The Hudson River Valley, which stretches from Yonkers to Albany, beckoned many wealthy families of the 1800s, including the Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, Mills, Goulds, and Roosevelts. We had less than 24 hours to explore and most of our time was spent at the FDR Birthplace and the adjacent FDR Library & Museum in Hyde Park. However, we did manage to swing by the Vanderbilt Mansion and other spots along the Hudson River.
(more…)
Since visiting Roosevelt’s Little White House in Warm Springs, Georgia, I’ve always found the 32nd US President’s life intriguing. FDR first came to the area in 1924 to seek treatment for his polio symptoms and his legacy continues to impact Georgia today. FDR founded the Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation, built a cottage (nicknamed the Little White House) where he died in 1945, and donated his personal land to create F. D. Roosevelt State Park. So it’s no wonder FDR’s historic home and presidential museum in Hyde Park, New York were on my bucket list.
(more…)
As I mentioned earlier, Dear Hubby (DH) and I have spent considerable time in Washington, DC. I interned for a U.S. Congressman for two summers, completed the LSU-S American Studies Washington Semester Program, and attended Close-Up during high school. DH lived here for three years before moving to Atlanta.
Visitors can spend days and weeks in Washington, DC and still not see everything the city offers. A few spots that I would say are “new and improved” since my days as an intern are Ford’s Theatre and the Old Post Office Tower. Both are just a few short blocks from each other so you can hit both on the same trip.
(more…)
In the previous post, we visited the US Holocaust Memorial Museum where we saw how the Jewish people in Germany and most of Europe were stripped of their rights. The next day, Thing 1 wanted to tour the Belmont-Paul National Women’s Equality Monument. I’d never heard of this small museum, but it tackles the subject of human rights. In this case, it is the struggle for women to gain equal rights in the US.
The house is named after Alva Belmont and Alice Paul. Alva Belmont, the former Mrs. Willie K. Vanderbuilt, hosted many women’s suffrage meetings at Marble House, her cottage I toured in Newport, Rhode Island. However, I wasn’t familiar with Alice Paul. The museum details Alice Paul and the work of the National Women’s Party, which used the house as its headquarters for over 80 years.
(more…)