Friday, October 26, 2018

Friday, October 26, 2018

Tonight's picture was taken in January of 2009. In between visits to Memorial Sloan Kettering, we took Mattie to see as many sights as possible.... such as the Empire State Building and a ferry ride around the city. I am very grateful that a fellow ferry passenger offered to take a photo of all three of us. As we have very few photos of us together. 

It was a cold day and I would say we were all stressed out. Unfortunately  the immunotherapy had massive sign effects for Mattie that were down right scary. Landing us back into the hospital's ER. 




Quote of the day: The trick in life is learning how to deal with it. ~ Helen Mirren

Out of a deep sleep this morning, I could hear a blaring fire alarm at 5:30am! I was exhausted from the day before and was up until 1:30am catching up on Foundation work. I truly did not know what hit me when I heard this alarm. But the main issue was I am traveling with my parents and for dad to get himself together quickly and to walk down flights of stairs is not easy! Of course when such an alarm goes off, you never know if it is a real emergency, so you have to take it seriously. We managed down four flights of stairs and went outside, in the dark and it was freezing. I would have to say the communication between the hotel and its guests about the alarm was poor. The hotel's PA system worked in certain parts of the hotel, which was problematic since without communication most of us were clueless. 

I have always wanted to visit Kykuit. Today was the day!!! It is a 40-room historic house museum. The house was built for oil tycoon, John D. Rockefeller. Conceived largely by his son, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., and enriched by the art collection of the third-generation, Governor of New York, and Vice President of the United States, Nelson Rockefeller. It was home to four generations of the family. The house is a National Historic Landmark owned by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

This lovely Tudor is NOT a house! Instead it is deemed the "playhouse." It is where all the indoor sports are played from swimming to basketball courts.

Now, this playhouse has been converted to a conference center. This space is lent out to qualifying non-profits for free. 

John D. Rockefeller loved horses! Believe it or not this was once the stable/barn for the property. 

The name Kykuit, is derived from the Dutch word Kijkuit meaning "lookout." It is situated on the highest point in Pocantico Hills, overlooking the Hudson River at Tappan Zee. 

This is the view from the front steps. It is grand!!! These orange flame looking things are actually Tiffany glass lanterns. They are stunning, especially with the beautiful orange mums!

This I did not take these indoor photos! Photos were not allowed, yet I was able to find many on-line. 

This was considered the men's room.... where John D. Rockefeller and his son, John, Jr. conducted their business when on the property. 

The dining room. Though it appears bright in this photo, it is actually a dark room. The beautiful crystal chandelier was actually converted from electricity to candles. Yet when candles are lit the light reflects up and not down. One of the main flaws to the room. 

The open oculus in the ceiling of the "music room" is absolutely incredible. Originally this feature was not in the house's plans. But the architecture traveled to Europe and saw this in other grand homes and decided to integrate it into Kykuit. 

This is the women's drawing/sitting room. The Rockefellers were big on attention to detail. They would match rugs to paint, or outdoor wrought iron patterns to foliage. 

The design of Kykuit's grounds was undertaken by the architect William Welles Bosworth, who designed the surrounding terraces and gardens with fountains, pavilions and classical sculpture. These gardens in the Beaux-Arts style are considered Bosworth's best work in the United States, looking out over very fine views of the Hudson River. His original gardens still exist, with plantings carefully replaced over time, although his entrance forecourt was extended in 1913. The terraced gardens include a Morning Garden, Grand Staircase, Japanese Garden, Italian Garden, Japanese-style brook, Japanese Tea-house, large Oceanus fountain, Temple of Aphrodite, loggia, and semicircular rose garden.

Absolutely incredible views, with land as far as the eye can see. It is hard to know whether the Rockefellers bought all this property for preservation or to illustrate their wealth. Perhaps a little bit of both. 

Because three generations lived in the house, several different decorating styles are represented from traditional, modern, to Asian influences. Nelson Rockefeller collected many outdoor modern sculptures and they are all over the property. 

Do you see the sculptures? The black one on the left was a horse sculpture. The landscape is breathtaking, along with views of the Hudson River. 

This was a photo of Michael Rockefeller, the son of Nelson Rockefeller. This story captured my attention. Michael was a twin. His sister Mary was permanently impacted when her brother went missing. He was on an anthropological mission in New Guinea when he vanished in 1961. He went missing as he tried to swim to shore from a stranded boat
It is widely believed - including by the family - that he drowned but there has also been speculation that he was killed and eaten by cannibals.
His twin sister Mary is known for her candidate feeling about being a surviving twin, and I hear she is a psychologist who specializes in helping twins who have been separated by death. In fact, she helped the 60 some odd twins who were permanently separated after the 9/11 terrorist attacks at Twin Towers. 

After our house tour, we drove to the charming little town of Tarrytown. What I love about NY and New England, is that they have such charming towns. 

Tarrytown is ready for the fall. Each street lamp featured a scarecrow!

Get the picture!

We had four wonderful dinners in NY. Our first night, after a long day of travel was at Ruth's Chris. Right in our hotel. 

The second evening we ate at Xavier's X20. It was a special dinner with our cousins and my lifetime friend, Karen. I will share more about this reconnection in an upcoming blog posting. 

Our third dinner, to celebrate my mom's induction in the DeWitt Clinton High School's Hall of Honor was held at Harvest on Hudson. 

Our final night was spent at Sapori with my lifetime friend, Karen, and her mom. It was a delicious experience and a wonderful way to end our trip.