The FORTUNE $500
Look sharp. Get away from it all. Hang with Tony Soprano? $500 buys more than you think--and we've found 33 great ways to indulge.
By Kate Bonamici, FORTUNE Magazine

(FORTUNE Magazine) - Take your cut

Want to achieve that money-is-no-object look? Order U.S. currency by the sheet, fresh off the presses. A series of eight 50s rings up at $460 (yes, quite a markup)--but there's still plenty left over to buy a sleek pair of scissors. moneyfactory.gov.

Join the Mob

Spice up a viewing party with a visit from Tony Soprano look-alike Donald Metzger--or double your fun and get Carmela to tag along too. $500 each, sopranoslookalikes.com.

Steak out

Gorge on the best piece of meat in America: tender, succulent Wagyu beef. Four 20-ounce porterhouses will sate even the most carnivorous crowd. $122.98 each, lobels.com.

Stay sharp

If you're serious about steak, slice with the best: Handmade Laguiole knives feature gorgeous horn or wood handles. Six knives, $520, laguiole.com.

Warm up

Discount airline JetBlue (Research) begins flights to Bermuda on May 1 from J.F.K. Board early and be on a pink-sand beach before lunch. From $134 to $299 each way, jetblue.com.

Aural fixation

Audiophiles rejoice: Sennheiser's HD 650 stereo headphones provide impossibly crisp sound. Unlike those earbuds, they're cushy to wear too. $500, sennheiser.com.

Play through

Famously tough course, stunning views ... Every golf nut should hit Pebble Beach at least once. Play 18 holes with a caddie and still come in under budget. $490, pebblebeach.com.

Go for speed

In Vegas you can spend five hours at the wheel of a Ferrari for $500. (In parts of Nevada, that's also what a ticket for going 120 mph will cost you.) dreamcarrentals.com.

Get fit

Hip NYC clothier Buckler has teamed with Borelli for a line of custom shirts that are a little longer, a little slimmer, and oh-so-modern. $400--$600, 212-255-1596.

Drink the best

Ring up an impressive tab with the Ritz sidecar, served at the Ritz Paris's Bar Hemingway. Laced with 1834 cognac, it's a once-in-a-lifetime treat. $485, ritzparis.com.

Step out

True, you can clad only one of your feet for $500, but lovingly handcrafted shoes from Italian artisan bootmaker Berluti are well worth the splurge. $980; berluti.com.

Curl up

Napping is said to increase productivity. Settle in for a snooze in the cozy pods at one of MetroNaps' urban outposts--you can afford 15 hours. $33/hour, metronaps.com.

Get steamed!

The Krups XP5080 makes life easy for latte lovers. $450, krupsusa.com.

Montblanc's classic pen takes a modern turn with the rubber StarWalker. $450, montblanc.com.

Keep papers handy with a sleek travel wallet from Smythson of Bond Street. $460, smythson.com.

Spend four luxurious nights at the Sofitel Metropole, Hanoi's best hotel. $120/night, sofitel.com.

Get heavenly sound with Pioneer's Inno XM Satellite Radio receiver. $400, xmradio.com.

Neaten up with nine royal shaves at the Art of Shaving. $55 each, theartofshaving.com.

Treat your precious single malts to a classic ride with Cartier's whiskey flask. $490, cartier.com.

It's the low bet, but $500 gets you in the door at the Bellagio's new Club Priv@. bellagio.com

Play celeb: Rent a bodyguard for the night. $75/hour at T&M Protection Resources, (212) 422-0000.

Take home a ten-pack: the new Veuve Clicquot rose is perfect for spring. $50 each, veuve-clicquot.com.

Try surround sound sans wires with Logitech's Z-5450 speaker system. $500, logitech.com.

Drive farther with 120 BlackMAX golf balls--they're what the pros use. $50/dozen, maxfli.com.

Get sporty with Tumi's T3 carryon, part of a new partnership with Ducati. $495, tumi.com.

Send your skis ahead: $500 gets two pairs from either coast to Telluride. luggageconcierge.com.

A bit over $500, but so worth it: Gift her with La Perla's glittering Collier bra. $528, laperla.com.

Do a good deed: $500 buys a needy family overseas a pair of water buffalo.heifer.org.

Say cheese: For $500, Canon's (Research) PowerShot S80 is our favorite digital bet. usa.canon.com.

Smooth creases with a shot of Botox--you'll look younger for up to six months. $500, botox.com.

Nab a first edition of Benjamin Graham's Intelligent Investor. $500, 609-344-1943.

Playing hardball? Get 50 minutes with top divorce lawyer Raoul Felder. $500, 212-832-3939.

Additional reporting by Telis Demos, Kyla Jones, Eugenia Levenson, Peter Lewis, Rima Suqi, Christopher Tkaczyk and Reed T contributed to this article. Top of page

YOUR E-MAIL ALERTS
Follow the news that matters to you. Create your own alert to be notified on topics you're interested in.

Or, visit Popular Alerts for suggestions.
Manage alerts | What is this?

Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.

Most stock quote data provided by BATS. Market indices are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2018 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Factset: FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2018. All rights reserved. Chicago Mercantile Association: Certain market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. Dow Jones: The Dow Jones branded indices are proprietary to and are calculated, distributed and marketed by DJI Opco, a subsidiary of S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC and have been licensed for use to S&P Opco, LLC and CNN. Standard & Poor's and S&P are registered trademarks of Standard & Poor's Financial Services LLC and Dow Jones is a registered trademark of Dow Jones Trademark Holdings LLC. All content of the Dow Jones branded indices © S&P Dow Jones Indices LLC 2018 and/or its affiliates.