Airport Workers' Astonishing Find: A 34-Year-Old Engagement Ring Diamond in the Most Unlikely Place
Schmitt spent 90 minutes looking for the jewel but wasn't able to locate it.
Airport maintenance workers continued the search for another four hours, eventually retrieving the stone.It may be one of your biggest fears: losing your engagement ring. After first receiving this sentimental sparkler from your partner, you may find yourself anxiously checking to ensure that it's still on your left hand. And to ensure it stays in tact, you may opt to purchase ring insurance, remove the accessory when you're doing strenuous activities, or meet with an expert to ensure it's sized correctly. However, for April Schmitt, this ever-present anxiety became an unfortunate reality when her 1.25-carat diamond suddenly became loose—and slipped out of its setting.
After spending time in Los Angeles, Schmitt planned to return to her home of Pittsburgh on Thursday, June 12. However, a series of delays pushed her travel plans to the following day: Friday, June 13. Unfortunately, in a nod to the date's unlucky reputation, her bad fortune continued—even after arriving in Pittsburgh. "As I went to retrieve my bag from the carousel, my hand got stuck between the suitcase and the edge of the carousel," she told CBS News. "It pinched my hand, so I pulled my hand back really quickly," she said.
However, once she returned home, she knew something on her hand didn't feel right. "I looked down and my ring was without a diamond," she told CBS News. Rather than the center stone, all she saw were four empty prongs. "It was devastating. I mean, I literally felt sick to my stomach as soon as I realized," she added. She immediately returned to the airport to start searching for the jewel: "I came in and I immediately started looking all around here, on the floor," Schmitt said. Luckily, four airport employees from the maintenance department joined her in her quest. However, after 90 minutes of searching—and even opening up some of the panels on the baggage carousel—the group had yet to find the missing diamond. Schmitt eventually returned home without her diamond.
However, even though she may have give up, the airport employees didn't. The workers continued to search for the diamond for the next four hours, and, eventually, they discovered it. "Two paint sticks taped together, scraping dirt from underneath the carousel, that's how they actually found it," said Tom Riordan, a stationary engineer. "Literally, my jaw dropped. I was ecstatic. I just couldn't get to the airport quickly enough," Schmitt said. Not only was the sparkler significant to Schmitt, who received it from her husband 34 years ago, but the superstitious date was as well: Her husband proposed to her on Friday, March 13—and the two tied the knot on Friday, November 13, 1992.
Up Next: A Stranger Helped a Woman Track Down Her Missing Wedding Ring from a Facebook Post
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If you don't finish your plate, your server-nurse reserves the right to publicly spank you. It's all part of the fun, and cheers can be heard across the dining room as each victim is led up to receive their punishment. Vegas has a thing for ceilings painted like the sky. You can find them at both the Venetian's Grand Canal Shoppes as well as Paris Las Vegas. Miracle Mile Shops, however, takes the illusion one step further. At the mall's free Rain Show feature, water literally pours out of the ceiling as dramatic thunder rumbles. There's lightning, images of dancing water spirits, and a footbridge that you can cross to get rained on. Not a bad way to cool off on those 110-degree days. The Big Apple Coaster at the New York New York. Alessandra Amodio/Travel + Leisure If you're planning to ride the Big Apple Coaster—New York New York's outdoor roller coaster—then definitely go at night. The line might be a little longer, but the views will be entirely worth it. As the ride climbs 76 feet, and then another 144 feet for the second drop (not to mention two loop-de-loops), you'll watch the lit-up Vegas skyline do somersaults around you. The ride isn't free ($25 per person) but don't worry, you can probably make it all back in the casino after. Visitors in the Venetian Las Vegas going for a gondola ride. There's something uncanny about cruising past replicas of the Doge's Palace and St Mark's belltower inside an authentic Venetian gondola as the Nevada sun beats down. Talk about escapism! The ride, offered at the Venetian Resort, is admittedly on the short side, but the talented gondoliers, who serenade guests with classic Italian songs and arias, make it a memorable trip. No one knows exactly why a chunk of the Berlin Wall is displayed inside a men's restroom at Main Street Station. 