Gillette Castle, Essex, CT

One day we spent in and around Essex – a Colonial seaport town about a half hour's drive from New Haven and New London on the west bank of the Connecticut River, which is the only Connecticut town mentioned in Norman Crampton's second edition of ''The 100 Best Small Towns in America'' .
First we took the Essex Steam Train & Riverboat for a 2½-hour journey (see details at http://www.essexsteamtrain.com/steam.html).
Back at the rail yard, where we parked our car, we had a lunch picnic-style. The Trackside Café in an old train car offering hot dogs, hamburgers, snacks, and beverages was a nice addition to the food basket we brought with us.
Our next and main attraction for the day was Gillette Castle. To get there, we took the Chester - Hadlyme ferry across the CT River from Chester. While crossing the river, the castle is in full view. The ferry can take 9 cars and the trip across takes less than five minutes, yet is exciting. You may have to wait a while to get your car on board - up to 15 minutes if you hit the road just as the ferry's leaving full for the other side, more if there are more than 8 cars in front of you - but there's no schedule or reservations. The Ferry operates April through November, weather permitting. For directions, hours, and contact phone number go to http://www.ct.gov/dot/cwp/view.asp?a=1390&Q=499780&PM=1
The alternative is to drive north along Route 154, to the famous East Haddam Swing Bridge, and then follow signs to the castle.
About W. Gillette: Since his childhood, William Gillette was captivated with the stage and acting pursuits, an interest that his parents did not encourage. At age thirteen, he reputedly had built a small stage and amused himself by frequently putting on puppet shows for his friends. At age twenty, he left home to follow his chosen career. He is most famous for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes. Gillette presented Sherlock Holmes approximately 1,300 times (third in the historical stage-record), before American and English audiences. In 1929, at the age of 76, Gillette started the farewell tour of Sherlock Holmes. Scheduled for two seasons, it was eventually extended into 1932.
The following quote from one of the visitors says it all:”This is a well engineered and well thought out structure. The attention to detail is amazing...no two doors are alike and there are a lot of beautiful doors. The mirrors - so he could observe his guests - are unnoticeable until they tell you where they are...” The Castle is open from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Tickets are sold until 4:30 PM, Memorial Day Weekend through Columbus Day. The grounds are open year round.
…We concluded the day with a nice dinner at the Griswold Inn in downtown Essex. The Inn’s taproom was recognized by Esquire (magazine) as "one of the top 100 bars in America". One of the oldest continuously operated inns in the country, The Griswold Inn opened its doors for business in 1776 and has been catering to yachtsmen and overland travelers ever since. Reservation is recommended.

 

Yale University, CT

Every three-day weekend we try to discover a new place. During Labor Day weekend we visited Connecticut. Our itinerary included three major attractions:

 

Yale University in New Haven

 Gillette Castle in East Haddam

Thimble Islands in Branford

 

All of the above places are very close to each other and staying in Baymont Hotel and Suites in Branford we were very close to all of our destinations.

 

First Stop was Yale. We parked the car right behind the Visitor Center, conveniently available for visitors for free on weekends (enter from Temple Street). Guided tours Conducted by Yale College students are available and give you a glimpse into the history and architecture of the University. Tours start at the Yale Visitor Center at 149 Elm Street Monday through Friday at 10:30 am & 2 pm, and Saturdays and Sundays at 1:30 pm. The tour covers the central campus area, and lasts about 1 hour 20 minutes. The tour also includes the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library. Constructed with more than one hundred panels of translucent marble, the Beinecke is home to one of the world's preeminent collections of rare materials, including the Gutenberg Bible.

The University Map is available for printing at http://map.yale.edu/map/#westcampus.

You can use it to discover at your own pace. The University is so big and has so much to see that we definitely will be back again and again...

As many other famous Universities, Yale has several Museums, theaters, and exhibitions. We chose The Yale University Art Gallery. It is a four-story Museum; there is no admission fee. The museum’s permanent collection was founded in 1832 when the patriot-artist John Trumbull gave more than one hundred of his paintings to Yale College. Since that time, the collection has grown to include more than 200,000 objects representing Eastern and Western cultures and ranging in date from ancient times to the present; see more at: http://artgallery.yale.edu/overview-and-highlights#sthash.JA6nBVD4.dpuf

Letchworth State Park, NY

One of my readers recently sent me an e-mail with images of Letchworth State Park.

When I opened the images, I realized how true the expression “a picture is worth a thousand words” really is.

So, please go to https://www.google.com/search?q=letchworth+state+park&client=firefox-a&hs=Q0l&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=On8OUuL5NfTC2gXH54GIDQ&ved=0CEgQsAQ&biw=1120&bih=523#fp=83c91bfd7118ca65&q=letchworth+state+park&rls=org.mozilla:en-US%3Aofficial&tbm=isch and enjoy.

