Friday, May 15, 2015

Kites And Kajillionaires

Before we left Newport, we went to Brenton Point State Park to fly Ed's kite.  The wind was abundant and the day was beautiful.  It was our last outing before we headed to Florida.   

This little park, where they actually hold a kite festival in the summer, is situated among the millionaires.  Of course they're probably out flying private planes while we're flying kites, but the thrill of having something fabulous in the air is likely the same, right?

The park is just off Ocean Avenue and has lots of grass and plenty of benches, and wherever you plop yourself, you have spectacular water views.  

This area is where you'll find today's mansions, not the ones from the Gilded Age of the past. These places are magnificent.  And some are for sale. 

There's Seaward, which although the house itself isn't all that big, sits on a huge chunk of property which allows it to command one of the highest prices in the area - $45 million dollars.

Also on Ocean Avenue is this fantastic place.  It's 15,851 square feet, has 8 bedrooms and 14 bathrooms.  It's priced at a cool $19 million dollars.

Nearby, along the famous Cliff Walk, sitting on Ruggles Avenue is another spectacular mansion.  Even bigger than the last, and boasting almost 25,000 square feet of space with 15 bedrooms and 14 bathrooms, has a price tag of $16.9 million dollars.

What I like about this town is that there are people with money everywhere you go - restaurants, shops, events - and although it seems like you can spot some of them by how they carry themselves or how they're dressed, you don't always know.   The area just has a very distinct feel to it, and I like it.  It's old money, not Kardashian money. It's understated, not overtly flashy.  People have style and class.  And million dollar boats.  But thankfully, there's not a Kardashian-like celebrity in sight.

Once again I've enjoyed our week here and can't wait to come back.  Next time we'll do Rough Point, Doris Duke's estate. And eat more seafood. 

2 comments:

Gil said...

How did you have your lobster? Rhode Island has named itself "The Calamari State". Did you try any?

The Daily Rant said...

GIL: I didn't have lobster, but I did have some good scallops! And I'm not big on calamari. I think it's like eating rubberbands. Although I do eat it occassionally if someone else orders it. :)