Last post, I mentioned how we took a hike through the Smoky Mountains while on MDMA (Molly). During that same week of vacation, Erin and I swung down to Asheville, North Carolina, for an evening. On the day we arrived, we walked around through the art district, hit some breweries, and had dinner and cocktails at a rooftop bar with an excellent view of the not-so-distant mountain range. The next day, we did 2C-B at the Biltmore. For Science!
It was an amazing experience!
“What is the Biltmore?” you ask.
I provided a link. It’s right there in the first paragraph.
OK, so you don’t want to click away from this riveting post. Got it. In brief, the Biltmore is a huge freaking palace built by George Vanderbilt back at around the turn of the century. Not the most recent century. The one before that. It is a triumph of civil engineering, and the grounds are a triumph to garden engineering.
I’m sure it’s a fabulous experience sober.
It’s freaking out of this world when you are on 2C-B.
So much so, I think that not only should 2C-B be made legal but also offered by museums as part of an enhanced experience. Maybe it’s a special day or time set aside for tripping at the museum. Maybe you need to sign up in advance and have a tour guide/trip sitter sherpa who helps trippers navigate the venue. Wear special name tags letting people know you are having an enhanced experience. Whatever. Charge $50 per person (I think I can typically get 2C-B at around $15 a dose), let the museums make some money and the guests have the best experience of their lives.
Why 2C-B at the Biltmore?
We haven’t talked about 2C-B much (mostly the cautionary tale about mixing swinging with psychedelics). We’ve mostly done them at home, and that’s not the most interesting setting (as will be explained in this post).
In general, 2C-B is a less intense psychedelic than LSD or psilocybin. You get awesome visuals and auditory sensations. But you don’t get in the same headspace. Not to say that you would still feel sober. Just that you can think and process information at a more normal level. Which means you could be out and around people without worrying they would know you were tripping. I’ve heard 2C-B referred to as the Museum Psychedelic.
It’s also easier to have sex on 2C-B than other psychedelics because we don’t get distracted as easily. But those are stories for another time.
Also, 2C-B is a relatively short experience (2–4 hours in peak), and the aftereffects fade quickly. We were spending the day at the Biltmore, but I still had to drive us a few hours back to our rental house afterward.
Why 2C-B at the Biltmore?
That was Erin’s idea. We knew we would be at the Biltmore for most of the day; plenty of time for it to run its course.
The Biltmore has a huge garden on the estate. The house has an audio-guided tour. There were shops and a winery on the property. There are places we could sit and escape people if the experience became too intense. And it sounded like a lovely place to have a light psychedelic experience.
We have talked about trying 2C-B at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, but it just hasn’t worked out. Yet.
That’s how we landed on the Biltmore. It just worked out.
Before 2C-B at the Biltmore
My 2C-B is already in capsules, doses at about 20 mg; 20–25 seems standard for the experience. Higher doses, those in the 35+ mg range, start to give the same headspace quality of LSD so I have heard. I’ve never tried a high dose of 2C-B.
Because we were taking it orally, food consumption played a role in uptake time. The morning of our 2C-B experience, we had a lovely and filling breakfast in Asheville. A larger breakfast than we should have, I fear.
Then we drove to the Biltmore and parked at the Biltmore house parking lot around 11:30 a.m. What we had not realized before getting onto the Biltmore property was that the house and gardens are nowhere near the Biltmore village, shops, and wine tasting. We had reserved a house tour for 1:45 p.m., and we were going to reserve a wine tasting time (you can only do so on the grounds), but we were unsure how our timing would align.
Was there enough to do around the Biltmore house to take the 2C-B now? After it kicks in, we wouldn’t be able to drive from one location to the other.
After scouring the area, we found an information station. The kindly gentleman there was able to answer all our questions and help plot our schedule. Plans made, we took our 2C-B caps at about noon. Normally, we start to feel 2C-B kicking in 20 to 30 minutes after taking it. The experience slowly increases until it peaks at about 45 minutes to an hour.
Coming Up on 2C-B at the Biltmore
We purchased some beers and took a stroll through the vast gardens around the Biltmore. It was a sunny and hot day but not oppressively so. The gardens were beautiful, though larger than expected. If you ever visit, be aware the bass pond is like a mile from the house. You’ll see signs for it long before you are close to it.
