New York is like no other city in the world from the subway to Broadway hot dogs to haute cuisine funky to fabulous New York has it all I'm sitting inside a 350 thousand dollar Bentley limousine and tonight I'm going to take you inside the closed door world of New York City it's a world the eight million residents and thirty-two million annual visitors rarely see you will see the best of the best my mission to spend 1 million dollars in 24 hours this isn't how the other half lives only a tiny fraction of the world's most wealthy people can afford this lifestyle they're not millionaires they're billionaires and this is their domain for most people getting into New York means battling crowds traffic and cranky cabbies but time is money and those who have enough of it can avoid the congestion all together so my million-dollar day begins with a helicopter ride into Manhattan for busy CEOs and superstars these flights can be the fastest easiest and most scenic way into the city Central Park that's New York City's playground convenience is costly this Jet Aviation Sikorsky s-76 rents for $3,100 an hour the helicopter comfortably accommodates six and has a range of 300 miles if money is no object I admit it's a great way to fly although three airports serve New York City this is the only way to land in the middle of Manhattan thank you for the ultra-rich security is always an issue and bodyguards are a fact of life protection specialist bill Stanton is waiting for me for the next 24 hours you will discreetly follow my every move what we do is protect a client the principle and much more when the chopper touches down wheels down we protect them in a bubble that not only means their physical security but their mental their personal their business security as well a Bentley limousine whisks me away ordinary stretch limos are a common sight in New York City but Bentley's turn heads there are only 20 of them in the entire United States a cab ride from JFK to midtown will run you about $45 hiring this Bentley for 24 hours cost 2,000 with hundreds of hotels Manhattan offers many of the world's finest accommodations but for some VIPs a room at a five-star hotel just won't do they insist on an even more exclusive private suite the Royal Suite at the Four Seasons offers more than two thousand square feet with two bedrooms and two baths this showcase of modern style even features a state-of-the-art plasma TV it can be yours for nine thousand five hundred dollars per night the presidential suite at the st. Regis has three thousand square feet with three bedrooms private butler service library and fireplace one night here will cost you twelve thousand dollars but my destination for this million dollar fantasy is the hotel that boasts the biggest and most expensive suite in the city the legendary plaza it's a landmark in front of Central Park it's a superstar when you have all those movie stars coming over and you have all those our rock star staying over here the plaza is part of it but don't ask hotel manager Alex Cassatt Lee to name names in our business we keep them confidential in our business the guest likes to come in and likes to feel his privacy they can tell us Marilyn Monroe and Arthur Miller were regulars Eddie Murphy was married here as were Michael Douglas and Catherine zeta-jones at their $2,000,000 ceremony and reception located on Fifth Avenue across from Central Park this stately old hotel is arguably the most famous Hotel in New York there are 804 rooms here but only one presidential suite for their VIPs there are no check-in lines no registration and no credit card deposit for incidentals the lobby has the grandeur of a French Renaissance Palace thank you the general manager is there to take me inside this world of wealth and privilege everything is pre-arranged down to the smallest detail this penthouse comes complete with its own Butler Kwabena is in charge of keeping his demanding guests happy around the clock my job here is unlimited I do everything I don't have a job description from its Z is what I do anything is possible he can get you theater tickets to a sold-out show or dinner reservations at the trendiest restaurants in the city now you're coming true here to go today live in Rome the Presidential Suite is so big you could get lost so he gives me a quick tour the living room is palatial crystal chandeliers adorned the 12-foot ceilings 14 karat gold trim highlights the ornate architectural details European antiques collected over the years fill the room the hand-painted Steinway piano is one-of-a-kind and the view well that's priceless this would be wonderful any time of the year right the snow of winter or the beautiful waters of fall this is just one of two living rooms in this two-story suite up these stairs is a less formal living room and for the families that stay here there are separate nanny's quarters downstairs there's Hall after hall room after room it has five bedrooms and five and a half baths each complete with gold-plated fixtures it all adds up to seventy eight hundred square feet of luxurious living that's nearly three times larger than the average house but one of the best things about the suite isn't a room but what comes with it London I love kitchens that come with their own chef he can whip up a simple lunch or a lavish dinner