We're headed south and got back into New York. Destination, the Hyde Park home of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. This is on the Hudson River, upstream from New York City. I think this may be considered 'upstate New York'. Anyway, due to fortunes among the various relatives of the Roosevelts, they had this place as a summer get-away. This is also the location of FDR's Presidential Library, the first of it's kind. As usual, Mary Lou made new friends. Here's the Library. There was a display of gifts from heads of state and private citizens. Here are some that had a Texas connection. (Hover your pointer over each photo to see captions.) And more elaborate gifts from other countries. Here's the house The inside is well appointed but not opulent. (Hover your pointer over each photo to see captions.) FDR would broadcast radio 'fireside chats'. This is a depiction of what it might have been like. Note the old radio. A replica of his desk in the Oval Office. Just up the road from FDR's place (notice the informality), there is a Vanderbilt mansion. The Vanderbilts made their fortune from railroads. One had the Biltmore Mansion in Ashville, NC. Another had a mansion here on several hundred acres. The Vanderbilt mansion differed from FDR's house in that the materials and furnishings were of the highest quality and cost, frequently imported. The entry or 'lobby' was 2 stories high with a skylight. I apologize for the poor quality of the photos in this house. I could make excuses, or blame Mary Lou or something, but no. The dining room is off to the right. After dinner the gentlemen would retire to the 'men's' room for brandy and cigars. The ladies would retire to the parlor for liqueur and gossip. These Vanderbilts had separate bedrooms, adjoining and connected. They had no children. Go figure?? This is his. And this is hers. There is a cleverly hidden gate in the marble fence around the bed. Of course there were guest bedrooms. There are servants quarters down below, however the males had bunks down there while the female attendants slept on the third floor. Lady guests always brought their 'ladies-in-waiting'. We went down below, but only got a glimpse of the area, and apparently took no pictures. I kept expecting to see Mr. Carson of Downton Abbey. Outside is a view of the Hudson and a grand house on the other side. One more attraction in this complex is Val-Kill, a little 'estate' that was Eleanor Roosevelt's hideaway and later her home for several years after Franklin's death. It seems that Franklin's mother ruled the roost in the big house and also their residence in Manhattan. So Eleanor needed Val-Kill as her own. There is a tennis court and swimming pool and Eleanor entertained quite a bit. Prominent people including JFK came to visit to get Eleanor's advice and opinion on politics and civil rights. This home was cozy and comfortable. Note the old TV and radio. All this took longer than we expected, but we moved on down the road to find a Walmart for the night.
Stay tuned.
1 Comment
jackie
6/10/2015 02:17:10 am
They wouldn't let you stay in the cozy house, you had to find a walmart? lol nice pictures. The outside of the mansions are so beautiful!
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Who are we?Chuck and Mary Lou have been traveling in their RV since 2002 and have lately been taking longer, extended trips. This is our way to share our experiences. Trip Reports
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