atabey-fxbou

Delta One

Mon, 19 Jun 2023 19:24:19 GMT

Luxury in the Skies- Delta One

During my most recent trip to Europe, I had the opportunity to use the most exclusive cabins in Delta, the Delta One Cabin. It was a great experience, starting at the airport. We left from the Raleigh-Durham (RDU) airport to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG). As part of the benefits of a Delta One passenger, you will be considered "Sky Priority" which means that you will have an accelerated checked in at the airport. Also, you will have access to the Delta Sky Club, while you wait for your flight to be ready for you to board. In the Delta Sky Club, you will find drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and variety of food, no extra charge. Also, Delta staff is dedicated in the Delta Sky Club to answer any question that you may have or they may direct you to your flight when it is ready for you to board.

In addition, as a Delta One passenger, you will be the first group to board the plane, and your bags will be the first ones to be handled.

Once you enter the plane, you will find one of two styles of seats, depending on the aircraft. I was able to see at least two (2) different models of Delta One Suites. Both of them included the following items: a bag with a down-alternative pillow and a blanket, a pair of slippers, headsets, and an amenity kit. The amenity kit included a tooth brush, a lip balm, a pen, a hand cream, ear plugs, and a sleep mask. The pillow provided is medium sized and the blanket is large, very cozy, and warm.

When we talk about service, think about a service that goes above and beyond. As soon as you settle in, before the flight departs, you will be offered a drink. For me, this is my mimosa time. Shortly after the aircraft is in the air, you will be served some snacks, your selection for main meal, and dessert. During my flight, as starters, I had tomato bisque, bread and strawberry salad. For dinner, braised beef short ribs, mashed potatoes and green beans. For dessert, I had an Ice Cream Sundae. In the morning, I was offered a nice hot cup of coffee, french toast, and a fruit salad.

Another good feature of Delta One is the space. Not only the seat is very spacious but the leg rooms is huge! Of course is required because the seat flats 180 degrees so you can have a well rested flight and most importantly you can stretch! I will like to mention, that the seat also serves as a recliner. So, if you don't want to lay completely flat you can recline it, raise your legs, and watch three movies like I did on my way back to the US. If you like to watch movies during your flight, you may enjoy a larger monitor depend on your aircraft.

In summary, if your budget allows it, investing in Delta One is worth it for the applicable International flights and/or the selected domestic markets in which Delta One is available. Per my experience, I can say that I barely felt my almost 8 hour flight to Paris. It went super fast, I was able to rest, have my privacy, and enjoy my flight at maximum.

Ooh la la!!

Fri, 09 Jun 2023 12:01:06 GMT

A Walk at Paris

Finally, I had the opportunity to go to Paris for the first time. It was a short trip. We only went for 2 days. It was a little bit intense. There are so many things to see in Paris, since we only had two days, that is too little time to truly enjoy the city. If you are planning to go to Paris, I suggest to spend at least 3-4 days. Also, be prepared to walk. During my two days I walked approximately 60K steps. I know!! It sounds like a lot. It was really a lot of walking. I still have blisters on my feet after 7 days, but it was worth it.

After our 8 hr flight from RDU to Paris, we decided to drop our bags in the hotel and start discovering the city. Even though we were already tired from the long flight, we knew we didn't have time to rest. The first attraction we visited was the Arc de Triomphe. It is considered a national symbol in France. It is a monument with a lot of history, beautiful architecture, and if you go to the top of it, you will have a great view of the city. There are tours to learn more about the monument and to access the top of the Arc.

The only downside of this attraction is the location. It is located in the middle of a very high-dense transit avenue. Without saying it's impossible, it is extremely hard to be able to take a picture of it without having any cars in front of it.

Still it is worth it!

Our next stop was the Eiffel Tour. After a 30 minute walk from the Arc de Triomphe we arrived to the Eiffel Tower. Definitely, it will not disappoint you. It's magnificent!

To get to the Eiffel Tower you will probably need to walk The Pont d'léna which is a bridge that spans The River Seine. On this bridge and around the Eiffel Tower you will find several vendors. These vendors sell a variety of merchandise ranging from Eiffel Tower replicas , berets, bags, and other several items. Most of them will ask you for cash but they also have someone within the team with a machine to charge credit cards. If a vendor doesn't have it, move on. There are plenty of vendors! During my trip I never had to get cash from any ATM, airport, or local banks.

Maybe because we went during Summer time, there was a lot of people in the city. I will recommend to reserve your space to visit the Eiffel and get the tour. Also, there are three (3) restaurants in the Eiffel Tower: Madame Brasserie (first floor), Le Jules Verne (2nd floor), and Champagne Bar (top floor). We were not able to go to any of them because we didn't make reservations and they were sold out for the weekend. Actually they were sold out for the next 2 weeks. If you want to have the experience of eating at the Eiffel Tower or have a nice glass of champagne or French wine by looking at the beautiful city of Paris from the top of the Eiffel tower, then make reservations at least one month in advance.

This is a great link to get an idea of the things to do at the Eiffel Tower: https://www.viator.com/Paris

We were able to get the boat tour in the Seine River. We onboarded the cruise during the late afternoon because we wanted to see the Eiffel Tower illuminated. Here is a great link to see the different cruise options: https://www.seine-river-cruises.com

There is a light show of the Eiffel Tower and it occurs every hour. During our trip the show occurred around 10pm. During Summer it gets dark very late. The Tower lights and beacon are lit up every evening from dusk until 11:45pm.