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The all-pink, by-appointment-only chapel is decked out with velvet drapes, a vintage photo booth, and an electric organ. Pay extra and you can be married by a female Elvis impersonator or enjoy a burlesque performance after your ceremony. Just remember to tip your dancer. If you're looking for a luxe night out, you could do worse than Top of the World. The upscale menu features lobster tacos, Wagyu New York strip steak and specialty cocktails, but the real highlight is the view: the revolving restaurant sits on the 106th floor of Vegas' highest freestanding structure, and if you time it right, you'll be able to catch stunning views of the sun setting behind the mountains. The wildlife habitat at the Flamingo Las Vegas. Just past the Flamingo Las Vegas' lobby, you'll find an unlikely sanctuary for swans, pelicans, koi fish, turtles, and the hotel's mascot: pink Chilean flamingos. The 4-acre wildlife habitat is free and open to the public from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m., and its waterfalls, ponds, and palm-shaded nooks make a welcome escape from the madness of the Strip. If New York City's Boom Boom Room and Dean & Deluca had a baby, it would surely result in Caspian's, the new caviar bar located inside Caesars Palace. Crab caviar tacos, oyster and champagne pairings, and Golden Osetra are on the menu, but it's the hidden live music venue that sets the place apart from other caviar joints in town. Show up any night from Tuesday to Saturday to rock out in an intimate, jewel-toned lounge. Caesar himself wouldn't have it any other way.
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It seems like Google is looking for a way to put AI into everything these days, and now its efforts have reached its airfare-booking service, Flights. On Thursday, Google announced that it's testing a new AI-powered Flight Deals tool, which could come in handy if you're planning a trip on a budget but aren't quite sure where you want to go yet. Instead of just entering your preferred airport and destination, Flight Deals takes a more open-ended approach. You can describe the kind of place you'd like to visit, and even get specific about how long you want to sit on a plane and what activities you'd like to do once you get there. Google will then use AI to come up with cheap flights that match your preferences. For example, you can search for 'a weekend countryside getaway with trail rides and kayaking' or a 'trip to Europe with great cheese and wine in May,' and see what pops up. While using Flight Deals, I found that it surfaced a mix of obvious vacation spots and some lesser-known locations. When looking for 'a tropical destination with snorkeling,' it showed me spots like Cozumel, Mexico; Nassau, Bahamas; and San Juan, Puerto Rico, which were predictable but viable suggestions. But a search for a 'trip to Europe with hiking' showed suggestions for a couple of cities that I wouldn't have thought of — Cluj-Napoca, Romania and Ljubljana, Slovenia — which is nice if you're looking for something off the beaten path. Still, some of the results I got weren't useful at all. When searching for 'a tropical weekend trip that's less than 5 hours away' from the Orlando airport, it yielded results for Miami and Key West, which may not be ideal for someone looking to travel outside the state. I also managed to stump it by searching for 'trips to Japan during cherry blossom season' — it said it found 'no deals' for this search. If you don't specify when you'd like to visit, Google will default to showing you flights within the next six months. You can also play around with some of the filters, like how many stops you want, or which airline you'd prefer — but the nice thing about this AI-powered revamp is that you don't have to. Despite some hiccups, I could still see myself trying out Flight Deals if I'm looking for travel ideas that aren't super out of my budget. I probably wouldn't entrust AI with planning out my entire trip, but having it generate some destination ideas, which I can then do more research on, doesn't hurt. Google Flight Deals is rolling out in beta to users in the US and Canada over the next week. You can find it on the standalone Flight Deals page, or in the top-left menu on Google Flights. Posts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All by Emma Roth Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All AI Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Google Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All News Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Tech Posts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed. See All Transportation
