With a Scandanavian first name, German surname, Midwestern sensibilities, and Korean background, Meinzer seeks out the multi-hyphenate histories of others wherever her travels take her. She returns to the podcast to chat with Lale about her latest adventures-including hiking the ancient Via Francigena which begins in Chaucer's Cantebury and ends in Rome, beholding the magnificence and prestige of Gilded Age estates, and following dairy princess pageantry at the Minnesota State Fair.
The Gilded Age period in US history in the late 19th century was a time of great economic expansion, European immigration, industrialization, and widespread political corruption. Coined by author Mark Twain, it describes an era of social ills masked by materialist excess, arising only a decade after the formal abolition of slavery in 1865.
Designed by the architecture firm Buchman & Deisler in 1898, this neoclassical townhouse features a limestone facade and original wrought-iron grille, protected from alterations.
The hotel was constructed as a way to attract visitors to the Tampa Bay area, where Plant had expanded a railroad system. Visitors to the hotel arrived directly by rail and could disembark the train and immediately check into the resort once nicknamed the "White Queen on the Gulf."
Ca' d'Zan, a 36,000-square-foot mansion in Sarasota, was built by John Ringling in 1926 and is inspired by Venetian architecture, showcasing Gilded Age luxury.
Alva Vanderbilt Belmont was a prominent Gilded Age socialite who married a Vanderbilt railroad heir, becoming a significant figure in high society and later in the women's suffrage movement.
The museum, located on the former estate of William K. Vanderbilt II, features the 42-acre property with Eagle's Nest, a 24-room Spanish Revival mansion completed in 1936.
