We had the most fabulous fish and chips in an Irish pub. Haven't tasted fish and chips since leaving home.
Then coffee outside at a courtyard cafe. We really enjoyed this town.
But the most impressive thing about Newport are the sumptuous houses built during the Gilded Age, 1870-1910, by the fabulously wealthy along Bellevue Avenue facing the Atlantic Ocean. You would not believe the wealth that is displayed by these amazing houses most of which had furniture and decorations designed especially for the house. Newport was the social center for the US and the wealthy had summer houses built and came up for "the season" to live and entertain here. Many of the houses are open to tours and we took a tour of two of the most fabulous.
The Breakers was built in 1895 for Cornelius Vanderbilt II, the eldest of the brothers. He was the brother of George Vanderbilt whose Biltmore house we visited in North Carolina. Photographs are not allowed inside but I stole just one photo of the card playing alcove in the library. It is a little hazy as I was in such a hurry to complete my criminal activity.
Next we toured Rosecliff which was built in 1902. This house has featured in numerous films. The Great Gatsby with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow was filmed here as was True Lies with Arnold Schwartzenneger and Amistead where the ballroom stood in for the White House ballroom.
Two more illegal photos inside Rosecliff, the ballroom and the foyer.
These last two photos were taken inside Ochre Court built in 1892 which now belongs to the Salve Regina University. It is permitted to visit the ground floor free of charge and take photographs, the only building in Newport where there is no charge.
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