party to be held in the formal dining room you can throw party for as many as anything between 15 to 20 people privately and people will enjoy it and we do that all the time the dining room looks as if it belongs in Architectural Digest complete with caviar fine china an imported crystal at $15,000 per night stay here for a week and you'll spend more than many people do buying a house with the helicopter and Bentley limousine I've been in New York less than two hours and I've already spent more than $20,000 when we come back my million-dollar day continues with the best protection money can buy behind closed doors we'll continue in a moment here on Andy behind closed doors with Joan Lunden continues here on Andy just how far will $1,000,000 go in the most expensive city in the United States well I'm getting a chance to find out with a hypothetical seven-figure budget and 24 hours in New York to spend it I'm getting a rare glimpse into the elite closed-door world of the super-rich their money gives them the ability to buy nothing but the best but their fortunes also make them tempting targets that kidnapping and stalkers are all very real threats so in VIPs spend 15,000 per night for the plazas presidential sweep they get a large and luxurious place to stay but they also get something else peace of mind Plaza security knows how to protect their exclusive guests well will do is possibly create a diversion at another entrance have a limo pull up with a lot of fanfare meanwhile we'll be taking you to a back way my men will run you was straight up to your floor so that no one can stop and intercede you paparazzi of course we keep away thence the suite is only accessible by locked elevator and occupies nearly the entire 18th floor it's relatively easy to secure yeah yeah but often guests have their own private security and the hotel works with them so my security detail could coordinate through you and we can make it run smooth absolutely problem we'll walk their security people through what we call back of the house the kitchen areas loading dock areas it's possible to pull the limousine actually it's at a loading dock and have them going to pull out unobserved bill Stanton of decision strategies is protecting me I'm a protection specialist some people refer to us as a bodyguard when you think bodyguard you think 400 pound behemoth that could crush cause with their bare hands what we do is protect a client the principle and much more before I arrived he carefully checked out the hotel and everything on my itinerary the lobby hallways stairwells nothing escapes his scrutiny he makes a note of emergency escape routes and even the location of the nearest hospital we do what's known as an advance we get there first make sure the place is secure enough for the principal to get there it's a green light when they're in public with high-profile clients bodyguards generally try to be as inconspicuous as possible many times you will see the principal whether there are high-profile and being on camera and you will not see their bodyguard or protection specialist that isn't necessarily to say they're not around many times we blend in with the crowd or just out of camera shot to give the client more privacy bill is armed with a 45 you can hire a bodyguard for 1,500 to $4,000 per day but if you want a full security detail expect to pay up to 15,000 a day he says everyone asks him the same question would he take a bullet for a client my answer is simply this when you train for reactive action almost like if you see something coming at you and you put your hand up instinctively I'm gonna look to cover that principle now if you ask me am I willingly going to step in front of a bullet I'm gonna tell you no but instinctively reflexively I will and that's part of our job it sounds like I'm in good hands and $4,000 if you have enough money you don't have to leave the penthouse everything you want or need can be brought to you a personal trainer can be sent to your suite for $200 an hour and you can follow the workout with the massage priced from 150 then indulge in some of the city's most delicious food these gourmet pastries from Payard patisserie can be delivered for about 70 dollars but there's a more unusual way to get pampered you can have beauty treatments delivered to your door by a doctor who still makes house calls I feel a little bit like royalty attended by a team from buff spa one of New York's most exclusive one person works on my hand while two others work on my feet and dr. Suzanne Levine oversees it all so now when you go to anyone yes we have lots of price yes and Steve it is pricey because all the services not brought to you which makes it difficult in terms of transportation here in New York City so that's incorporated into the price their extensive treatments go far beyond the average manicure that feels pretty cool you can get a facial for your feet 10 much more glycolic acid gets rid of the old skin cells ultrasound deep moisturizes microdermabrasion sandblast calluses and lasers help to ease foot pain strangely enough Botox injections used to fight facial wrinkles are also used a cure excessive foot perspiration help pass on that one today I'm spending about $3,200 for just a few of the treatments but if I wanted to and had the time the bill could easily top $12,000 