NEW YORK, Aug 26, 2001/ --- Ah, the creature comforts of the Four Seasons Hotel in New York, paralleled by few others anywhere in the world: rooms that give new meaning to the term "oversized;" solid wood doors; Italian marble bathrooms; deep bathtubs that fill in 60-seconds; floor-to-ceiling windows exposing glorious views of the city; luxurious fabrics and textures everywhere you touch, sit or walk.

It's all stunning. You won't want to leave the room, but at some point you'll have to. There's a big city out there, but it can be intimidating if you're from out of town and don't know where to start.

Enter Marina Crispo, who is employed by the Four Seasons to help guests navigate the urban jungle that is New York. And lest you think she's a concierge, think again. Crispo is much more like a very, very informative friend.

Crispo's range of services is extraordinary - she'll recommend the best hair salon, suggest a museum, help you go on the perfect antiques tour, or find you the auction house to set you on a bidding binge.

While she's not solely a personal shopper, Crispo's strength lies in the fashion arena. She has been the general manager of Gucci and Barneys New York (the latter for 13 years), and was also managing director of Hermes.

"It was fun," she says about the Technicolor world of high fashion, "traveling to parties all the time, meeting designers. But I was working like a maniac."

She still works hard, but this job is more relaxed, one-on-one. "I care about people. This is the Italian heart," says Crispo, who hails from Milan ("The fact that I'm Italian, with an Italian accent, is also a plus," she adds.)

This "Italian heart" is evident in her patience. Crispo begins the process (called "An Insider's View to New York with Marina Crispo") with a personal consultation between herself and the guest, then makes the appropriate plans and accompanies the guest on their requested outing. (The cost is $125 an hour; maximum $1,000 in one day.)

And boy, are some of those requests elaborate: Crispo mentions one man who called her at midnight on December 24th, wanting to buy a Christmas present, and one woman from Melbourne, Australia who wanted to find twenty (!) evening outfits. Crispo accomplished both those tasks effortlessly, being that she's familiar with the fashion and retail worlds firsthand.

Her time spent in those worlds also helps her portray a fashionable image to clients, something she considers essential.

"You have to relate to these people," she says of her clientele. "Thank god, I have an incredible wardrobe."

Sometimes Crispo's clients are so used to luxury (Four Seasons guests usually are) that they just want something simple. She mentions a time when a big-shot CEO came to her saying his wife was in town with him on this trip, and that they'd never had time to actually see the city before. She took them on a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge at sunset. It was just the dose of reality they needed.

"He has 21 Ferraris in his garage," Crispo says of the newly-Zen CEO, "yet he couldn't thank me enough."