Franklin D. Roosevelt vs. Cornelius Vanderbilt

It seemed appropriate to follow up the Hicksville post with a post about the childhood home of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Vanderbilt mansion up the street. Maree and i went to upstate New York in April, and it was a bit too soon to enjoy the spring weather i hoped to encounter. Instead it was in the low 40's and windy most of the time.

Franklin Roosevelt's house, modified from his childhood home.

It was great to see Powell and Hero again. They took us to this great Mayan/Mexican restaurant hidden in the woods out in the middle of nowhere on the night we arrived. The next day I'd brought boots for hiking but since the weather was off i decided to head to the museums a bit north of Beacon with my friend Powell, while Maree explored Beacon with Powell's wife Hero.

The library and largest room in the house.

There was an interesting contrast between the President's house and the Businessman's house, but there were also some interesting contrasts between the houses of the rich back in the early 1900's and the houses of the middle class in today's age. Luxury, comfort, and home sensibility have changed dramatically, particularly in the bedroom and bathroom areas. Even Vanderbilt, who would STILL be the one of the  richest man alive in today's money, had a small cruddy looking bed to sleep in. He'd have a little bed with ridiculous giant stone railing and columns around it. My bed at home is probably more comfortable.

It was dark in there

The stable for the New Deal. He had a lot of medal winning horses.

The smallest of the Vanderbilt Mansions is just a short ride up thee road. This is the back of it.

This is the Hudson River with the Catskills in the background. But in the foreground is a super awesome sledding hill.

Just inside the front door is an ornate lobby typical of the lavish decor in the rest of the house. This house was one of the first in the country (and the world) to have electric lights.

They also lived in dark houses. The Vanderbilt's house was dark like a crypt. They were one of the first people to have electric lighting, and when they had a problem they called Thomas Edison directly to fix it. I think they said there was a small power plant on their property.

The two houses are very close to each other, within a short horse ride along the river, and can easily be seen on the same day. Tours are about every hour and are guided by a park service official. Most of the rooms can only be peered into from the hallway over a waist high plexiglass wall.

Their dining room is suitable for a Dark Lord with an interest in celestial movements.

Other weirdness could be found everywhere. The middle screaming head is on the wall right next to one of the beds.

In this room you sit around with ample distance from your companions.

The room for the men.

The room for the women.

The stairwell with some questionable statues.

Mr. Vanderbilt's bedroom.

Mrs. Vanderbilt's bedroom. I don't understand why you would want a stone wall around your bed. Protection from Vampires?

I thought this was interesting. Although the Vanderbilt Mansion was ridiculously lavish, the bathroom wasn't any better than Franklin Roosevelt's bathroom. On the left is the President's bathroom and on the right is the bathroom of one of the top 10 richest men who ever lived.

On the train on the way back to NY you can catch a glimpse of another castle, ruined, on an island in the river. Apparently it was used as an ammunition storage warehouse, which is why it was on an island.