We’re spending the weekend in Newport, RI. The air is cool and the fog rolls in every night. Being here brings me back in time, envisioning the life of the colonialists in this beautiful port, and later the gilded era when one mansion outdid the next…
The reminder of hundreds of years of life lived by the sea is everywhere….
We took a walk along the “Cliff walk” high up on a cliff overlooking the ocean. On one side you pass empty mansions from a bygone era before income tax and the Depression, on the other a beautiful ocean view….
The cool air forced me to wear my trench coat…Dan thought I looked like a spy…
We passed beautiful grand old architecture…that sadly hardly ever is built anymore.
The walk had a slight Hitchcock feel to it….
…particularly if you looked down!!
Mansion after mansion lay quiet….
…only as a reminder of a lifestyle gone….A rich coal mining family once lived here, until the father suddenly died and the depression hit.
Even though most mansions are now museums they have an eerie lonely feeling.
One mansion is bigger than the next….
(This image via Flickr-my Iphone went dead right before we got there)
This is Doris Duke’s former home, where she supposedly killed her ex-lover crushing him against the gate, while driving drunk in her own driveway…but was never charged for murder. Money buys happiness…yeah right.
Beautiful old wishing well in someone’s garden. Hopefully they got what they wished for.
We dined in old places…
…that had served up food for wayward travelers for hundreds of years.
Or in places by the bay that have fed hungry sailors and visitors for a long, long time.
Down at the docks they were hard at work salvaging and rebuilding a large famous sailboat from the past –The Coronet.
I love going back in time…
This is where I’m sitting now writing this…
…The Francis Malbone House in from the 1700’s. Staring down at me is an old portrait. It’s very easy to imagine people scurrying about in long dresses on the merchant street outside, and the sound of hoofs hitting the road.
Hmm, don’t know just something mystical about it…
Maybe it was the fog that rolled in from the ocean at last nights dinner….
Hope you’re enjoying your Memorial Day weekend wherever you are!
I love Newport. Mark and I eloped there 10 years ago this coming Oct.
Jill, what a place! I can smell that wonderful ocean air all the way to Stockholm! Enjoy your long weekend with your loved ones.
Kramar i rymden,
Mon
Wow, so much tangible history and echoes of memories lost.
What a wonderful weekend.
Kram kram
Charlotta xx
Dear Jill,
It is so fun reading your post, since I live right here in Rhode Island, just over the Newport Bridge. I loved reading your mystical take on days long ago. Yep, the history is everywhere, as well as the amazing architecture.
Hope your time here continues to be wonderful!!
Susan Martin
We spent a weekend in Newport in December for a wedding and I just adored the place. Loved driving around and seeing all the gorgeous homes and sitting by the water {although it was COLD}. Have a wonderful, wonderful trip!
Yes, newport is great. My son went to school there and I was lucky enough to have to visit him all winter long. It's even better in the winter when the restaurants are more empty and the wind is whistling.
Beautiful!! I haven't been to Newport in years. I went to school in Rhode Island so we used to visit there often. The Black Pearl was a major treat in those days! You're right, your shot of the cliff has a very Hitchockian feel – your trench adding to the allure. What a wonderful era these homes represent!!
having lived in newport for three years, i found your pics so special. i loved your "view" of the cliff walk and it made me wish we were back for a visit. we lived on narragansett avenue near the mansions and lower thames and also braman street near "the point". there is so much in newport!
i love your site!! via apartment therapy.