denice7

I lived in the Hartford area for over 15 years and finally decided to visit the Mark Twain house before I left for DC. If your guide was telling you the same things ours was and you paid careful attention you realize that nothing in the house is original including the phone. The house was an apartment building, a storage facility for a library and was a number of other uses. None of this clicked with me until the very end and I asked the guide based on what he had said if anything was original in the house and he said no. i think they should make that very clear in their brochures and the beginning of the tour. That said it still was a very beautiful house.

I would recommend seeing the Gillette castle down along the river near the Goodspeed opera house. It is really lovely.

yk

Hi denice,

Our guide didn't mention any of that at all. HOwever, I did ask her at the end of the tour regarding what happened to the house for the 50 years (after it was sold by Mark Twain, before it was purchased to be set up as a museum). She said the same thing as you - apt, school, etc.

However, many of the items did belong to the Clemens, including silverware that was Olivia's, the fireplace in the living room that they purchased in Scotland, their bed that they purchased in Venice; just to name a few. There's also the fireplace in the dining room that was designed by Tiffany with colored glass tiles that's original.

Morever, when the house underwent restoration, they kept small sections of the original wall painting and stencil pattern on view. The restorers/artists copied the stencil pattern from the original, and then redid it in the rest of each room. The small original section is saved for historic purposes.

I'm not sure why your guide said nothing was original.

Vttraveler

This article in the New York Times about a year ago talked about the financial difficulties of the Mark Twain House
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/03/ny...n.html?_r=1&hp

LaurenKahn1--you should definitely try to visit the Longfellow House the next time you get to Cambridge. It is a beautiful place full of original furnishings from the Longfellow family. The park service is so committed to maintaining it that visitors are asked to check bags and purses during the tour so that they don't brush against anything in the house!
The house was also used by George Washington as his HQ so there is an additional layer of history.
My husband and I also lived in Cambridge for years w/o ever visiting but we were walking up Brattle street to a party a few weeks ago and decided it was time to stop in!

Jaya

yk, if I knew you were going to Hartford I would have told you about a great restuarant not too far from the Mark Twain House area. It's called "Hot Tomatoes". If you go back to Hartford, have lunch or dinner there for me! I used to have an office in West Hartford so I know the area.

Its location is not glamorous, but it's not unsafe. It has a business/upscale crowd.

taconictraveler

yk: I'm thrilled to see Hartford in a trip report!!

Can you believe that I just went to Hartford three days ago for the first time in years, and enjoyed it so much I wrote a story about it for our local paper!

We went to the Hartford Stage Co. production of Horton Foote's "Dividing the Estate." (which was great, by the way) and loved seeing the beautiful state house again, and the Soldiers and Sailors (Civil War) Arch monument, and passed by the fabulous Wadsworth Museum (which I used to go to regularly, and which is still worth a detour)

We ate at a restaurant called "DISH" on Main Street, which was excellent. We even got 20 % off our main course because we had Hartford Stage tickets.

We also noted the recently opened Connecticut Science Center, on the river, a gorgeous glass building designed by the famous Cesar Pelli, which looks like a must for families and architecture lovers.

All in all, I think Hartford is Happening! and is certainly worth a day trip - in addition I noted several of the better hotel chains in the downtown, so I think an overnight would not be out of the question.

Wadsworth Atheneum alone is worth at least a half day.

capecodshanty

YK, that was a terrific report. Every year, we head for Ct. to friends, who live on the Golf Course where the PGA plays one of their tournaments. Each year, (and we've been doing this for over 10 years) my friend and I take a day, while the boys are playing golf, for outselves, and the places you visited are all places we have done, and thoroughly enjoyed. As she says, it takes a visitor to really have you take advantage of what's in your "backyard"!
Last year, when we visited both of the houses, a reporter from a local TV station came up to us and and asked us of our thoughtsd about our visits - fun to watch yourself on the 6 o'clock news!
Farmington, and the home of the 1st woman architect is another interesting spot, as is the Rose Garden in Elizabeth Park in Hartford proper. And, if your there on a weekend, there are wonderful Farmers Markets in both West Hartford and Farmington.

yk

Wow, the list of places to visit in Hartford just cotinues to grow! Thanks for all your "insider tips"! I didn't know about the CT Science Center at all, and I like Cesar Pelli's architecture, so I need to go check it out next time.

My in-laws used to be subscribers of the Hartford Stage, but I don't think they still are now, because it is over an hour drive for them each way. But I will let them know about these restaurant recommendations if they head out to Hartford.

Hopefully my next visit to Hartford won't be years from now. My last visit to Hartford (prior to July 2, 2009), was in 1992 or 1993. All I did that time was ride the carousel at Bushnell Park. [It was a quick stop on a road trip from TX to Boston with my brother.]

go_laura

How fun to come upon this thread!

I lived in both Hartford and West Hartford for many years, so I check the CT board every now and then. I've posted many times directing people over to WH Center for a meal, so I'm glad you made your way over there and enjoyed yourself.

For other headed Hartford way, a favorite place of ours in Hartford was always Mozzicatto's on Franklin Ave. for a cappuccino and dessert. Do not go when you're in a rush, it is truly a European feel and a place made for slow sipping and conversation. Mouth waters just thinking of it.

A wonderful breakfast place was Mo's on South Whitney St.

And I absolutely loved the rose garden in Elizabeth Park! Plus some of the architecture of houses nearby.

seafox

See - nobody thought Hartford was interesting - well it is!!! Add to the list is dining in downtown Hartford. there are several great restaurants that rival West Hartford . Peppercorns (a veritable institution), Max downtown (flagship of the Max Group), Bin 228 (lighter fair), Masala (great Indian), Trumbull Kitchen (everyone's fav.) and Feng (elegent Asian-fusion). Hartford stage and theater Works put on excellent productions almost year round. The cities public Library has even added and art gallery with a rotating exhibit. Slightly out of town is The New Britain Museum of Art - an excellent compliment to the Wadsworth. there is also the New England Air Museum in Windsor Locks about 15 min. north. And, the latest gem is the Science Museum, just opened in down town Hartford - it's a must see/do!

alya

Nice TR

I love looking around old houses, owning and renovating one certainly makes you appreciate the quality of the builders work, it's history and the previous owners who managed not to paint too much of the woodwork.

Perhaps next time we head to NY we'll stop over for longer in Hartford - or even spend a long weekend there. The Harriet Beecher Stowe house sounds more interesting to me because of the age of the house but I certainly wouldn't miss the Mark Twain house or any of the other suggestions you got on this post.

seafox

If you like old Houses, on Main street about a block down from the Athaneum is the colonial Butler-Cook Homestead - one of the original homes in Hartford that has miraculously survived the centuries - and they even have a real garden! For those who are architecture fans, while HBS and MT houses are called Victorians, the former has strong influences from the American Gothic Revival style (AJ Downing) and the later is clearly a Steamboat Gothic.

alya

seafox

I found a website for that house - nice!

http://www.ctlandmarks.org/index.php...k-house-garden

Another house on my list - I LOVE the garden especially since they've got a greenhouse, which is something I like to add to my house. I'm thinking we might have to spend a LONG weekend in and around Hartford

I do own a Victorian - she even has a turret/tower and was built in 1875, you certainly seem to know your architecture.