Even Victorians need rest and diversion. In fact the wealthier ones would take a whole summer or winter vacation. The Catskill Mt's and the Adirondack Mt's. were the destinations of wealthy Easterners,especially New Yorkers,escaping the humid unbearable summer heat. Those mountains were peppered with elegant hotels and lakeside homes built by these wealthy Victorians. Until recent years these homes were falling into disrepair, ignored and unwanted. Air travel had led to their demise.
Some enterprising business men in the 50's did buy a few and turned them into summer camps and etc. As a teenager I was fortunate to attend one such in the Adirondacks. It had been built on an Island in the middle of a lake. I had not yet been won over by the all consuming passion for Victoriana but I did have a great appreciation for God's creation and the beauty there was breathtaking. Can you imagine the romance of living on an island for a week as a teenager? The camp was Word Of Life , A great ministry to teenagers that inspired them to give their lives to the Lord.
Presently these beautiful homes are being snatched up for big prices and being refurbished and given new life.
Many extremely wealthy Easterners would travel by train to the West Coast to stay in Grand Hotels. One such is Greene Hotel in Pasadena. The thing of it is that they didn't just come with their kids and and maybe aging parents but they brought along with them their whole staff.,butlers,nannies, personal assistants, you name it.. Oh the romance of it all.
Some enterprising business men in the 50's did buy a few and turned them into summer camps and etc. As a teenager I was fortunate to attend one such in the Adirondacks. It had been built on an Island in the middle of a lake. I had not yet been won over by the all consuming passion for Victoriana but I did have a great appreciation for God's creation and the beauty there was breathtaking. Can you imagine the romance of living on an island for a week as a teenager? The camp was Word Of Life , A great ministry to teenagers that inspired them to give their lives to the Lord.
Presently these beautiful homes are being snatched up for big prices and being refurbished and given new life.
Many extremely wealthy Easterners would travel by train to the West Coast to stay in Grand Hotels. One such is Greene Hotel in Pasadena. The thing of it is that they didn't just come with their kids and and maybe aging parents but they brought along with them their whole staff.,butlers,nannies, personal assistants, you name it.. Oh the romance of it all.
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