Rhode Isand - the coast

We took a break between houses and walked along the coast line. The sound of the water was so nice, and it was just a pretty walk.

Rhode Island - Vanderbilt mansion

Sunday we headed up to Rhode Island, where we would tour some old mansions along the coast.  The drive there was SO pretty, the bridges so awesome!  I loved being along the coast, and the town of Newport was so cool. It felt so old - houses close together, cobbled streets. And the houses were amazing.  We started off at the Vanderbilt mansion, a summer "home" belonging to the wealthiest family in the nation.

The main level was for entertaining - lots of intricate details, show fabrics and metals, and amazing artwork. The second level was where the family lived in "simple" design, and the top was for the servants.  The house had stairwells on the ends of the mansions, and hidden doors so the staff could get around without being seen!

These were made of platinum, so they didn't rust. VERY expensive.

they could get hot water (they filled it up 3 times before it was hot enough), they could get cold water, but they also had salt water piped in because it was 'good for your health')

 

Lincoln was my tour buddy - we stopped and listened to almost every "extra" they had on the tour.

The kitchen was cool!  They would put coal underneath, and the whole thing became griddle pretty much.

New York - Saturday

Saturday we headed back into NYC with the whole family.  We got into Grand Central, and took the subway up to the Met.  Pretty exciting subway ride!  You got to be quick on your feet - they open the door and close it so fast, if you blink you'll miss it!

The Met was awesome!  We got there first thing in the morning and it wasn't really crowded.  Seeing art in person was AMAZING!  Prints of the painting don't do it justice, the brush work by Van Gough was so cool. 

The other exhibit that was saw was the armory exhibit, which was pretty cool.  We started off with Samurai armor which was really elaborate.  All of it was so elaborate it was crazy - how much time it took to carve the detail into it, to link the chains.