The "Summer Cottages" in Rhode Island

The gates at The Breakers

Last night was the first good night of sleep in days.....I just cannot understand how I can be so exhausted, but just cannot sleep; it is so frustrating. It didn't hurt that the room was dark and there was actually a heavy blanket and comforter on the bed. or maybe there was something in Flo's crappy food?? lol

I have been really grateful for my own pillow and Goosebumps blanket, but I really appreciate having decent bedding in hotels, too.

Today was a beautiful, sunny, fall day; it could not have been more perfect. We spent most of the day traipsing through the Newport "Cottages" which of course, are actually opulent mansions.

The most opulent of them all is 'The Breakers"; the Vanderbilt's 70-room summer home. The gold and marble were astounding and the artwork and furnishings were stunning. If you have seen castles in Europe, then you will have an idea of what I am talking about.

I am sure that they were trying their very best to replicate European "old" money, with the "new" American wealth. As a matter of fact, Vanderbilt's daughters were "encouraged" to marry Duke's, for status, and to join the old wealth, with the new.

Despite the glitz and glam of the Breakers, I believe that my favorite rooms in the mansion were the kitchen and butler pantry! Lol

We also toured the "Marble House", Alva Vanderbilt's vision; It contains 500,000 cubic feet of the most beautiful marble I have ever seen. It is not as large, or quite as gaudy as the "Breakers", but it did not disappoint.

Loved the audio

An interesting tidbit is the bathtub has four faucets; any idea what each one does? I was surprised that I actually guessed; hot/cold and salt/fresh water. I cannot even begin to imagine living in such a space......the artwork, the furniture, the fabrics and the views; all remarkable.

The last house that we viewed was the "Rosecliff"; this was not a Vanderbilt cottage. It was the home of more "new money"; Tessie Oelrichs. Tessie knew that if she was to "be" anyone, in this land of status and wealth, she would have to build a home that did not pale in comparison to her neighbors.

four knobs

She made certain to build a party home, that was later featured in many movies and is rented out for events and weddings, still today. I would have loved to dance around on the great big wood floor in the formal living room; I can only imagine the parties and celebrities that have graced these halls!

I loved walking through these cottages and hearing the stories from years gone past. I also find the location of the mansions interesting. Not the easiest to get to, but stunning views, right on the water. Truly magical.

LOVED the kitchens!

By the time we finished touring these three mansions, my feet and body were exhausted, and ached from head to toe! Walking around on all of that marble is tough on this old bod! I could scarcely make it back to the car, which was the perfect excuse to do the Ocean Drive, around Newport; no walking required!!

It was extremely picturesque, and we were extremely grateful that we are here during the fall months, as the number of tourists still here were insane. We did see several cruise ships in the port, so we figured that must be the majority of the folks walking around, on a cool fall day, but we could not imagine what it must be like in the summer!

We found ourselves down by the harbor, and braved the wind to walk. There was a great little shack, unlike Flo's, right on the water. While it was too cold to sit and enjoy a meal, we did grab a bowl of Lobster Bisque, which we ate in the car, to warm us up; it was delicious, unlike last nights dinner!

We decided to head back towards Middleton, where we were staying (about 4 miles away) to have dinner, to avoid the crowds. We asked the gal at the front desk for a recommendation, and she said Anthony's. We were praying that they had better seafood than Flo's, and we were not disappointed!

STUFFIES!!!!

Walking into the restaurant the first thing you notice is the case full of seafood; fresh and gorgeous looking. The second thing is the line of people waiting to have dinner; we took this as a good sign.
Apparently, you can take-out, or dine-in; buy cooked fish or raw. Everything looked amazing. We, of course, chose to dine in and joined the line, full of hungry people, all trying to decide what to eat. I asked the guy behind the seafood cases what he would have and he recommended the tuna and the "stuffies" we decided to add a cup of clam chowder and ordered our food.

Thankfully, it was AMAZING!! Which is awesome, other than the fact that I am STUFFED!!  I loved those stuffies so much I wished that we had found that restaurant sooner, so I could have eaten them every day! I am not sure how they were made, but they had clams and some sort of stuffing, baked in a clamshell. Yum! And the tuna was delicious, too.

If you are ever in Rhode Island, go to Anthony's, and stay far away from Flo's!

Hoping for another good night's sleep, as we are off to Maine in the morning!

Chow-der! Hahahahaha

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seared tuna