Gov. Christie and first lady Mary Pat are opening the governor’s mansion for a seafood competition.Professional chefs throughout the state can test their skills at the Jersey Seafood Challenge, scheduled 9 a.m. to noon June 30 at Drumthwacket, the Governor’s mansion in Princeton, according to a news release.

Competitors are charged with putting their spin on New Jersey’s seafood and fresh produce. The contest is organized by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture and the New Jerse…(Read more)

And through here is the bomb shelter… Former top-secret Hollywood military base for sale as home at $6.3m

By
John Stevens

Last updated at 7:44 PM on 13th June 2011

With its sprawling grounds, swimming pool and views over the Sunset Strip this ten bedroom mansion looks like a typical Hollywood Hills home.

But deep underneath this 53,000 square foot house is a bomb shelter that gives a clue to its secret past.<...(Read more)

For just the facts on this property, click here.

From the time of Richard Austin, who lived in Boston in the 1640s, the Austin family were owners of a great deal of Charlestown real-estate. They enjoyed estates at the Neck and on Main Street, in what used to be called Charlestown Square.

Tudor Wharf was once called Austin’s Wharf, and another Austin Wharf was on the creek which once ran up from the river behind the old state prison. A large portion of the Bunker Hill Monumen…(Read more)

DUNGENESS — The doors of vintage homes and barns will open wide this Saturday in the Dungeness Historic Homes Tour, an event the likes of which hasn’t happened for many years. So said Renee Mizar, spokeswoman for the Museum & Arts Center in the Sequim-Dungeness Valley, a nonprofit dedicated to celebrating the Dungeness Valley’s culture and history.

The tour, open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, includes Groveland Cottage, formerly the Seal family mansion; the H…(Read more)

Harry Potter writer heads somewhere brighter. J K Rowling seals the deal on Australian mansionHarry Potter writer heads somewhere brighter. J K Rowling seals the deal on Australian mansionHarry Potter author JK Rowling has closed the deal on a £6.5m holiday hideaway in Tasmania. Symmons Plains, a Georgian mansion complete with 856 hectare farm, was built in 1839 by James Youl using convict labour and has been in the family for generations.
The seven bedroom holiday …(Read more)

Monday, June 13, 2011, by Rob Bear

Have a nomination for a jaw-dropping listing that would make a mighty fine House of the Day? Get thee to the tipline and send us your suggestions. We’d love to see what you’ve got.

Location: Tuxedo Park, N.Y.

Price: $4,600,000

The Skinny: Recognized as the birthplace of the tuxedo, Tuxedo Park, N.Y. has been home to some illustrious characters, including a young Dorothy Dr…(Read more)

The 8,000-square-foot, rundown mansion on the corner of 6th Street in Park Slope, 107 Prospect Park West, just sold for $2.7 million. Although it had been chopped up into eight units, it was originally built as a one-family. Real estate broker Donald Brennan wrote a post about the history and the current condition of the site, which he toured back in December 2010. He had this to say:

“Fortunately this eight-unit property has some good bones to work w…(Read more)