American Express BIO Makes You a VIP
You could be here. All photos courtesy of American Express.
This post was produced in partnership with American Express, part of Pavia Rosati's role as a Platinum for a Year Ambassador.
NEW YORK CITY – A few months ago, I had an incredible time-and-space travel experience. I woke up in Bangkok, where the night before I had visited the world's largest reclining Buddha, for a 6 a.m. flight to NYC, which involved a three-hour layover in Tokyo. I landed at JFK a thousand hours later at 6 p.m. the same day. (The east-to-west international date line: It blows my mind.) Shortly after 7 p.m., I arrived at the SVA Theater for the red carpet premiere and post-show Q&A of Misery Loves Comedy, the Kevin Pollack documentary that was a highlight of the Tribeca Film Festival. The night ended at a private reception for the filmmakers and guests a few blocks away at Tao, a Thai-inspired restaurant decorated with a giant reclining Buddha.
Thailand on two continents! Bookended Buddhas! And a movie premiere in the middle! This was a jet-setting day for the records.
The evening was only one of the premieres, screenings, and events available to card members through the American Express By Invitation Only program for the Tribeca Film Festival. BIO events are open to Platinum and Centurion card members exclusively and run the gamut of experiences — fashion, sports, dining, music, and entertainment. The US Open, the Kentucky Derby, and the America's Cup. New York Fashion Week and private shopping with Rachel Zoe. Dinners with Daniel Boulud and grape-stomping at California wineries.
The lineup for the next few months includes 2015 US Open Tennis Championships Suite Access, In the Studio with Fashion Designer Joseph Altuzarra, Sonoma Harvest, and VIP Race Experience at Circuit of the Americas.
I got considerable value from my $1050 BIO Tribeca Film Festival pass: access to everything except the opening night gala. Director chats with George Lucas and Stephen Colbert, Christopher Nolan and Bennett Miller. The latest features from James Franco (The Adderall Diaries) and Luke Wilson (Meadowland). The documentary A Ballerina's Tale about the amazing Misty Copeland. Cool experiences like a virtual reality studio that let me fly through a cityscape like Superman and walk the bottom of an ocean floor like Aquaman.
I spent the final Sunday night of the Tribeca Film Festival bingeing on two travel-minded award-winners of the week: World Narrative Competition winner Virgin Mountain from Finland and Nora Ephron prize winner Sworn Virgin, about an Albanian woman living as a man who travels to Italy to try living as a woman. The virgin theme was, I can only assume, a coincidence, although a fitting one for my first experience with By Invitation Only events.
MORE MEMBER BENEFITS
Here's a rundown of all the benefits of the American Express Platinum Card.
Disclaimer: Pavia Rosati was selected by American Express to help educate consumers about the Platinum Card by American Express. As such, she was paid for her services, but all opinions about the experience and American Express are her own.