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"You'll be amazed in New York"

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  • "You'll be amazed in New York"

    During the meeting (dinner) we had with some fellow SQTalkers in Singapore, early August, I said at one point I really wanted to do the 744 before SQ phase them out completely. Actually I was scheduled to do FRA-JFK rtn late October / mid November to but plans were cancelled at the end of May this year due to the sick leave I had to take and the postponement (for a whole calendar year) of what I was going to do in the U.S.

    As a result that night in Singapore I mentioned it to the guys and I remember kyo+ saying “you should do it now”. To be honest I had never thought about it seriously, as accumulated miles (I had about 180k at the time and had my trip to Latin America not been cancelled I’d have exceeded the 200k mark) are not to be spent lavishly. At work we fly Y, even the top guys (but not the ‘top top’ guys), so it wouldn’t be a bad idea keeping the couple of hundred thousand KF miles for the next couple of years. So yes, I could go anywhere now as long as there is availability but the miles could also be of great use once I have to go back to Shanghai and Bangkok in June 2010.

    So we’re in the middle of August, and I’ve already been to a wonderful Greek island with my friends for vacation (in late July) but there’s this thing itching me inside to escape once again. Again? Yes, seems I either love so much traveling and going to places or I can’t just stay idle in a place without much action. In any case, I start thinking of possible trips, mind you it is 14th of August now and in a fortnight holidays are over and I start in my new position in northern Europe. I had visited my camera shop at the center of Athens, Greece earlier that week (went to buy some dSLR sensor cleaning equipment) and naturally ended up buying more (Billingham bag). In checking what they had in store and discussing with them I found out that for most items the retail prices are still dead expensive compared to the U.S. or Hong Kong. This applies especially to auxiliaries/consumables (e.g. tripods, heads, cleaning equipment, filters, small and large accessories, etc.)

    With all that in mind, I slowly began at the end of the week to think of going to the U.S., see New York city and perhaps get a new dSLR. I checked the prices of cameras and related gear at B&H and Adorama, but you know, with these things the more you wait the better it gets. New models are released every now and then, so when the equipment you have does the job you really have no urgent reason to upgrade. Still, I could sell some of my old gear (have done that before) here in Greece, where I could get very good prices as I would sell high when I have bought low in Hong Kong or U.S. But to sell gear I needed time, and I had no time.

    Still, I had never been to New York. I’ve done California twice (LA to SFO by rental car ten years ago, and SFO again last year), I’ve done North Carolina, but not NY. What made me take the decision this time was that I had days to spend. When you travel for work it is much harder to see places or do things, you have more pressure on checking out and going back or going somewhere else for business. Once you realize that, then you can appreciate that 10 or 15 free days you have now are essentially a gift (or privilege, if you like). So if you don’t use the miles now to go somewhere you’ve never been before, when will you?

    Having no ‘gf’ (more about that later, you’ll laugh your ***es off with that story, believe me) I thought of asking one of my mates to join me in New York. They’ve been before, most of them. When I was in the U.K. studying (we’re talking about early ‘90s now) they rented a car in New Jersey and did twice the ‘coast to coast’ in the U.S. Now of course almost all of them are married, so the tolerance for ‘escaping’ is considerably less (if ever non-existent). For me, of course, this does not apply. The ‘gf’ thing I mentioned earlier is of course the ‘girlfriend’. I could ask a female friend to join me, but you know, I’m quite picky and when you want everything your way it is nice on one hand but not always possible on the other.


    Interstate 280, crossing Woodside, on the southern outskirts of San Francisco. February 2000.

    Anyway, the decision was made to visit New York, my sister agreed to come along with me (a first for her on SQ), and in two days we were to start our journey on LH of Athens International Airport.
    Last edited by N_Architect; 20 September 2009, 02:14 AM. Reason: Edited text and pics

  • #2
    I decided on the NY trip on a Friday, and we were flying the following Monday afternoon. Decision was dependant, of course, on SQ redemption awards availability. As soon as I got two award tickets each way, I was fine. To be honest I was highly surprised I could get two award tickets so late (almost three days before the outgoing flight). Anyway, FRA-JFK was to be on J class (wanted to try the upper deck of the 744) and return was to be on F. My sister had never been on SQ, so it’d be an experience for her. She has never done Asia, only European and Northern American destinations, mostly on BA Y.

    I also had to book our ATH-FRA return, as this part of our itinerary was not part of the redemption award itinerary. Travel agent did her best but all we could get was Eur 430 rtn as it was a last minute booking and the cheaper fares had gone long time ago (very nice girl and person by the way, talked initially of course going with her in NY, but seems she needs a slower approach, so I passed for the time being; however we may go out here in Athens in the days to come, which is not so bad). C class to FRA rtn was Eur 1,050 or smt like that, anyway. Too expensive for a 2 ½ hour flight, actually.