Letchworth State Park, renowned as the "Grand Canyon of the East," is one of the most scenically magnificent areas in the eastern U.S. The Genesee River roars through the gorge over three major waterfalls between cliffs--as high as 600 feet in some places--surrounded by lush forests.

It is open daily from 6am to 11pm. However, the Park hours and facility operations are subject to change, so please check the current hours before you go at http://nysparks.com/parks/79/hours-of-operation.aspx or call the Visitor Center: (585) 493-3600

A visit to Letchworth Country puts you in the heart of three of New York State's most diversified vacation regions, Finger Lakes, Niagara Frontier and Chautauqua-Allegheny.

The Park is located 35 miles south of Rochester, NY. Park Entrances are located at Mount Morris, Perry, Castile, Portageville, and the Parade Grounds from Rte. 436 (see area map). The Portageville and Parade Grounds entrances are closed in the winter months.
Vehicle Use Fee: $8.00 per car. April to mid-May and in winter the fee is collected on weekends only, and daily mid-May through October.

Please remember, Letchworth State Park is a “Carry In - Carry Out” State Park. This means that everything daily visitors bring into the park (carry in) must be taken home (carry out). This includes taking your garbage out with you.

The Bryn Athyn Cathedral, PA

Town Bryn Athyn is home to the Bryn Athyn Historic District - a National Historic Landmark District.

The Bryn Athyn Cathedral (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_New_Church)  was constructed from 1913-1919. The Cathedral's initial design was by the Boston architecture firm of Ralph Adams Cram. The planning of the Cathedral began under the direction of William Fredrick Pendleton, the Bishop of the Church, and John Pitcairn, president of the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company (now PPG Industries), who was the major benefactor donating the property and much of the funds to construct the cathedral.
Raymond Pitcairn, John Pitcairn's son, became involved with the project and worked with the firm of Ralph Adams Cram. Some very unorthodox building practices were used during the construction. For example, rather than relying on blueprints and plans, almost every aspect of the design was made into scale models where Mr. Pitcairn and the workers could study, review and embellish their ideas before actually constructing them.
Another aspect of the cathedral which is unusual is that asymmetries and irregularities were planned into the building as it was built.
The Stained Glass windows of Bryn Athyn Cathedral are absolutely unique. The medieval method of creating stained glass was revived in order to create them. The first glass was blown in 1922 and the last was done in the 1940s, however all the windows themselves were not completed till the 1960s.

The Cathedral is open Monday through Saturday from 9:00AM-4PM and Sunday from 1:00PM-4:00PM. Tour guides available seven days a week from 1:00PM-4:00PM.

The grounds are open seven days a week during daylight hours, except during worship services and special events, when they are closed to visitors. Please check Church calendar or call (267-502-4600) ahead to confirm that the Cathedral Grounds are open.

Overall, the guides are friendly and can answer any questions about these beautiful surroundings. The gardens are stunning. A must see!

Right next to the Cathedral is the Academy-affiliated Glencairn Museum. Originally the private residence of Raymond Pitcairn, this castle-like building now houses a collection of mostly religious artwork from around the world and is open to the public.

Glencairn has several interesting collections but the most impressive is the largest collection of medieval stained glass in private hands. It is all very well displayed in back-lit cabinets with ample opportunities to get up-close. The house itself is very imposing and embodies all the principles of the Arts and Crafts Movement.

Guided historic tours are offered daily at 11 am or by appointment. Visits require a guide. Self-guided tours are not available.

 

 

Nemours Mansion and Garden, Wilmington, DE

First, I’d like to apologize to my readers for not posting any new information for several months. I also want to thank all new friends for visiting my blog and those who left their comments. In May alone, the blog was visited 969 times, and 4300 times since its inception.

With that being said, I want to tell you about our latest trip we took during Memorial Dayweekend.  Our ambitious plan for three days included 3 very different attractions:

Nemours Mansion and Garden in Wilmington, Delaware for Saturday;

Bryn Athen Cathedral in a little town North of Philadelphia for Sunday;

Barnes Foundation for Monday.

 Nemours Mansion and Garden, Wilmington, DE (www.nemours.org).

Nemours Mansion and Gardens is an American Versailles that offers visitors an opportunity to experience turn-of-the-century opulence in its architecture and landscape.

Modeled on Le Petit Trianon Versailles, and built by Alfred I. DuPont in 1910, this estate features a magnificent mansion as well as dazzling fountains, vistas, and sculptures.

