|
Bed &Brealdast
<br />From Maine to California, Americans are discovering
<br />the pleasures of this traditionally British institution.
<br />A
<br />a is being swept by
<br />and -breakfast fever
<br />ong well -traveled high-
<br />ays, in quiet country
<br />villages and in the
<br />center of bustling towns -bed and -
<br />breakfast inns and homes are popping
<br />up all over the counirf, California alone
<br />boasts more than 450 accommodations
<br />There are establishments custom-
<br />made for bcylists, hikers, skiers, city
<br />folks seeking tranquillity and antique,
<br />history and arch.tecture buffs
<br />Just a few years ago, the term "bed -
<br />and -breakfast;' or "BbB,' was as-
<br />sociated almost exclusively with Brit-
<br />ain it evoked an image of the thrifty
<br />English housewife who tucked away a
<br />few extra shillings by renting out her
<br />two spare bedrooms and offering a bit
<br />of breakfast Today, however, the BbB
<br />establishment is no longer solely a
<br />British institution, it has become an
<br />American phenomenon
<br />On this side of the Atlantic, the
<br />defuirtron of a BbB accommodation is
<br />elastic, stretching to include everything
<br />from small private homes with a cou-
<br />ple of extra bedrooms (resembling the
<br />British original), to imposing mansions
<br />with chandeliers and parquet floors, to
<br />rustrr. lodges overlooking a lake or the
<br />sea, to country inns and small hotels
<br />that offer a complimentary breakfast
<br />along with room service A far cry from
<br />a distant cousin, the "tourist horse" of
<br />r✓lornrngs at a B&B ADdgrny (tidy txgrn
<br />with homemade muffins, a bowl of
<br />fresh frurr and hot tea or coffee
<br />by Norman T. Simpson
<br />the 1920's and 1930's, which was
<br />notorious' for its threadbare carpets,
<br />skimpy towels and creaky beds, the
<br />BbB establishment is, at the least,
<br />comfortably and attractively furnished
<br />In some cases, it may be opulently out-
<br />fitted, featuring such luxuries as
<br />Jacuzzis, hot tubs, breakiast in bed
<br />and shoe -shine service
<br />The main distinction between a
<br />BbB home and a BbB inn is not sim
<br />ply one of size, although the inn usu-
<br />ally has snore bedrooms and at least
<br />one common room reserved exclusive-
<br />ly for guests It has more to jo with at.
<br />mosphere p `- �me, where guests
<br />share the Irving and dining rooms, full
<br />of personal souvenirs, bibelot-, and
<br />photographs, with the host family, is
<br />Obviously more intimate Innkeepers,
<br />on the other hand, often live in
<br />separate quarters, and are not always
<br />accessible to their guests
<br />One fortunate result of the BbB
<br />movernent has been the renovation of
<br />a number of lovely, capacious old
<br />buildings Beautifully restored homes
<br />and inns, many of them on the Na
<br />tional Register of Historic Places, can
<br />be found in such disparate places as
<br />southern California, Colorado, Maine
<br />and New Jersey Dilapidated houses,
<br />whether they are hctorran piles or
<br />Federal town houses, are prime can-
<br />didates for bed -and breakfast conver
<br />Sion More eccentric structures, such
<br />as former rn&, factories. schools, hos
<br />petals, barns and cartrage houses, have
<br />1Iso been made into lodgings
<br />Inside. it is riot unusual to find
<br />canopied or four-poster beds, marble
<br />topped chests, handmade quilts,
<br />braided rugs and family portraits; if you
<br />are lucky, you might even end up in a
<br />room with a working fireplace Hand-
<br />some reproductions of antiques grace
<br />the rooms of some B6B establish-
<br />ments, and a few places are filled with
<br />the real item, complemented by orien-
<br />tal rugs and fine oblets d'art, their
<br />opulence is rellecteo in higher rates
<br />Most homes and inns, however, fea-
<br />ture furniture best described as "early
<br />attic"— interesting if well-worn relics
<br />obtained by the family at auctions, flea
<br />markets and antique stores
<br />In many B6B homes, guests share
<br />a bathroom However, lust as rtnnkeep-
<br />ers have become more responsive to
<br />the American public's preference for
<br />privacy, many BbB proprietors have
<br />added private baths to the guest
<br />rooms There is a segrnent of inn -goers
<br />who don't mind sharing a bathroom,
<br />myself among them
<br />The breakfast part of the BbB equa-
<br />tion is usually continental - meaning
<br />juice, breads or rolls, and coffee This
<br />term, however, is open to rnterpreta
<br />lion You may be served orange juice
<br />that is frozen or freshly squeezed, or
<br />you may be offered a choice of juices
<br />and fresh fruit A couple of slices of
<br />toast may follow, or you may be prs
<br />sensed with a spread of home baked
<br />breads, sweet rolls, croissants, muf
<br />fins, popovers - you name it - accom
<br />parned by jam, sometimes made from
<br />fruit harvested in the yard freshly
<br />brewed coffee and a choke of a dozers
<br />Idve rum AWW isms(.• lW_ 13
<br />
|