I've dropped $3,200 on the spa at 4000 for private security to the helicopter limousine and hotel and the total climbs to more than 27,000 but the big-ticket items are still ahead when we come back I feel like Cinderella here it can take a million to look like a million shopping when the sky's the limit behind closed doors will continue in a moment here on A&E those doors with Joan Lunden continues here on Andy if you want it and you can afford it chances are you'll find it in New York City but forget the fake Rolexes and tourist trinkets I'm on a quest for the best of the Big Apple I have a fantasy budget of 1 million dollars and one day to spend it this is the fashion capital of the United States and with thousands of stores New York City gives you millions of stylish ways to part with your money but you rarely see a billionaire or superstar rummaging through the racks that's because they generally leave the shopping to the professionals they are personal stylist and they do the legwork it's dressy with not being too dressing this is Philip block when you think of that stylist to the Stars see that's great his rolodex includes Academy award-winning actress Halle Berry and Jim Carrey he's been a stylist since 1990 and charges 2,500 to 5,000 dollars a day I think it's really a very glorified messenger I go out I find the best things and I bring them to my celebrity client and make them feel comfortable the day before I arrived in New York Philip and his assistant Carmen went shopping for me at some of the most exclusive stores in the city great to see you guys yeah who are you working with today Joan Lunden and she had a lot to do she's going to dinner at I'll be dining at one of New York's top restaurants taking a private museum tour visiting a nightclub and ending it all with an elegant evening on a yacht I gave Phillip an idea of what I like and my sizes he does the rest by the end of the day he'll have a closet full of clothes for me right lovely that's a great idea good perfect together tailored like a man but sexy like a woman cashmere and mink together Donna for that together and it's so light the fabric it's it's just it's four thousand a ton but he knows the top designers and is at the forefront of fashion in New York and Los Angeles on to lower Manhattan and Anne Klein we're looking for outfits that are gonna kind of go day into evening okay stylist like Philip have built relationships with the stores he borrows what he likes anything that client doesn't want to buy gets returned no questions asked this is a very romantic skirt very closet that you can pair I think Joan would look really beautiful in so we get that and that one too dress is perfect we did good I think so what do you can't carry will be delivered to the hotel and since you can't throw thousands of dollars of designer clothes into a taxi I rented this Mercedes s-class for him at a cost of four hundred and fifty dollars a day Phillips most important accessory is a cell phone he's constantly juggling celebrity photo shoots award shows and his own acting career what day is that okay yeah well as long as the MTV show is shot then I'll shoot the movie the following week and that's fine next Escada where many of the stars go to find that special outfit oh this looks like when I did Jennifer Lopez I'm wants for the Oscars and Valentino you don't sort through the clothes they present them to you oh this is great this one is nice it's high-fashion and high prices this jacket for $990 seems like a deal compared with this little see-through top for 9600 dollars and these two thousand dollar shoes at the best shoe stores in New York you probably won't find bargains but you will find lots of expensive choices that one think we'd feel feathers ray Sarah Jessica Parker very Sex in the City but I'm not feeling it right this season you gotta get this one the croc slingback this is so great I love this one this pair of red shoes run $1,600 he's chosen my clothes and now he's picking out the jewelry to complete the look New York has some of the finest jewelry stores in the world but the most exclusive pieces come directly from a diamond manufacturer or gem designer inside this ordinary unmarked office building is a fortune and handmade custom jewelry Philip has come to see designer Lorraine Schwartz to pick out a few pieces so this is the place this is the place she has selected millions of dollars worth of jewelry for Philip to choose from these 22 karat gold and diamond bracelets take eight months to make priced at $60,000 they're a hit with Superstars and pop stars Brittany wore these in her new video and Jennifer Aniston wear this to the Aerosmith concert oh I saw that nurse I did that okay the tailor wore these at the fr Film Festival for her a special event she what nuts over these we normally think of diamonds as being white but that's not necessarily the case they come in a rainbow of colors some of them actually cost more than their traditional plain white counterparts and refunds are actually very hot right now Barbra Streisand just bought some green diamonds from me and everybody's into the green but it's good enough for me thank you bye located on Fifth Avenue the vivid collection specializes in creating one-of-a-kind handcrafted diamond jewelry of exceptional quality stars including Elizabeth