By Marcia Abramson
This six-acre complex was built in the 1880s as a social and sporting club, named the Newport Casino, to be used by Newport's elite society during this "Gilded Age." It became known as the "cradle of American Tennis," which is today's U.S. Open at Flushing Meadows. Unfortunately, we did not have time on this whirlwind getaway to play tennis on these only "public" grass tennis courts in America. As a matter of fact, you don't even have to be a member of the casino to play on any one of these legendary grass courts. The induction into the hall of fame will take place on July 9, when Jim Courier, Jana Novotna and Yannick Noah will join such tennis greats as John McEnroe, Chris Everit, Arthur Ashe, Billie Jean King, Martina Navratilova and Steffi Graf into the tennis hall of fame. Incidentally, since 1955, 186 of tennis' greatests representing 18 different countries have met the qualifications for induction. (For ticket information call (401) 849-6053 or visit online at tennisfame.com) A visit to Newport should also include a visit to Rough Point, the home of Doris Duke who was considered an eccentric socialite. She was the darling of the tabloids in the early 1900s, known as "the poor little rich girl," until she died in 1993. She inherited her vast wealth through the tobacco and energy companies founded by her father. Doris Duke's exquisite seaside mansion "Rough Point" is open to the public for tours from mid-May to mid-November. The 105-room, three-story mansion is located on 10 acres along Newport's famous Cliff Walk and was one of Miss Duke's favorite homes. The estate houses an extraordinary collection of paintings by Manet, Cezanne, Pissaro and other French impressionists, as well as tapestries, furniture, including her personal boudoir, which was decorated by her late mother. It consisted of "mother of pearl" furniture (a four-poster canopied bed, a chaise lounge, a vanity, a writing desk and an armoire). "Mother of Pearl" was also the material used in the adjoining bathroom. The ceramics in the house were priceless treasures from the various ancient Chinese dynasties only to be seen in museums. According to the docent who accompanied us on the tour, Miss Duke also loved animals and made special provisions to house two camels, some lamas, in addition to dogs and cats in her house and on her property. Jill and I also got to see the special summer of 2005 exhibit of Miss Duke's couture wardrobe, entitled "Jet Set to Jeans."Such designer greats like Balenciaga are represented with jackets, Pierre Cardin with thigh high boots and Christian Dior with a fashionable hat. The Rough Point estate is now owned by the Newport Restoration Foundation, founded by Doris Duke in 1968. The Restoration Foundation also maintains 84 Colonial-era homes, an eight-acre farm with 40 acres of adjacent open space and the 1811 Federal-period Samuel Whitehorne House filled with Duke's multi-million dollar collection of 18th century Newport furniture. None of the "summer cottages," the description given to the magnificent mansions by the Astors and Vanderbilts of their Newport properties, had rooms for rent. There are numerous bed and breakfasts, inns and a few upscale hotels for tourists in town, but we followed the suggestion by Patricia Schultz in her book "1,000 Places To See Before You Die" and spent the night at the Castle Hill and Resort. It is a beautiful Victorian Inn located at the mouth of Narragansett Bay on a cloistered 40-acred peninsula, 15 minutes from Cliff Walk. The inn has a great restaurant with marvelous seafood dinners and a fabulous brunch. There is also a lovely tea set up on each floor with those delightful scones and sweets.
Copyright by Marcia AbramsonE-mail: mascribe@aol.com
