Enjoy this season of The Gilded Age Want to spend a few moments in the world of this show? You can understand why you want to live in the world of that show. In the late-19th-century depicted period, New York City You can also find out more about the following: Newport The wealthy used the same blank canvas to create massive, opulent testaments of their wealth. It wasn’t all roses, by any means—the wives approached the Newport summer season with more rigor than their husbands had for business dealings, and divorcées like poor Aurora Fane were socially destitute despite no wrongdoing on their part. It’s much more enjoyable to visit now.
We’ve listed the top hotels in New York City and Newport so you can get your Bertha-Russell on, and immerse yourself in the grandeur of that era. You’ll also find some places to visit to dig even deeper.
New York City
What to do?
The Lotte New York Palace was the favorite hangout spot for the titled characters of Gossip Girl The property is well known for its TV appearances, but the history of this New York landmark dates back to 1882 when six townhouses built in a neoclassical architectural style were constructed with a central courtyard facing Madison Avenue. Harry Helmsley incorporated these historic buildings into a 55-story tower in 1974, and has been providing guests with a luxurious stay ever since. This incarnation offers gorgeous luxury rooms that provide a close-up view of the city. St. Patrick’s CathedralThe Towers is a hotel within a hotel that offers more space and better views. It also has personal butlers. There are also four bars and two restaurants, one of which is named Trouble’s Trust after Leona Helmsley’s dog, aka the Queen Of Mean. —Juliana Shallcross
Martin Brudnizki has orchestrated his Fifth Avenue riot, a riot of color, patterns and curiosities, perhaps in the most perfect way. The ornate wallpapers in the corridors, painted screens in the rooms and pagoda style lamps in some of them are an ode on Alex Ohebshalom’s travels. Every corner is a go-for-broke collection of art. From old-world paintings to contemporary photography, the art on display will blow you away. The bold palette Brudnizki uses is a pastiche of dreams that would be chaos in less experienced hands. The hospitality is just as good, from the butlers who are always ready to please, the extra touches such as the candle placed in your room when you compliment the smell of the lobby, the martini bar that shows up at your door for a nightcap and the warm welcome when you return. You will be back, even for just a Negroni in the Portrait Bar at the hotel or a lavish dish from Café Carmellini—but most of all, for the chance to wake up in a giant cabinet of curiosities in the heart of New York’s NoMad district. —Arati Menon
What are the best things to do?
Quite a few mansions of the Gilded Age remain on Fifth Avenue. They were once called Millionaire’s Row. (Billionaire’s Row, along 57th street, is a modern equivalent, but not as beautiful). Many of them are accessible to the public. Fifth Avenue’s Central Park stretch can be a long walk. The greatest concentration of Gilded Age charms can be found uptown in the walkable 80s and 1990s. Then there’s the Metropolitan Museum of Art, founded by the Union League Club in 1870, is located on the east side Central Park, between 79th & 84th Street. It’s a major landmark of the period, but lacks the intimacy of a mansion setting—the massive building in which it’s set was built to be a museum, and has been expanded many times.
While you’re there, make sure to swing around to the other side. Neue Galerie on East 86th, where 19th-century German and Austrian art hang in the 1914-constructed mansion of industrialist William Starr Miller, designed by Carrère & Hastings (of New York Public Library fame). Then there’s the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum within the former residence of industrialist-philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, and the recently-renovated-and-restored-and-reopened Frick Collection The former home of financier Henry Clay Frick. In Murray Hill (relatively), you can also find the Morgan Library & Museum The library of J.P. Morgan, who features in The Gilded Age) himself. Walking tours such as feature many of these places. this one For those who enjoy a more planned itinerary.
Newport
What to do?
Imagine you’ve been stuck in traffic from Boston You can also find out more about New York CityYou’re instantly transported to the Gilded Age as soon as you pass through the Chanler’s impressive gates. Finally, you can exhale. A location that is unbeatable. Newport‘s famed Cliff Walk, an award-winning fine-dining restaurant, and plenty of moments for quiet privacy in the thick of the action—the Chanler offers an alchemy that’s tough to beat, even by Newport standards. This isn’t a hotel for the one-and-done tourist looking to tick Newport off their list—it’s a luxurious, one-of-a-kind opportunity for even the most seasoned Newport connoisseurs to engage with this storied destination. This is one of the best-located hotels in Newport. It strikes that perfect balance between being close to everything and yet far enough away. The hotel is located just a short walk from the Cliff Walk’s north terminus. It’s also a short distance from Easton’s Beach. Downtown is about one mile away. It’s a pleasant walk to the central bars, restaurants and attractions of Newport, but if you prefer, you can also hire a chauffeured Cadillac from Chanler to take you there and back. Why wouldn’t you want to? —Todd Plummer
The Vanderbilt provides a beautiful, but unpretentious, snapshot of Newport’s past and present. It’s like walking into the grand foyer of a Gilded Age house in its prime. This meticulous resort harks back to a time of elegance. Newport The essential destination to be and see this summer. The focus is on food and drink. For fine dining, The Gwynne serves contemporary twists on New England classics and utilizes Newport’s freshest catch—the Spanish-style grilled octopus is not to be missed. The restaurant is like the music video of Taylor Swift’s Rhode Island song, “The Last Great American Dynasty.” —T.P.
What are the best things to do?
The best thing to see in Newport is the mansions. At least one day should be dedicated to visiting a few. If you only have time to see one, choose the Breakers. This was the summer home of the Vanderbilts (for whom the Russells are standing in). It is an incredibly large summer home. You have to see it to believe it. Newport has a number of other beautiful homes. Under the same management as the Breakers are places such as Marble House, which is also a Vanderbilt-era deed, and Rosecliff, a Versailles-inspired summer home of the silver heiress Theresa Fair. Book your Breakers ticket or Breakers plus one mansion ticket via GetYourGuide.