We expected the 2C-B peak to hit around 1:00, but even by 1:30 we weren’t feeling much. Which was a shame. I think viewing the flowers and model trains that ran through the conservatory would have been awesome while 2C-Bing. Yes, I just verbed that noun. Tripping doesn’t seem like the right word for 2C-B because you don’t get the same mindspace like on other psychedelics.
During our garden walk, we heard thunder in the distance. Upon returning to the house for our tour, we could see a thunderstorm rolling over the mountains. Which was pretty damn cool. We could see exactly where it was raining and watch it move toward us.
Around 1:30, we got in line for the house tour. And the drops started to fall! We managed to get inside the house before the rain hit in earnest—but only just. The staff was cramming people in to get as many inside and out of the coming downpour.
And that’s when the 2C-B hit!
And Away We Go!
I say that as if I was suddenly propelled into some strange world of psychedelia. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I had been feeling the effects slowly coming up over the last half hour or so—a light highness similar to a cannabis high—but I couldn’t see any visuals. I’m sure the rush of trying to get into the house before the rain was a bit of a distraction, which is why I didn’t notice the visuals until we were inside.
The tell was I looked over at a security guard, and the light was just flowing over his bald head like he was under a strobe. Which he wasn’t; he was just in a beam of light.
“Ah,” I thought, as I looked up to the frescos to see the lights and shadows dancing around the sculptures. “Yup, I’m in it now.”
It took almost two hours before we were in the experience. I blame the large breakfast for slowing the uptake.
But that’s it. That’s how I could tell: I finally had some visuals.
The Crowd
I’ve never been out in public on LSD or shrooms other than on microdoses. I think being in a large, shuffling crowd would be annoying at best and lead to paranoia and freaking out at worst. I can see where music festivals and other venues—places where tripping is at least somewhat accepted—wouldn’t cause that same kind of reaction. But we were not in such places.
However, on 2C-B, it was fine. No more annoying than such a crowd would be sober.
And they were annoying!
As mentioned, we were packed in quite tightly because of the rain. The tour is self-paced, which in this case meant the pace of a huge mass of people slowly plodding forward. Each room was filled to capacity. People weren’t paying any attention to others around them and how their meandering cut off viewing points. Some people didn’t have the little audio wands to listen to the history of each room (and that’s fine if that’s how you want to take the tour).
What amazed us, though, were the people who came into a room, took a sweeping panorama shot (uncaring about how much space they took up doing so), and then walked on without actually looking at the room live.
What’s the point in that? Are you hoping to flip through your photo gallery later and experience the Biltmore that way rather than experience it while you are there?
Fortunately—and oddly—the crowd thinned halfway through the tour (no clue where people went; I don’t think there was an early exit somewhere), and the second half was much easier to navigate.
Highlight of 2C-B at the Biltmore
Despite my issues with other people, experiencing the Biltmore while on 2C-B was amazing. I won’t go into all the incredible moments, but I would like to give a few examples of the way the psychedelic enhanced the experience.
I described this experience to a friend. He has a little experience with psychedelics (not 2C-B, though) and much more with cannabis. He likes to get high and go on long runs, a thing he’s done in Washington, DC, on the mall. After hearing my tale, he noted that some of his experiences looking at the monuments while high were similar to how I felt on 2C-B at the Biltmore.
One point of insight he made was how he feels that weed makes him feel like he can see through the eyes of a virtuoso. He has some small musical talent, but when he’s high, he can feel the music and really vibe with the sounds and the mixes. Like he understands the artist better. For a moment, he can appreciate the art the way a master would.
I found this concept quite apt. In those areas for which I have some small background knowledge and skill (religious iconography and symbolism; blacksmithing, woodworking, and antiques), I did indeed feel like I was perceiving the art within the Biltmore not with the eyes of an amateur but as a virtuoso might.
The Tapestry Hallway
There are three tapestries in the tapestry hallway: The Triumph of Prudence, The Triumph of Faith, and The Triumph of Charity (part of a set known as The Triumph of the Seven Virtues).
