By Landon Thomas Jr

July 29, 2001 | 8:00 p.m

Did you get your invitation? You couldn't have missed it:

the gold-embossed wooden box, the faux Fabergé Easter egg nestled in a satin pillow, the creamy stationery, the Pushkin passages. And the pronouncement itself: "Paul G. Allen cordially invites you and a guest to experience the inspiring grandeur of St. Petersburg, Russia. Friday, August 17th to Monday, August 20th, 2001." Paul McCartney got one. So did Dan Aykroyd and his wife, Donna Dixon. As did Rolling Stone editor and publisher Jann Wenner. Writer Tom Wolfe, too. Also receiving one was banker to the stars Herbert Allen. Rumor has it that Tom Hanks got one as well. In 1988, financier Saul Steinberg spent a reported $2 million on the wedding reception of his daughter Laura to Jonathan Tisch, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. A year later, Malcolm Forbes rented out the Concorde and flew 800 of his "closest friends" to Tangier to celebrate his 70th birthday. Those were events that, even then, seemed over the top, out of sync, symbolic of excess and fun and glamour and gauche, all at once. Today, Mr. Steinberg is close to bankruptcy, his daughter and Mr. Tisch are now divorced, and Mr. Forbes is dead. Luckily, though, there remain some upward striving, impossibly rich magnates still willing to pay millions for an opportunity to rub up close to folks more glittery than they. The Nasdaq's giddy ascent is but a memory, the word "tech" has become a pejorative, and once-cushy jobs with corner offices at glossy magazines and investment banks are disappearing every week. But there are still some people who want to party-like Mr. Allen, the Microsoft co-founder. So what if his portfolio of Internet and wireless stocks has suffered its blows and  Microsoft is 42 percent off its high? Mr. Allen, retired from Microsoft and 47 years old, is still worth $30 billion, according to the most recent Forbes 500. He's No. 3 on Forbes ' list of wealthiest people in the world. He owns the Portland Trailblazers and the Seattle Seahawks. With Microsoft now facing more favorable rulings from George W. Bush–era courts, his Microsoft positions seem safe. What to do with all the money? He could build a high-tech manor the size of several castles or donate scads to charity or buy a few sports franchises. And he could throw an all-expenses-paid bash for his friends and those he wants to be able to call his friends. The Russian junket is Mr. Allen's fourth such debauch. The first was at his Cap Ferrat villa on the French Riviera in 1996, the second a mind-bender of a blowout in Venice in 1997 and the most recent in 1998: a week-long luxury cruise along the Inside Passage from Juneau, Alaska, to Seattle (at a reported cost of $9 million). Like the Russian trip, all have been free to his guests. Just show up at the prescribed time at J.F.K., LAX, Heathrow or Seattle-Tacoma airport and a chartered jet will fly you away (you are responsible, though, for getting yourself to the airport). If you are really lucky, Mr. Allen might just invite you to ride along with him in his customized Boeing 757 (it seats 228). Many forms of celebrity, from A-list on down, have supped from Mr. Allen's overflowing trough over the years: Carrie Fischer, Debbie Reynolds, Francis Ford Coppola, Candice Bergen, Michael Jordan, Quincy Jones, George Lucas, Geena Davis and Deepak Chopra, to name a few. And what times have been had: Carlos Santana jamming in a Venetian palace; Lou Reed crooning "Walk on the Wild Side" over dinner on an Alaskan cruise liner, according to one account in Rolling Stone . "No one entertains like that anymore," said Howard Rosenman, a Hollywood producer who has been to the three previous parties. "He is like a Medici, a grand seignior , someone who entertains in the old style." This month's trip to St. Petersburg seems to be more intimate and exclusive-with the focus being on movie stars and other Hollywood and music moguls. The guest list is a spare 200 (400 were on the Alaskan cruise) but, as on the previous fêtes, the living will be high. A spokesman at Vulcan Ventures, Mr. Allen's investment vehicle, declined to comment on any aspect of the trip. But the faux Fabergé egg (inscribed with the jaunt's August dates) and the enclosed invitation provide some details. Guests are to arrive in Helsinki, Finland, on Aug. 17, where "you will be escorted through Customs, then whisked away via motor coach to your floating palace for the weekend," the invitation reads. The floating palace is to be the Radisson Seven Seas Navigator, and it will take its guests from Helsinki to St. Petersburg via the Neva River. Every guest gets a  deluxe suite (which normally goes for about $1,400 a head per night) and full access to all the amenities one would expect-spas, casinos, movies and the like. Each day there are a number of day trips guests may avail themselves of. On Friday, excursions include an 18-minute helicopter ride to Tallinn, the capital of Estonia; a tall-ship cruise to a neighboring island; or a day-long sauna retreat on another nearby island. ("Men and women will each have their own sauna with a view of the lake.") On Saturday in St. Petersburg, the excursions include organized museum visits and walking and shopping tours. On Sunday, there will be a private tour of the Hermitage Museum, a helicopter tour of the city and, oddly enough, a trip to a military shooting club. "This is a rare opportunity to visit a shooting range in Russia," the invitation reads. "Once your instructor has given you an overview of the guns, you will have the opportunity to fire some of these rare weapons [such as] the AK-47 assault rifle … and a variety of other handguns formerly used by the KGB. After all guns are returned safely, your instructor will retrieve the target practice papers and used shells for each participant to keep as souvenirs." As with all Paul Allen parties, there is a gala evening blowout. In Venice, there was a costume ball; in Alaska, Little Feat and Lou Reed performed. This year, the weekend's party is to be held on Sunday. "Save your energy for tonight,"  the itinerary confides, "the evening's festivities will be unforgettable." So who gets invited to a Paul Allen party anyway? David Geffen is a regular (Mr. Allen is the largest shareholder in Dreamworks, and Mr. Geffen has always been his primary entree into Hollywood). Director Penny Marshall gets invited; Bill Gates to be sure, as well as core rock 'n' roll buddies like Mr. Santana and the Eurythmics' Dave Stewart. But the shy and retiring Mr. Allen-he has never been married, and he seems to spend more time with his mother and sister than he does with girlfriends-apparently just invites people he'd like to hang out with, whether he knows them or not. That's what ridiculous wealth allows you to do. You like Robin Williams' movies, why not send for the man? Mr. Williams had never met Mr. Allen before making the junket to Venice. Neither had Mr. Wolfe before receiving his invitation to Russia. But if you are one of those people with whom Mr. Allen would like to mingle, you'll have a tough time figuring out in advance who might be sitting across the baccarat table from you. The guest list is so tightly guarded, organizers do not divulge names, even to those who have been invited. Past parties have been organized by Mr. Allen's sister, Jody Allen Patton. But now it has become very much the professional undertaking. Transporting 200-plus media-business-Hollywood types halfway across the world is no simple task, and this year's event is being organized by RealTime Productions, a Seattle-based party- and event-planner. Every last detail, from visas to menu choice, is taken care of by Guest Services. All you have to do is check yes, "I/We have an adventurous spirit and are ready to begin our Russian voyage," or no. So who checked the yes box? Reportedly, Mr. Wenner, Mr.  Aykroyd and Mr. McCartney; Herb Allen reportedly did not. Others are still deciding. But apparently, the invitations have all gone out. If you haven't gotten your box and egg yet-there's always next year.