Hurley choose their designs for photoshoots and big events of course this exclusive collection is shown by appointment only we start showing you some beautiful things great is that's why we're here fantastic you can really stop the cab with this ring is 58 carats screen beautiful I'm Philips word alone the jewelry will be sent to my suite accompanied by their security guards bag after bag of clothes are delivered to the hotel Philips assistant Carmen is busy laying out thousands of dollars of clothes and shoes it's kind of like a fashion Schwartzberg now the stage is set Philip make sure everything is ready to go he's used to catering to clients who don't have time to waste all right Philip here we go lots of places to go dinner the met a nightclub a yacht so what did you find for me well I think I want to show you some great looks that I think are important this season that are gonna work for you and what you're doing celebrities trust him to find just the right look so I will - when you go to get a couple of racks for these people do kind of have an idea of what they're looking and you go to different designers to achieve that look yeah I have my favorite designers and then I kind of think of the person what I've seen them in so I sort of see what they wear and what they shouldn't be wearing if they want to wear something I don't like I say no no really wear it if you're comfortable and enjoy it go out in it just don't tell anyone I put you in it I've decided on two outfits a sparkly Donna Karen sweater and a Valentino coat all right that's fantastic that looks really really great all right let's take a look what do you think Oh in the back it's fantastic can you see yourself in the back with a bat oh it is great the shoe collection is worthy of Imelda Marcos so let's try I love these now this is just Valentino look at that he'll do that amazing these are unbelievable look at these heels talk about seniors you walk away how much are these things they're about the price of a used car about $2,000 so you can drive or walk it's your choice your choice you're wearing these you won't have to walk somebody will get that right you bet I have the shoes and clothes now I'm going to find two sets of jewelry it's an amazing array worth more than twenty million dollars security guards come with the diamonds that their safety we won't show you their faces on camera but they never let the jewelry or me out of their sight this huge 30 carat yellow diamond alone is worth more than 1.1 million are you ever concerned about price mm what do you mean alright so that's not your clientele that's not my clientele if they love it they buy it this is for the met really yeah good together it's these diamonds kind of matches it's Valentino right you were made for this whole village and I made kind of look factor in $5,000 for Philip 10,000 for two designer outfits and five hundred and seventy five thousand for the diamonds I've chosen that brings the total to more than six hundred and seventeen thousand dollars when we come back the best table in one of New York's most exclusive restaurants behind closed doors we'll continue in a moment here on A&E behind closed doors with John London continues here on Andy for my million-dollar adventure the best restaurants and nightlife New York has to offer our mind as I enter into the closed-door world of the ultra-rich where the most famous are wealthy a simple night out is not necessarily simple you don't just hop in a taxi and go for them security is always a concern I'm wearing a fortune in jewelry and designer clothes so I leave the Plaza Hotel accompanied by bill Stanton my bodyguard tonight he'll shadow me discreetly but with money comes convenience a Bedouin limousine will take me wherever I want to go inside this 350 thousand dollar car is a television a DVD player computer and a refrigerator built into the backseat I'll be going to the Metropolitan Museum a nightclub and on a private yacht but first dinner in New York it can be next to impossible to get reservations at the top restaurants like Lister but tonight I'm stepping into a world where it's no problem to land the best tables at the most exclusive restaurants in town and one of the most sought-after reservations in the city is at a land new cos in the Essex House good evening restaurant around you cots I'm here early for a special pre-dinner tour to find out what's behind the buzz at this world-class restaurant there are just 20 tables and they serve only 65 people at each meal this is beautiful now most restaurants try to turn the tables over as often as they can but here you only have one seating yes one sitting first means that our guests have the table for the whole evening nobody had it before and nobody will have it after so thank you Matt 6:30 they can stay until midday even later if they want to make sure they had a good time with us there China is custom made and they have cashmere pashmina shawls standing by in case their guests get chilly from the fresh roses to the rich fabric to the unique sculptures gracing each table the dining room is contemporary and elegant but it's a landed cost france's most celebrated chef that's the real draw at the top there is constant pressure to be the best but the pressure comes from ourselves we want to excel he also owns restaurants