DuPont named the estate Nemours, after the French town that his great-great-grandfather represented in the French Estates General.
While looking to the past and his ancestors for inspiration, A. DuPont also ensured that his new home was thoroughly modern by incorporating the latest technology, and many of his own inventions he installed for comfort and ease of maintenance. For early 1900s, this man was an advanced thinker!
Nemours mansion and gardens reopened its gates on May 1, 2008 after closing in 2005 for a 3-year, $39 million renovation. The tour started in the new visitor center with a short movie about life of A. Du Pont, after which we were taken by bus to the Mansion. There we were divided into six-person groups, and each group had its own tour guide. It felt like a private tour - we were never rushed and there was plenty of time for questions. After touring the Mansion we were given some time to walk around on our own, then, were taken by bus on the garden tour.
Practical information: there are only 3 tours daily (2 on Sunday), so I highly recommend to make an advance reservation online or over the phone, and do not worry about parking – you leave your car right in front of the visitor center. Oh, and please take some time before or after the tour to read the world history timeline in the visitor center!

About Bryn Athen Cathedral – next week

 

Aruba, Part II

If you like to try a different cuisine every night, then Aruba is the place for you. It certainly does not lack in variety. We found it very odd that there wasn’t as much of a seafood selection as we anticipated, what with Aruba being an island, and all. While in Aruba, we went to several restaurants for dinner, a couple for lunch, and one magically delicious kiosk for late night desserts. I’ll highlight the good, the bad, and the dessert.
The most delicious of all the places we tried was Amuse Bistro (http://www.amusearuba.com/). It is located in front of Playa Linda, one of the high rise hotels in Palm/Eagle Beach. Amuse Bistro serves French-inspired cuisine. Everything we tried was simply amazing. From appetizers, to main course, to the wine, there was NOTHING that we did not love.
The worst place we tried was also the most expensive. Have you ever had the desire to try extremely overpriced paella which tasted like it came out of the frozen section and was microwaved a wee bit too long? Then Ruinas del Mar, Hyatt’s seafood restaurant is the place for you. The atmosphere was beautiful, elegant, romantic and very relaxing. The food was atrocious. My paella was the worst seafood dish I’ve ever tasted. My friend’s fillet of some horrible fish was mediocre at best.
If you want to try Hyatt’s cuisine, stick with Palms Restaurant, a less expensive and far more delicious option. Try their BBQ pulled pork sliders, fish tacos for lunch, or Mediterranean salad for lunch. For dinner, go with beef fajitas or mushroom risotto. Full menus for both restaurants are available here http://aruba.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels-aruba/entertainment/index.jsp
This brings me to dessert. While the dessert we tried at Hyatt’s platinum lounge was very pleasing to the palate, the best dessert we tasted was off the grounds. In a strip mall down the street from the hotel is a tiny kiosk which serves the most amazing crepes. It is open until 1pm in the morning and reopens for afternoon and late night snackers 5 pm – 10:30 pm. Watch them make the crepe right in front of you and enjoy your dessert in the fresh Aruba night air perched up on bar stools & tables in front of the kiosk.
I will return with part III to talk about the activities you can enjoy while in Aruba. You will need to burn off all those crepe calories to keep fitting into that swimsuit.
Yummy travels to all!

Aruba, Part I

I am back from the holidays. Hope everyone had a happy & safe Holiday Season.
My younger daughter recently came back from Aruba. Below you will find the first part of her story...

Ever wanted to visit a country with perfect beach weather? Go to Aruba! This tiny island in the Caribbean Sea is a mere 20 miles long. We were there for nine days – the ideal length for a Caribbean vacation, if you ask me. The main activities on the island are water-related, hiking/ATV tour, and, of course, dining.

The weather is perfect year-round. Their record low was 69F. Beat that! Even when it gets really hot around noon, there is always a trade wind blowing so we didn’t feel the heat as much as we would in , say, New York. Humidity is pretty high, though, so, ladies, bring your anti-frizz products. We tried leaving the balcony door open so we could sleep in the fresh air, but even with the AC on that made it too humid. Even our money was soggy by the morning!
We stayed at the Hyatt. This is not an all-inclusive hotel; it is, however, considered the best on the island by many visitors, locals, and travel sites. All the high-rise hotels are located on an approximately 5-mile strip, called Palm/Eagle beach. You can do what we did and book your activities in advance, or chance it and book everything on the spot. You will find a kiosk offering water activities such as parasailing, banana-boat rides, snorkeling trips, etc. in front of every high-rise hotel. The staff is very pleasant, the atmosphere is very relaxed. Do not expect fast service, though. Everyone is on what the locals call “Aruba time”. You will get exceptional service, just be patient.
This was true for every place we went. Once seated, our waiters/waitresses did not rush right over as they do in the US. This is just fine when you’re on vacation, just takes some getting used to. More on restaurants next time…