Myself and Hubby are in the part of the world this year beginning that is 2013 January/February.
We go for walk in the snow. Very nice experience. It is snowling mildly and it is such a pleasure to walk with small snow flakes falling on you .
It is entirely another story, how whole life comes to a stand still when there is a heavy snow and snow storm.
But for now it is so nice.
Snow in front of Anu's house
We are with Anu in NJ. Vinu is also staying with her as he is in the process of shifting houses in NY city.
Vinu decides to take us to see FDR's house in uptown New York. I am a great fan of Franklin D Roosevelt, the only American President who was president for four consecutive times.
I have read quite a bit about FDR and his wife Eleanor Roosevelt whose uncle (father's elder brother) was also a President of USA Theodore Roosevelt.
I am all excited about this trip.
This is a good two hours plus drive from New Jersey.
My husband, Vinu and myself start on 26th January 2013 Saturday. Vinu drives the rental car. I pack our picnic lunch, Idlis, Chapathis and Curry. The weather is quite chill and it is cold outside but the trip is nice.
His Estate is located in a place called Hyde Park on the banks of Hudson river and from his books I know he loved this place. Now this has been converted into a National Historic site.
We went around the mansion and I felt so happy that I was walking around the grounds which was tread by great men like FDR.
We go for walk in the snow. Very nice experience. It is snowling mildly and it is such a pleasure to walk with small snow flakes falling on you .
It is entirely another story, how whole life comes to a stand still when there is a heavy snow and snow storm.
But for now it is so nice.
Snow in front of Anu's house
We are with Anu in NJ. Vinu is also staying with her as he is in the process of shifting houses in NY city.
Vinu decides to take us to see FDR's house in uptown New York. I am a great fan of Franklin D Roosevelt, the only American President who was president for four consecutive times.
I have read quite a bit about FDR and his wife Eleanor Roosevelt whose uncle (father's elder brother) was also a President of USA Theodore Roosevelt.
I am all excited about this trip.
This is a good two hours plus drive from New Jersey.
My husband, Vinu and myself start on 26th January 2013 Saturday. Vinu drives the rental car. I pack our picnic lunch, Idlis, Chapathis and Curry. The weather is quite chill and it is cold outside but the trip is nice.
His Estate is located in a place called Hyde Park on the banks of Hudson river and from his books I know he loved this place. Now this has been converted into a National Historic site.
We went around the mansion and I felt so happy that I was walking around the grounds which was tread by great men like FDR.
Water frozen due to winter on our way to uptown New York .
In front of one of the rooms.
Till I read his biography I was not aware that FDR was afflicted with Polio. In the picture above a Wheel chair is seen. During those times when he was alive no picture of his showing his inability was published.
I have a soft corner and great admiration for this Man who reminds me of my dad who was afflicted with Rheumatism and had held his head high and walked with a walking stick and was working successfully till his death.
We did not have time to visit Valkil which is near this Estate where his wife Eleanor had built a house for herself.
Standing here I could hear the voices of children of this great man and woman echoing on the walls.
From the Photo Gallery .
From here we go to visit the Vanderbilt's Mansion which is just nearby. This is a mansion built by one of the Neo Rich Americans who made their fortunes buying rail roads. They have a history of their own and this is preserved as a museum and people visit there to find out how they lived.
Inside the mansion everything is imported from either Italy or France. This looked like a poor replica as I had seen the original in France and England just last year.
They had lived a life of Lords and Kings.
The whole basement was used by the care takers like, chambermaids, cooks, butlers etc etc. We could see bells which were connected to the rooms above so that they knew from where the bell rang and could attend to that particular person(s) in that room.
There was the kitchen in the basement where all the food items were prepared and also the living quarters for the people who worked there.
The Mansion.
One of the rooms
It was very clear that they tried to imitate the life of the Royals of Europe.
The Estate outside the Mansion
The Bridge we drove on to cross the river Hudson. Morning when we went and Evening it is lit when we returned.
Vinu told me that Anderson Cooper the news anchor of CNN is a descendant of Vanderbilt through his mother.
We returned home in the night.
I really enjoyed the road trip and also the visit to these historic places.
