The Circus in Sarasota.

In Sarasota, we went to the Ringling Estate, consisting of:

- "Ca' d'Zan"
They said: "The Ringlings' dazzling palatial mansion is a tribute to the American Dream and reflects the splendor and romance of Italy. Described as “the last of the Gilded Age mansions” to be built in America, Cà d’Zan has 56 incredible rooms filled with art and original furnishings. With its Venetian Gothic architecture, the mansion is a combination of the grandeur of Venice’s Doge’s Palace, combined with the gothic grace of Cà d’Oro, with Sarasota Bay serving as its Grand Canal."

We said: We found the mansion interior to be lacking the magic attributes we thought we would find, but it was certainly homier than the Biltmore. The Venetian Gothic exterior and the wrap around marble patio overlooking Sarasota Bay, however, were fantastic. We could imagine ourselves having martinis on that patio, listening to jazz records, and watching the sunset.

- Ringling Museum of Art
They said: "The Museum of Art, built by John Ringling to house his personal collection of masterpieces, today features paintings and sculptures by the great Old Masters including Rubens, van Dyck, Velázquez, Titian, Tintoretto, Veronese, El Greco, Gainsborough and more. The European, American and Asian masterworks available here make the Museum of Art an awe-inspiring retreat. It is a palace for treasures emulating the footprint of Florence’s Uffizi Gallery, echoing its grace and grandeur.".

We said: The collection was very Italian religious and just, well, nice. It was nice to see the largest collection outside the Vatican of Rubens, but they weren't very moving. There were a lot lesser known artists, and you could understand the reason for them remaining lesser known. I guess maybe you shouldn't put a clown in charge of curating your art collection.

- Mable Ringling’s Rose Garden
The roses were in full bloom down here in Sarasota, Florida, but roses really are't the most beautiful of plants for a garden collection, are they? They look better in a nice glass vase on the dining room table, available for closer inspection. The garden sure did smell great.

- The Ringling Circus Museum
It was cool seeing the Ringling's private rail car and the colorful parade and baggage wagons, but nothing matched the amusement gained from seeing the world's largest miniature circus, The Howard Bros. Circus Model. The model is a replica of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus from 1919 – 1938 and was created over a period of more than 50-years by master model builder and philanthropist Howard Tibbals. The model really leaves an impression of just how freaking big the circus production was, the awe-inspiring madness of the logistics expounded by the fact the Ringling's pulled their train into town in the morning and were performing in the Big Top that same night. Ridiculous.

Soundtrack -
Send in the Clowns, Judy Collins
Man on the Flying Trapeze, Bruce Springsteen or Popeye the Sailor Man

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