The Elms

We could not take any photos inside any of the mansions.....wish we could have just to be able to show the opulence of these "summer cottages". This magnificent villa was the summer retreat of coal magnate Edward Julius Berwind and his wife Herminie. It houses monumental works including wall-sized Venetian paintings. In 1962, The Elms was about to be demolished to make way for development when friends of The Preservation Society of Newport County raised money to buy it.

10/8/11 - Newport, RI

We wanted to drive down to Newport, RI to see the mansions. Newport, also known as 'The City by the Sea,' has been one of America's premier vacation destinations for centuries. The mansions along Bellevue Avenue are incredible, opulent testimonies to the "Gilded Age" of American industry. Newport was the summering place for America's wealthiest and most influential families. There were different ticket packages to tour the mansions, we opted for one that we could view five mansions of our choosing.

10/7/11- Seekonk, MA - 30 miles

We stopped at Costco and then headed back to pack up and go a short distance to Seekonk, MA. We tried to find a campground in the Newport, RI area....but they were either closed or wouldn't allow pets...so we stayed at a Walmart right on the MA/RI border. We have been in MA for 4 days.

Mrs. Kennedy preferred to deliver her children at home. In 1917 Jack was born in his parents' second floor bedroom, "in the bed nearest the window, so the doctor would have proper light." The second picture was the nursery.

The family enjoyed family sing-alongs at the parlor piano and instructive discussions in the dining room. Two children would sit at the small table.

10/7/11 - JFK Birthplace

We didn't have to be out of the campground until 2:00 pm so we headed back to the JFK Birthplace in Brookline, MA. Following their wedding in 1914 Joseph & Rose Kennedy began their life together in this modest house in a largely middle class street-car suburb and their first four children were born here. At this time Joseph P. Kennedy was one of the youngest bank presidents in the United States. In 1965 Rose Kennedy choose to memorialize her son and his contributions by repurchasing the house and recreate the home's 1917 appearance.

After another full day of sight-seeing in Boston it was time to head home...it was late in the afternoon so the subway was really packed....we had to wait for the third train before we could even get on. Shortly after getting on both Pat and Karen realized at the same time that we weren't headed towards our destination....so we hoped off at our first chance and then got on the right subway to the Quincy Adams station....these are all good memories of our trip!

While on the Harbor Tour our guide pointed out this high end condo building and said that Osama bin Laden's niece was the occupant of the condo on the top floor that you see in the first picture. After 9/11 she and her entourage were immediately flown out of the country on the only plane that was allowed in the air after all other planes were grounded.

Super Duck Harbor Splash Tour

After Bunker Hill we met Richard and Karen on the trolley and went to do this Duck Tour that was part of our 2-day trolley pass. The tour was of the Boston Harbor.... where we got another view of "Old Ironsides".

The shading in the second picture shows you the area of how much fill has been added to the shore in order to create additional land for Boston, which is really a pretty big area.

When we went to the museum they had a great diarama of the battlefield that was lighted and showed how the battle progressed.

View from the top

We climbed this very narrow circular stairway (all 294 steps) to the top of the Bunker Hill Monument and had a great view of Boston. We were surprised at all the patio living arrangements on the rooftops of the surrounding buildings. I maybe should have paid more attention to their Warning before climbing sign because I evidently aggravated my left hip and have had problems with it while riding and lying in bed. I saw our orthopedic doctor when we got back to AZ and he thinks the tendons are rubbing on the outside of the femur bone...so I'll be doing some stretching exercices and taking an anti-inflamatory medication to hopefully clear it up....but the good news is that both hips look really good.

Bunker Hill Monument

We continued on The Freedom Trail about 1/4 mile to Bunker Hill. The Battle of Bunker Hill on June 17, 1775 marked the first time Colonial forces held their own against the British army. This 221-foot granite obelisk denotes the site of the first major battle of the American Revolution.

USS Cassin Young

This Naval Destroyer was also open for tours....it was interesting here because there was a couple with their family and he had served on this ship so he was telling his family a ton of information about it and was fun to hear him talk about the ship.

Below deck

Going below deck.....it was definitely an advantage to being short with the ceiling being so low.

The oldest commissioned warship afloat in the world became known as "Old Ironsides" during the war of 1812 when she fought the British Frigate H.M.S. Guerriere and cannonballs fired at the USS Constitution merely "bounced off" as if she were made of iron. The ship is permanently berthed in Boston Harbor and ventures out 6 to 10 times a year. It is still a fully commissioned ship, with its own crew and commander. in the second picture they are replacing one of the planks on the deck floor.