These tapestries are immense. The whole hallway probably has the same square footage as our house. Sober, I’m sure these wall coverings are impressive, loaded as they are with symbolism and so expansive in their presentation.
On 2C-B, they were radiant. Figures moved realistically across the cloth: horses galloped, flames flickered, swords and banners swayed overhead. Golden light rippled through the waving lion’s mane as if divine energy were seeping from the very threads. I’m not a religious person, certainly not the devout Catholic my mother tried to make me. Although I don’t believe the stories and myths represented on the tapestries, the history and artistry represented were awe-inspiring.
I stood and stared for many long minutes trying to soak in the glory of the pieces. I’m sure many of the other visitors were confused by such behavior. Most were content to give these their attention only for as long as it took to walk down the hall. Some might have paused for a moment or too (maybe to take pictures).
I wonder if anyone looked at me and thought, “What’s this guy’s deal? What is he seeing that I’m not seeing?”
Oh so much!
Furniture…
I hope I can make this make sense. And that I don’t sound like an absolute madman.
First, little background about me: My dad does blacksmithing and woodworking as a hobby. He restores furniture. Collects antique tools. My parents ran an antique business on the side many years ago, and I was press-ganged into helping through my teen years. I’ve acquired some of these skills along the way (though I’m not nearly as good or as devoted to these ventures as he is).
This history has endowed within me an appreciation for the craftsmanship that goes into antique furniture. I stopped and inspected many of the pieces throughout our tour of the Biltmore. Most were not mentioned on the audio recording—there is only so much time, and each room had quite a bit of history.
As I leaned in and crouched at one elegant buffet, I was struck by the mastery that went into the craft. Just astounded by the skill and effort. This single piece, I thought, would have taken months to build. And it, by itself, is a work of art!
…And Interior Design
But this piece wasn’t alone. It was one of three in the tapestry hallway: one in each corner and one in the center, all on the wall opposite the tapestries. And they matched: the corner pieces mirroring each other and the center one designed to be centered between them—all in a hallway that is some 70 feet long.
Each piece itself an example of mastery of woodworking. All three commissioned and designed to perfectly fit this space, to balance against the tapestries on the facing wall. That, too, shows a level of mastery of interior design.
And then the hallway itself crafted and decorated to flow from the vestibule to the grand library, to bring these huge spaces together artfully.
I was amazed by the different levels of artistry here, all building upon one another: each individual piece, how that piece fit into a collection, how that collection filled the room, how each room made the house, how the house, itself, was a work of art nestled in a garden, surrounded by a forest and distant mountains. Layers upon layers upon layers upon layers….
I don’t think this is a connection I would have made without being on 2C-B. It’s not just visuals but rather a slight change to conscious thought and perception. Sober I would have been focused on the individual pieces without being able to “zoom out” and see how the pieces connected on grander and grander scales.
A Trip Back Through Time
The Vanderbilt family rooms are on the top floor, as are the 13 guest rooms (if memory serves). Back in the day, the Biltmore would have been like a bed-and-breakfast to affluent families (albeit a free one). Family, friends, business partners, and acquaintances might stay for days at a time at the Biltmore. These guest rooms opened to a large sitting room on the third floor so that guests might meet in a more casual environment. After all, dinners in the grand hall were formal affairs.
After having gone through the guest rooms, I stepped to the side to peer out across this giant sitting room and let my imagination wander: What would it have been like to visit here back then?
Being the imaginative fellow I am, such a pondering brought forth a very real fantasy in my mind’s eye: I pictured Erin and I in that room, chatting with other guests from history. Talking of being down from the family estates to talk to the Vanderbilts about shipping contracts for our lumbering business. How we were traveling back up north to summer in upstate New York, and that we’d be staying with the DuPonts at Winterthur along the way.
For just a moment, I placed myself into my understanding of history and felt like I could experience it.
To be clear: I didn’t see this fantasy like it was happening before. I don’t think I time traveled (not like that other time). I just had a vivid, psychedelically enhanced fantasy.
The Kitchen
By the time we were in the lower levels, the crowds had thinned, which made these areas even more enjoyable for us. Though these being the utilitarian areas of the house, they were less art-filled. But by no means less impressive! The science and ingenuity that went into designing these functional spaces were as tantalizing as artistic mastery in the living spaces.
