In January, at the New Year (okay, at every time of year), I find myself thinking about new directions, roles, avenues ... yet I haven't set foot upon the farther reaches of Bellevue Avenue in months. And Bellevue is probably the one place every visitor visits — or does a drive by — in Newport. So when a Daily News banner belted boldly last week, "Billionaire Buys Beechwood, " it seemed high time to
head that way.
Dare we hope that Larry Ellison (of Oracle fame) brings the America's Cup with him to Newport, from wherever he's racing, in whatever sort of "boat," no matter how many homes and/or summer homes he has to choose from?? Is that possible — that the Cup could return?? Wouldn't it be something?? Beechwood would make a great party site. Correction: It already did/has/does make a good party site ... for the Astors, who built it, then on down through the years.
The larger mansions — Beechwood is a relatively small mansion or "cottage," as they were known — are still open at this time of year, by the way, as evidenced by cheerful green flags giving the go-ahead. Fortunately, when I looked both ways before crossing Bellevue from Beechwood, I had no trouble with traffic. Not a car in sight, in either direction, 'til I got back to the Marble House parking lot, where I'd left my car alongside a handful of other vehicles, some unanticipated. Most traffic in January is downtown. Correction: Most traffic in January is out of town ...
FYI — Not my car, but I like the license plate ...