Last but not least, Louvre Museum and Moulin Rouge. The Moulin Rouge is a beautiful theater with a cabaret style. It is known as the most famous cabaret of the world! Be aware that even though it's theatrical, there is some nudity as part of the show (topless). No videos or pictures are allowed during the show but I was able to take some of the theater. Ensure to get your tickets on time because they get sold out fast! Some people get dressed for this show so you will see some bling and sparkles. The waiting time to get into the theater is considerable so wear comfortable shoes.

The Louvre museum is spectacular. My only recommendation is to reserve a whole day in order to visit it. It is so big and has so many things to see that it is worth to dedicate a whole day to it. One of the most crowded areas was the Salle des Ètats. This is the largest room of the museum and it is also where the Mona Lisa "La Gioconda" is housed. Even though the room was very crowded, I was able to see it clearly, and it was a great experience. This museum is full of history, art, and spectacular sculptures and paintings. It was marvelous!!!

In Paris you will also find many designer stores such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci, Dior, Versace, and many more. These stores are more pricey, because they are designer prices, but if you find a good sales person they will tell you about the sales. I found a pair of Versace shoes for my husband on sale for approximately $300. So don't be afraid to shop in those stores. There is probably something for you and your budget.

Overall, I really recommend to visit Paris because it is a beautiful city, full of history and with many things to do. Be aware of the pickpockets. I recommend to use a cross body purse or bag, not too big; to avoid stolen items I recommend to keep your pockets empty. Finally since Paris is such a large city I would also say that a good pair of walking shoes is necessary.

220 Boutique

Sun, 21 May 2023 14:13:55 GMT

Celebration!!!

What an achievement! 220 Boutique is finally here! This is my first e-commerce goal achieved! Yay!

Some of you may wonder what it takes to start an online boutique. I thought it was going to take a lot of work and investment but it was better than expected. The first thing you will need to do is register your business to get your EIN and sales tax certificate number. These documents are important to be able to create your store and to start establishing your business relationships with the different wholesalers.

There are several companies you can use to register your business, but in my case I used Zen Business. Not only did I use it to register my business but I also used it to create my domains. They have an excellent customer service, very responsive, and very knowledgeable. Another perk that came with using Zen Business was the low cost that would come with using their resources since it was not too expensive. They have different packages to select from to cover all your business needs. Your business name and registration is the first thing your will need to invest.

There are different online store builders available in the internet. For my boutique, I am using the Shopify platform, which was identified as the top store builders in 2023. It provides marketing tools, social media integrations, and easy store setup. I can write more about the store, different wholesalers, and drop shipping services in a separate post.

Overall, it has been a great experience. It feels great when you set a goal, visualize it, and see it materialize it.

Now, I need to learn about marketing in social media (more than scrolling the feed of my personal FB page) ;-)

"Setting goals in the first step in turning the invisible into the visible"- T. Robbins

Why e-commerce?

Wed, 10 May 2023 10:10:57 GMT

Business Startup- Phase 1

How did I start? Well, to be honest it took me sometime to make the decision to start this business. The main reason was because I was scared of the unknown. I didn't know anything about this business. I have been working in the biotech industry for over 20 years. The biotech jobs are recognized to be stable, with good salaries and benefits, and that was my case. Even though I am very passionate about my profession, I knew in my heart that something was missing. I needed something new, something more challenging and different. In conclusion, I realized I was getting bored of doing the same thing for all these years.

Why e-commerce? Because, once established is easy to manage, it generates high income, and will give me the freedom to do other things, like traveling, spending more time with my family, and dedicate time to myself. Also, it will give me the opportunity to expand to other type of businesses.

As part of my journey, I started to watch youtube videos, listing to podcasts, reading blogs, and even following social media groups trying to get as much information as possible. There is so much information out there, some good, some bad, but definitely I realized that I needed to take some time to study it. Yes, it is not as quick as some people say it is. It takes time to prepare!

WE all know our capabilities and strengths. As well, as our areas of opportunities. WE know what we are capable of but before anything else we need to learn how to trust and believe in ourselves.

I knew, as a woman in the late 40's, that it was the right time. My tenacity, empowerment, passion of the things that I want, unveiled the reality of what I wanted in my life going forward. Most importanlty, I knew what I wanted to stop doing.

One night, I was trying to sleep but my mind was working, thinking on how I was going to start this business? How much money I will need? What I am going to sell? So many questions came to my mind that night, but at the same time I knew I had to make the decision. The only thing I was going to lose was the opportunity to start something new, and at that moment I got out of bed, and submitted my first LLC for registration. That's how Atabey USA LLC was born.

"To build a successful business, you must start small and dream BIG! In the journey of entrepreneurship, tenacity of purpose is SUPREME"- Aliko Dangote

A new beginning!

Fri, 05 May 2023 13:46:12 GMT

It's official, I have a blog, and I am super excited about it!

WOW! I cannot believe I made the decision to start this journey. But here I am! Having a platform to express myself and be able to reach thousands of people is empowering. I am a mother, wife, professional worker in the biotech industry, positive thinker, and a new entrepreneur.

Even though, I don't consider myself a professional writer, I will make sure that my posts are written from the heart and as honest as possible. For sure a little bit unfiltered sometimes.

I haven't identified a specific topic for this blog, or as the professionals bloggers will identify as "niche". For the moment, I will identify my blog as a "Lifestyle" blog. This can be like an e-magazine in which you can find blogs related to my travel experiences, my favorite restaurants, personal stories, recipes, product recommendations, my e-commerce journey, etc.

In the meantime, I will enjoy my journey and see where it takes me.