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.
(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. |
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