Layers upon layers upon layers!
What struck me most in the kitchen, however, was how the light streamed across the surfaces. The 2C-B scattered rainbows across the entire room. Everything shimmered with brilliant colors. And I swear I could smell faint wisps of cooking as we moved through the area whether it be roast chicken at the rotisserie or fresh bread at the baking ovens.
Patrons of the Arts
This was a concept that I pondered when strolling the gardens after the house tour, and one Erin and I discussed on the drive home.
The Vanderbilts employed countless artists to fill their home. From the previously mentioned carpenters who built the furniture to the interior designers to the exterior designers and garden designers (Frederick Law Olmsted, the guy who designed Central Park in New York City). The house was a wonder of technology. The creation of the Biltmore not only supported artists but also created innovation in architecture and civil engineering.
This made us think of the famously wealthy families of today and considering their contributions to the arts and to ingenuity. (And by ingenuity, I don’t mean the use of lawyers to bully and rip off small businesses or hiring a fleet of accountants to pay zero taxes.)
As stupid as the current billionaire “space race” might seem in the face of world hunger, illiteracy, and a global pandemic, there’s at least a chance some valuable technological advances might come from it. That’s…something, at least. It seems like there are many wealthy families out there who contribute nothing to the world. Those who only take, who plunder and fight for power and leave devastation in their insatiable pursuit of More.
A century ago, it was expected that the wealthy would support the arts and the artists. These days, we have Patreon so that the working class can help keep the arts alive. How gloomy and frustrating these thoughts were!
Coming Down From 2C-B at the Biltmore
We didn’t make it to our wine tasting. Instead of frantically rushing to drink wine at a lovely location on the other side of the property, we decided to continue to drink beer in the lovely location we were already at. Which turned out to be the right call.
Erin sat out on the terrace, a wisteria-covered patio that overlooked the forest and distant mountains.
I went on a wander through the gardens again, occasionally chatting with passers-by. People tend to talk to me when I’m out and about.
If only that worked in lifestyle situations, I’d be set.
Back Inside the Biltmore
I was completely out of the 2C-B experience by 4:45 p.m., three hours after fully getting into the experience. And I know this timing because at around 4:30 p.m. Erin and I were meandering by the front door of the Biltmore, and we noticed there was no one in line for a house tour.
I asked the door staff if there was any chance we could go back into the house and see the first floor again. We’d been in the group that got in right before the rain, I explained, and it had been packed.
After checking our tickets (to assure that we had tickets; it’s extra to go into the house), we were let back in! The house was a bit different now, with no visuals or psychedelic lucidity at play, but it was still beautiful. We ended up talking to the employees more and asking questions now that we were the only people around. Everyone we spoke to seemed delighted that we had wanted to come back in to revisit the areas we couldn’t see well when it was crowded.
We only did the bottom floor, though, because we didn’t want to be Those People who kept the staff late. You know, the people who walk into an ice cream shop at 9:57 p.m. and are all like, “Yeah, we made it in before 10!” and then proceed to order three milk shakes and five sundaes and then make a mess on the tables, which already had the chairs put up.
Why, yes, I did work at an ice cream shop in high school! How did you guess that?
Would We Take 2C-B at the Biltmore Again?
Yes. Or at other museums or historic locations. We live near Longwood Gardens, and we have plans for taking 2C-B there and looking at flowers, the farmhouse, and the fountain show. We have a trip coming up to Washington, DC, in September. We’re considering taking 2C-B and wandering the mall and checking out the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History.
I think 2C-B would greatly enhance any of these experiences, but I don’t think it would enhance every experience. Set and setting are less of an issue with 2C-B because the experience feels as altering as being a little buzzed on alcohol or weed. But they do matter.
It would be amazing to walk around an art museum looking at paintings.
Maybe not so great for visiting veterans’ monuments and other places that have a more sober energy.
Taking 2C-B at the Biltmore greatly enhanced my appreciation and understanding of the art around me and helped me connect to the history and beauty of the place in a powerful way. I hope for the day that taking psychedelics at these kinds of venues is not just normalized but supported and encouraged.