in Paris and Monte Carlo and splits his time among them although some of his guests are more famous than others - Oh Mickey all of the clients are VIPs who are some of the celebrities and important people who come here you don't expect the answer man I can't we cannot tell you if God we have actors we have celebrities we have I mean CEO from probably all over the world they fiercely protect the privacy of their high-profile guests so we agreed not to show them on camera dinner here starts around a hundred and fifty dollars but add 6404 their best bottle of wine and dinner for four can top seven thousand dollars the dining room is beautiful but the heart and soul of any restaurant is the kitchen behind closed doors a roomful of chefs work feverishly executive-chef DDA elena gives me a chance to watch my dinner be made they work in teams but there is little chitchat among the chef's they work intently and silently with one exception that's how they place an order it's done in French at maximum volume it translates as foie gras it's for the quarter Blazer yes it's amazing that's not to have most restaurants work it's fascinating to watch these world-class chefs at work and the best table here gives you a front row seat the exclusive chef's table has a view of the kitchen if a superstar or billionaire was to dine away from the other guests in complete seclusion this room is perfect right the table has a 2,000 dollar minimum wine food a tasting menu and chef's visit included we start with a roast either french-language Dean so on a bed of basmati rice unbelievable combination of flavors my dinner is a parade of one amazing dish after another what do we have here Ducasse believes great cuisine is 60% ingredients and 40% technique chefs begin preparing for the evenings meal at 8 o'clock in the morning I'm very excited I'm a huge souffle fan the desserts are especially decadent it's all a bit overwhelming okay I give I give I give everything is so delicious to cap it off and after dinner look here and something really unusual an infusion of pineapple mint leaves fresh from the plant soaked in boiling water to most of us it's herbal tea part of the luxury of a lan Ducasse is time you can spend all evening experiencing the cuisine dinner here usually takes about three hours but I can't stay I still have lots of places to go and another designer outfit to wear art and culture are as much a part of New York as the Statue of Liberty if you're well-connected you can usually manage to get a good seat at a sold-out show but if you're really well-connected and have enough cash and clout you can buy out the house at a theater for more than a hundred thousand dollars and you don't have to practice practice practice to get to Carnegie Hall wealthy music lovers can throw a lavish party here starting at $25,000 New York has some of the finest auction houses in the world at Christie's or Sotheby's I could blow my entire budget in a matter of seconds bidding on fine art or I could purchase a piece of pop culture say John Lennon's piano worth as much as 500,000 maybe got a good deal on Madonna's lyrics or Buddy Holly's guitar estimated to be worth up to $300,000 for priceless masterpieces I'm going to the Metropolitan Museum it's the largest Art Museum in the world with more than 3 million works from antiquities to artifacts to sculpture from around the globe five million people see these treasures each year but after closing time VIPs can get a special tour easy and director Philippe de Montebello is my guide celebrities who I imagine that would be a security issue for you as well if the reach for somebody comes in here you don't want a thousand people following along we try to schedule them either after hours of before the public comes in there are no institutions that can match this one so in terms of the quality and the celebrity of the art we can match the celebrity one for one these works of art or mind to enjoy privately at least for a few hours museum members who donate ten thousand dollars get a private tour for fifty thousand corporate sponsors get the unique privilege of holding a private party at the Museum and it is for the institution a wonderful source of revenue and it's after-hours doesn't bother the public and in the same time it provides a wonderful opportunity for extracurricular activities ad the museum membership and $2,000 for dinner and I mentioned closer to spending 1 million dollars coming up behind closed doors at one of New York's trendiest clubs and celebrating a multi-million dollar view of Manhattan behind closed doors will continue in a moment here on Amy behind closed doors with Joe London continues here on Andy at night New York City moves to a different beat and if you're rich or famous you don't have to go public clubs let you party in private but it can't be just any club it has to be the trendiest and most exclusive it has to be the plug the club is probably best to find us a place that people the general public doesn't know about for my million-dollar day I'm getting a glimpse into the closed-door world of New York's elite Pier 59 Studio is one of the most exclusive clubs in the city only the ælis gets in here Club operators Karima Mutulu and Ashley Herman took me into their world there are the fashionistas which are the most important which