For a few years now I have been a regular reader of the magazine: The Week. The subtitle of the magazine is, “The best of the U.S. and international media.” Though there are opinion articles now and then, The Week often gives at least two viewpoints for every news story.

For example, an article on the Texas freeze, water, and food catastrophe had quotes of different viewpoints from the Houston Chronicle and the Washington Examiner as well as opinions by three different columnists from TheDailyBeast.Com, The Fort Worth Star-Telegram and The New York Times.

The Week also has sections on political cartoons, books, movies, TV, etc. One of my favorite sections to read is, “Best properties on the market.” For most of the people I know, reading this section is like looking at the lives of the rich and famous. Of the six properties listed, five are for sale at over seven figures. The sixth is closer to, but still above my price range. The sixth is usually marked, “Steal of the Week” with a price generally above a half million.

This week the most expensive home was $4,650,000 in Kilauea, Hawaii and included seven acres of land with Koi ponds, steams, lawns, fruit trees, and 16 varieties of bamboo.

In a section of The Week titled People, there was a note that provided the information that Kim Kardashian West and Kanye west were divorcing. Apparently they will split their property holdings. The item mentioned that Kim has been staying at one of their properties, a mansion in Calabasas, California said to be worth $60 million. Maybe that will be a feature in a future The Week for the, “Best properties on the market.” Kanye is supposedly staying at one of their two $15 million ranches in Wyoming.

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Of course the magazine that keeps closer tabs on millionaires and billionaires is Forbes. Mar-a-Lago. The problem here in listing the price for a home is that Mar-a-Lago is more than a home. The home part in Palm Beach was essentially built by Marjorie Merriwhether Post in the 1920s at a cost that today would be about $120 million. She willed Mar-a-Lago to the U.S. Government, but the upkeep was over a million a year — consequently it went back on the market with Donald Trump purchasing it and related land for about $10 million. With remodeling, additions as well as changes in the market, it is now estimated to be worth about $160 million.

Forbes and other media lately have mentioned that Javanka’s (Jared and Ivanka) also have a new Florida residence. On the northern part of Miami Beach is Indian Creek Island, homes to a little less than 100 residents. The shape of the island is about like the nail on an index finger cut off at the outer knuckle. What makes this island interesting is the high number of the very wealthy, including at least a handful of billionaires.

Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump recently purchased property on the northern end of the island with a price about $32 million dollars. Jared’s net worth has been estimated at $700 to $800 million so not quite in Donald Trump’s category, but nothing to sneeze at either.

A second property on the south end of the island has also been sold for an estimated $17 million to none other than Super Bowl Great Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen.

All of the residential portions are on the coast of the island away from the knuckle break area. I suppose that allows for each residence to have its own pier to dock a yacht of some sort.

The inland portion of the island is an 18-hole golf course. The island also has a maintained State of Florida police force and a 24/7 armed marine patrol monitoring the waters around the island.

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Several years ago, my wife and I had occasion to stop in the Asheville, North Carolina area primarily to visit the Biltmore Estate. Biltmore claims to be the largest home in the U.S. claiming to be 178,926 square feet.

George Washington Vanderbilt, grandson of Cornelius Vanderbuilt, was born in 1862 and at age 25 had visited the Asheville area where he decided to build his home. He began in 1887 buying up property there and in 1889 began construction of the home which took six years to build. It contains 35 bedrooms, 43 baths, and 65 fireplaces.

George lived there as a bachelor for three years before marrying Edith Stuyvesant Dresser, a descendant of Peter Stuyvesant, the first governor of Dutch Colonial New York. In 1900 they had there only child, Cornelia Vanderbilt. In 1914, George died but Edith continued with their philanthropy which she and George had taken over earlier. She eventually sold 87,000 acres at less than $5 an acre to the U.S. Government.

Biltmore house has an estimated value at about $37 million, but the property is worth much more at over $157 million.

My wife and I also visited what has been listed as the most expensive home in the U.S., namely the William Randolph Hearst Castle on the coast of California. It has been listed for sale at $195 million. One other U.S. home has matched that listing, the Ziff family home on an island in Florida. Neither the Ziff nor the Hearst homes are as large as the Biltmore.

The opulence of these last three places (and even others I mentioned) can make one a bit sick at the extravagance.

Until next time: Oh, Fiddlesticks!