Living Large: Private Jets, Exquisite Shopping And Iconic New York Dining
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- There are many ways to live large, and it's not just in a jaw-dropping home.
Stepping aboard a nine-passenger private jet at Teterboro Airport is the very definition of Living Large.
"You're on board a Challenger 300 with Fly XO. We've got about 20 in our fleet," Chris Stolz, assistant chief pilot with XO, told CBS2's Natalie Duddridge recently. "This is luxury at its finest."
You can feel the exclusivity in this type of travel vs. commercial.
"To me, this is more personalized," Stolz said. "There's no door blocking the cockpit, so our passengers can interact with us."
That interaction can mean an up-close look out the windows of the cockpit and the advantage to moving around freely. There's also lots of head room and plenty of lounging space to stretch out.
The couch stretches out to a bed, and of course, there's very personal onboard service.
"The world is your oyster in terms of food. You can order whatever you like," Stolz said.
Plentiful snacks and cocktails are available for the asking. Seats are soft and roomy, and cleverly adaptable.
"You can move the chair out," he said.
Even the restroom has a sleek style, with an adjustable mirror for primping.
To live large on this XOJET from New York to Miami will cost you between $15,000 and $20,000.
Exquisite Shopping
Next, we checked out luxury brands of high-end leather goods, stunning jewelry and iconic watches at Material Good on Wooster Street in Soho.
The fanciful shopping experience has the look of exclusivity. But it is, in fact, open to the public.
"We cater to an incredible group of clients, but I think it's important to note that we cater to everyone," said Yoni Ben-Yehuda, head of business development for Material Good.
Ben-Yehuda showed Duddridge around the expansive second-floor boutique.
"The idea was to redefine the way people experience luxury retail," Ben-Yehuda said.
You step into a sunlit space with plush couches, high style design pieces and the obligatory VIP room.
The furniture is not for sale, but the rotating selection of art is, and so is a custom $15,000 foosball table.
"If you look around you'll see that there are no registers here and there's nothing transactional about the experience here," he said.
There's an extensive selection of bling in here, including some exclusive designs.
Ben-Yehuda selected some pieces for closer inspection, starting with a limited-edition rose gold watch.
"Audemars Piguet only makes 40,000 timepieces a year," he said.
The Florentine design looks like there's a frosting with diamonds. To live large in this timepiece will cost you $49,600.
A diamond that caught our eye is nearly 6 carats and goes for $225,000, just for the stone.
As for earrings, little emeralds were sweet. Actually, $250,000 for nearly 50 carats of Colombian pear-shaped stones.
As for earrings, you'll need a quarter million for little emeralds with nearly 50 carats of Colombian pear-shaped stones.
As for a bag to tote this lovely loot home, there's Chanel, of course. A rare 1994 backpack with 24-carat gold plated hardware goes for $64,000.
Iconic New York Dining
And finally, dining in style means taking a step back in history and into the iconic Delmonico's.
Since 1837, Delmonico's has stood at Beaver Street and has been synonymous with fine dining. Marketing director Carin Sarafian showed off the stunning space, and everything that Delmonico's has become known for. She said there are many firsts here.
"One I'm most excited about is the first to allow women to dine independently of men," Sarafian said.
In fact, the eatery proudly held the first "organized" ladies luncheon in 1868.
It is also recognized as the first restaurant to serve on white linen, and the first to have a separate wine list.
A new first here is a dry ager.
"This is an exclusive item that only Delmonico's has," Sarafian said.
Customers pick their personal cut of meat, and can age it as long as they like.
The decor is gorgeous and gets you into the holiday spirit.
"As much as we like to embrace our history, we like to stay current and, so that means updating, refreshing the interior of the restaurant," Sarafian said.
There are several intimate private rooms.
"We have a lot of celebrities that join us because they like the exclusivity of it, the privacy," Sarafian said.
And, of course, there's a bar in classic Financial District style.
"Some people that like the quintessential Wall Street feel, like to not only drink here but dine here as well," Sarafian said.
OK, so what about the food?
They say Eggs Benedict was invented here. The classic Delmonico's rib eye is a perennial favorite. And their famous baked Alaska has a holiday version, with "an eggnog and peppermint ice cream topped with 24 karat gold flakes."
But customers in the know order the gilded baked Alaska with 24 karat gold leaf meringue. It's dessert in Living Large style for $100.
