter for this trip. Will be going from a bathing suit to snow boots.

 

Tell me I’m crazy but looking forward to the snow.

❄️

Princess Cays

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Took a tender from the ship to this beautiful beach front property known as Princess Cays. What a stellar place, and am told it is owned by Carnival. Quite a difference from my June 2022 tender trip in Iceland where rough waves and 30 degree temperatures were the norm.

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On the island, known as Eleuthera, there are shops owned by locals who sell varied trinkets with much of the gifts hand crafted and unique. 

This doll is one doll two sides. Another unique addition to my doll collection from round the world. 

Other Shops etc..

At the end of the shops was a bar with various rum drinks as well as reasonable Cuban cigars.  Tried mango rum.  Yum…

Road less traveled..

An isolated beach can be found on the road after the shops. Recommend this spot for those wanting a more peaceful visit ..

There are also excursions available on the island.  Some folks explored the stringray area, others selected motorized water vehicles, but I selected the snorkel excursion.  The $70 cost included a boat ride to the reef, all necessary snorkel equipment, and an hour exploring.  Unforgettable.  The sea holds such colorful creatures of beauty and the coral sculptures no words can describe.  Wish I had an underwater camera to maintain those memories and share this experience with you.  

And of course,,, a barbeque buffet

While on the island a barbeque buffet was served with hot dogs, hamburgers, jerk chicken, an assorted of salads, drinks (non-alcoholic), and cookies.  Delicious and eaten beach front on picnic tables added to this experince.

The end to a perfect day.

Nassau

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Nassau is a mix of hotels, souvenir shops, high end jewelry shops, and splashed with a straw market.  Was a fun, short stop.

There are many unique restaurants, bars with original Bahamian food and drink.

Note the bar on the right with its wall of dollar bills – what a hoot..

While not a drinker did break down and purchase a local, low cal beer. Give this one a try if in the area.

While visiting Nassau was enjoyable, many passengers elect to stay on the ship and enjoy the less populated and quieter ship.  During this time the ship offers movies, scavenger hunts, deck music, and trivia fun/sport games for those who remain..

And for us seniors there was also a free Puffy Eye Seminar at the spa.  HA! HA!

Then the fun begins again at 5:30 as the ship departs.  Karaoke, music, the famous/infamous Love and Marriage Show, comedy, Bingo, 40 plus Mixer as well as a mixer for  LGBTQ + folks, and movies return.

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Farewell, Nassau!

Miscellaneous Cruise Stuff: APs, and Settling in

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While not a fan of APs am learning to love them as they are an on board necessity.  One asset is staff are helpful and able to assist with navigating this creature.  As an oldie I still love paper and some cruises still reluctantly give paper itineraries if requested.  Downloading the AP is easy, and runs on Airplane mode so no WIFI is required.  Cruise WIFI is available on the ship but expensive, and unpredictable as relayed to me by those who’ve purchased it.

 

APs afford information on the following items:

  • excursion information
  • spa information
  • chat queues
  • all dining reservations are made through the AP
  • ship maps – while ship maps are helpful am hopeful a GPS is included in future upgrades.  This would assist save passengers and steps.

Settling in..

After settling in to the cabin room and finding various points of interest began the festivities. 

Room was spacious and received a window perk! What a surprise.

Decided to eat dinner early and went to the dining room.  Was seated next to a couple who ignored me, and being an elbow away from these folks it made for an uncomfortable dining experience.  Left and went to the buffet on the ship upper level. 

While being a solo is not always easy most cruisers are friendly.

Post dinner checked the AP and found free liquor tasting.  Attended and while not a fan of watermelon liqeur, was something to do.  From here explored the hot tubs meeting friendly folks who brought their families of 12 on the cruise.  Many families enjoy bringing their tribes with them.  Was a fun soak.

On to the comedy and Carnival has 2 shows a nite. Passengers of all persuasions can enjoy these comedians as they come from all cultures and walks of life.  There were two shows with one comedian from Mexico and the following comedian from NYC. All enjoyed this humor. The early comedy shows are PG 13 later shows are adult and a bit raunchy.

There are also single cruiser meet ups however had no success with connections but always worth a shot. On to the movies at pool side which featured 2 movies – Elvis and The Batman. These were a treat for all ages and many teenagers attended this event. All were practicing good behavior and appeared to be having fun.

My day concluded – time to return to the room… and a little surprise.