everybody follows in terms of trends rock and rollers the finance people investment bankers debt so on and so forth and most importantly just a beautiful people the models the celebrities New York's hottest clubs are very selective about who gets in in fact just having a lot of money doesn't necessarily get you past the doorman in some respects in this business you don't want everyone to get in who wants to be there even and even if they do have an exorbitant of something whatever it is that's what keeps the bus that's what keeps them coming back believe it or not people hate to hear no they'll do anything to you know aspire past that it's private and pricey they primarily serve bottles instead of individual drinks a bottle can go for 300 or as much as $1,600 it's a status symbol and that's what a lot of people are buying into the status of being able to afford the next what the Joneses have if you will and I hate to use that term but that's exactly what it is he has seen tables end up with an $8,000 tab on occasions people will try to outdo each other though what's his checkup if it sucks up 3,000 make sure I'm at 4,000 I've seen some really strange things who's got more models who's with what celebrity what can I put on this table bring me out the biggest bottle that you have can I buy a case now for those who crave even more privacy they can throw their own private party since Manhattan is an island one of the most scenic places to celebrate is on the water there are many yachts to rent for an elegant evening but I want a cruising classic style so I'm chartering the Mariner 3 captain Sean Kennedy is there to greet me from the moment I step on board this gracious multi-million dollar 120 250 lat transported back in time wealthy clients charter this distinctive 19:20 style yacht because it evokes the charm and romance of another era I can see why celebrities love it Harrison Ford rented it for more than three months Bruce Willis and Robert De Niro have all been on board Thacker Madonna also had a party out here and I could kind of see that waiting what if Paltrow I mean these are people with style people with Hollywood I don't know glamour and pizzazz and that's something that this vote possesses if you look around it has rich paneling and brass and the windows on the yacht are leaded crystal and the decks are still the original decks which are you know 75 years old in the 20s actor John Barrymore liked it so much he had an exact replica the boat made for him this exclusive yacht is also used as a glamorous backdrop for photo shoots at the top of the list would be Victoria's Secret well they like it for it you know the wood has a kind of something that goes with it with Victoria's Secret in with bear skin and it's always fun to work a photo shoot it's daytime work and you stay onboard for those they are always very early for the Victoria photo shoots when it's not in New York the Mariner 3 can be found cruising the waters of New England in the summer and Florida and the Bahamas in the winter there are six staterooms living like a millionaire aboard this yacht for one week cost about $45,000 an exclusive private party can top $11,000 champagne and a gourmet dinner prepared by their chef is included the top deck is almost 80 feet long and can accommodate 80 guests will you take me out to your favorite view of New York City I can do that blindfolded we're going to the Statue of Liberty all right okay it's not usually part of the tour but I wanted to see what it's like to take the helm why don't you take the wheel I was just I just saw turning right out there I wouldn't want everybody into anything we're turning left here let me see if I can put a mark on that buoy there head straight for the battery here it's a little daunting steering a 179 ton boat at night but it is surprisingly maneuverable slight Corrections do a lot force okay just a tiny touch within a half-hour we arrived at our destination seeing the Statue of Liberty from the water on a beautiful warm evening is pure magic and what better way to enjoy the view than with a little champagne thank you all this is a great place to be with friends and to see the most magnificent city in the world as the up makes its way back to the pier I get one last breathtaking view of the city from out here this is really the million dollar view of Manhattan I have to agree it has a beautiful Harbor if you look at the lights of these buildings huh the Brooklyn Bridge which is the first of 18 bridges which connect and that into another body of land diera get used to it I get a very warm feeling when I arrive from sea and ice and I get closer the closer I get to Manhattan the happier I am I set out to see how far 1 million dollars would go in New York City entering into the elite closed-door world of the ultra rich my journey included a helicopter ride limousine bodyguard opulence suite spa service diamonds and designer clothes a five-star restaurant priceless works of art a nightclub and a midnight cruise now add eight thousand dollars for tips discreetly given of course I had an unbelievably decadent day and my tab totals only six hundred and fifty thousand dollars that means I still have a few hundred thousand left over that's just enough to buy this Bentley add a little gas money and my total 1 million New York dollars
