Diamond Life

I”ve  got to tell you,  New York is one of my favorite places in the world.  Not only is it so accessible but it has it all; theater, food, clubs, museums, hotels, and entertainment .  And  it truly is the best in all categories.  So, a lot of information about New York is always being talked about.  West Side Story just opened on Broadway and we couldn’t get tickets.  So, we went to the theater to scalp, because tickets online were going for $400 plus a ticket.  We didn’t realize that the theaters sell the obstructed view seats right before the show.  Guess what???  these seats are not bad! Most of the seats you can see everything (you might not see, at one time of the show a hand or leg of somebody on the far sides, but in reality you see everything).   And the seats are half the price!  West Side Story cost us only $23.00 per seat for excellent seats.  You should always ask the box office what kind of obstruction you will encounter.  It was an easy way to see a new show on broadway at the last minute!

Recently we found a great Italian fish and seafood restaurant,“Esca” in NYC 43^rd and 9^thAve. , a Mario Batali establishment.  The  place has great atmosphere, is small in size and very upscale provincial.  The walls are filled with wine bottles and there is a cute little bar to have drinks at while waiting for your reservation.  Service was incredible and food presentation was like Bon Appetite magazine.  Above all the food was great.  The fresh raw fish  was better than any sushi I ever had and the fact that in March they had soft shell crabs on the menu scared me.  But Abbe is a connoisseur of soft shells and she was blown away!   The crab  was simply grilled, not fried, and was delicious.  We split bronzino whole fish which was filleted at a working table in the middle of the restaurant.  The fish was cooked in a hard salt sea crust and was beyond amazing.  I noticed other dishes people were ordering like the one pond lobster withspaghetti as an appetizer for only $30.00 and main dished withfresh pasta a clams and squid and mussels.  The selection of whole fish on the menu was impressive along withthe other entrees.  I am not a wine drinker but this place is for the person who loves wine, the bottles were flowing.  In the nice weather it looks like they have outside dining.  As a side note, on the walk there we stopped at a bar to have a drink, Abbe is into flavored vodka and she experimented withvanilla mixed with orange vodka over ice, and if your into creamsickles this could be your new drink!!!

If you love New York, this is a great time to go! But when it comes to booking your hotel reservation, don’t do it too far in advance. The economy has hit New York hotels BIG TIME.  If you wait until a day or two before your trip and call the hotel directly they might quote you an unbelievable rate.  And then if you call certain credit card companies (like Platinum American Express, for example) and book the same room through them, they’ll frequently match that rate and even throw in extra perks like free breakfast, a room upgrade, early check in and late check out, and even a free gift.  This can be worth it even if you had to pay a little more, but sometimes you can get all this for less.
For example, at London Hotel NYC, a great all suite property, rooms normally go for over $500. We booked it for mid $200’s through Platinum Amex and then got upgraded to an $850 per night suite! Not bad – we saved $600!
So remember to call the hotel a couple of days in advance of your trip and then compare their rate with the quote from your credit card company, if they provide that service. It takes a little bit of extra time, but you could wind up saving a bundle.

Throughout the year you may travel to different destinations for business or pleasure.  A lot of times on these trips you will be shopping for different mementos or maybe for a great deal.  When it comes to buying jewelry the buyer must beware.
Jewelry is a blind item. There are so many things in a piece of jewelry that establishes the price. For example, the type of material, the weight of stones, the quality of the stones, the labor and even the design. But the big one that no one seems to realize is a part of the price is the marketing and overhead you pay for in addition to the actual product itself.
When you visit the islands or travel on cruise ships, you may hear that these are the ultimate places to buy jewelry. Jewelry is generally not manufactured in these places and the amount of overhead and advertising and kickbacks that these establishments have are much more than your local jewelry store in your area.
So why does it seem like a better deal?  Most likely the product is inferior. The same necklace with the same design can be made with lower quality stones and lighter metal and this will reflect in the price. Also, the service after the sale is non-existent. If you purchase an item on one of these trips and come home only to find that you’re not satisfied or that you want to exchange the item, what are you going to do? The stores say there will be no problem, but believe me – you will have problems.
On the other hand, if you purchase from your local jewelers with a great reputation they will do almost anything to make you happy. They will also clean and repair your purchase well into the future. Your local jewelers have much more to gain by giving you great service because their longevity in business relies on that.  You will also establish a relationship with your local jeweler that will absolutely be beneficial to both of you in the long run.

Welcome to Diamond Life, a place where you can turn to find interesting information on the good stuff.
I meet a lot of people every day and if you know me I love to talk to them about travel, dining experiences, concerts, places to have events, business opportunities, pocketbooks, clothing, automobiles, etc. You name it, I have conversations about it.
What I found is that people want to tell me all about their finds. So I spread the word – of course without mentioning anything personal about the source, just spreading the word about their great find. The point is that I am not a critic. This information is from people that have had great experiences and who want to share them with me.
But what I found is that the information tends to be pretty accurate because these are real people, not public relations. The guidelines are that everything talked about is about good things, not bad things or bad experiences. I am doing this because I love good things and I love sharing them and helping other people experience them.
So come here often to check out all the good stuff that’s out there. And if you’ve got some great tips to share then drop by the store and tell me all about it!