Holy Moly was we in for one treat. I made it a point to not read the reviews before heading out to see the mansions. Sometimes when the reviews are so glowing, my expectations are so high that I end up disappointed. Let me tell you this much, and believe you me, words could not have described the grandeur of these "summer cottages"... pictures could never do them justice, either. Reality, this time, left me speechless. And when I say it's better than fiction, perhaps in a sense it's better than its own non-fiction account, because you just have to go in person to understand. It was all so surreal ...
We only had time to hit three of the homes: The Breakers, Marble House, and Rosecliff. All so splendid and soooooo very different. And when I'm talking about these people being loaded, it's not just that fancy car being shown off in front of their expensive real estate. It's every square inch - top to bottom, inside out, and as far as your eyes could see into the ocean - amazeballs. Of the mansions we saw, all had self-guided audio tours. Not all of them have that, but I highly recommend the mansions that do. The Elms also had audio, but not enough time:( Newport is one of those places that I thought we would be okay with just going on a day trip. ERROR. This town has so much to offer, I'm thinking a two day minimum should be a requirement, if not three.
These mansions should be on your list of to-do's if when in New England, unless of course you already own one. So exsqueeze me if that is the case. And by the way, if so, wanna be besties? We can hangout all summer;). But jokes aside, if you're just an ordinary girl like me, this was one of the most spectacular day trips that left me daydreaming of what life would have been like if I had been a Vanderbilt (or Astor, or Monroe...) All the parties, dresses, and sun-drenched scandalous summers on the beach - I'm left breathless just from imagining.
While at Marble House, I started daydreaming as I wandered the rooms...and let myself feel as if I really was part of that society. That is, until I caught a reflection of myself in the mirror all disheveled from the heat and crazy - extremely crazy - looking from too much walking on a humid day. With my useless Canon hanging from my neck because no pictures were allowed inside, I screamed tourist. But as I kept staring back at my reflection, it was an odd juxtaposition of past and present at once. This image forever part of my mental 35 mm film, never forgotten ... and perhaps only in my memory will it remain always just as magical...
So yes - it's haunting, it's larger than life, it's everything old money should be and more. You know you wanna just go already. Oh and by the way, if you don't know what Conspicious Consumption means exactly - no amount of Google-ing will answer that question quite as well as a trip to Newport will do... read more