    So on Monday we go to ATH airport, check-in at the C class counter, get a pair of seats in the fwd mini cabin of the aircraft (behind the C class cabin). If I remember correctly the aircraft is an Airbus A320-200 and is quite full, as it is summer high season and many people are flying especially for holiday. In C class, the obese Russian man (in his 40s) who looks and speaks like a pimp with his literally anorexic-looking girlfriend or escort or employee or whatever else, who were both with us in the LH lounge, as well as with an old Japanese couple who are flying Y though, in the first row after C class. Crew on that flight were quick, doing the job, getting back to base and that’s it. Planes in inter-E.U. flights have become like buses (a condition that has existed for many many years now in the U.S., of course). The service is quick, the flight is fairly short. Sometimes you can go to London (to have a cup of tea with our jhm, for example) faster than you can go back home from work… A lady two rows fwd of us, behind the Japanese couple) gets in and out of her window seat in a kind of rough way (to say the least) pulling as hard as she can the backs of all seats, banging her bag on every corner, not being even 1% mindful of other passengers sleeping or reading or whatever else.

    Seat pitch is not that good (of course, if you’re arrange every time your self to be spoiled with SQ J, you very well deserve it buddy) and seat width is likewise. Middle seat is better, though, as it is kind of wider. Same was on the KA [Dragonair] planes when I was doing PUS-HKG. Of course seat pitch and width could have been much worse (thinking of Ryanair [no, thank you]), so no complaints.

    Plan was to stay in FRA that night, then board SQ26 to JFK the next morning at 08:30 am. Hotel I chose for the quick overnight stay was Holiday Inn Express Frankfurt Main (Eur 79 per night incl. taxes and Eur 5 per person for the shuttle bus). Upon arrival in FRA took a taxi to the hotel, cost Eur 22 (quite expensive for a 10-15’ ride), Indian/Pakistani taxi driver (but he was ok), sudden storm on our way to the hotel but the Mercedes E-Class did the job fine. I have nothing against any ethnicity (referring to the the taxi driver I mentioned earlier) but I certainly do have something against taxi drivers. And as I was about to find out in New York, it is a real ‘lucky draw’ with them. You may get a good one and enjoy a great trip, or you may get a terrible one and have to face for all the way his lack of ability to behave himself properly (drive-wise, of course). More about that later.
    Last edited by N_Architect; 27 August 2009, 07:28 AM.

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    • #3
      So, we’re at the Holiday Inn Express at FRA Main. Kind of isolated property, like all those of same type, I guess. Main functionality is to serve stopover airline passengers, people traveling by car (saw a Citroen C5 outside – how nice, to drive through central Europe by car… have dreamed of doing that as well one day), etc. We arrived at about 6pm, and shortly thereafter I decide to go out for a walk. So silly of me not to take the Canon G10 with me, as I had a truly wonderful walk in an area full of tall trees, feeling like walking through a forest. The storm had just gone by, raindrops collected at the tree leaves was dripping to the ground with the recently re-emerged sun rays going magically through the tree leaves, branches and trunks of each tree. Lovely scenery, going through a straight narrow path with no asphalt on it brings us next to a large pond, and I guess in Germany there’ll be plenty of places like that all around the country.

      Amazing, I am in Germany walking somewhere I really don’t know, but still enjoying it so much. I’m flying to New York city tomorrow, first time there. My best mate said “You’ll be amazed”, another one said “You’ll be shocked.” They went there, you see, when we were in our early 20s, and from what they’ve told me they still remember vividly the overwhelming scenery of the New York skyscrapers as soon as they exited the subway station somewhere in Manhattan or Queens coming from JFK. I guess this is something now well engraved in their minds, something I had never experienced. Coming to a place like this when you’re 21 or 22 years old, and having only been used to apartment blocks of maximum 7 floors high in Athens, Greece is almost guaranteed to make you stand in awe when you exit the NY subway and look to your right, left and up in the sky along the 7th Avenue or wherever else you may get off to. I’ve now been to Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Dubai, so coming to New York did not make that big difference, but still, it did. And the scenery in NY certainly takes your breath away.


      That should be 7th Avenue and Central Park South St., looking south.


      118 Central Park South St., morning watering by the porter.


      Central Park South St., just next to the Ritz-Carlton.

      Monday evening and night goes through slowly in Frankfurt. After the 45’ walk, I return to the hotel and my sister is waiting for me, watching the athletics world championships live from Berlin. I rarely watch TV, and we sit down to see what our first few days in NY will look like (you know, what’s gonna come first, shopping or the Met, well, with me and my sister I guess the museums will have to wait a bit). CNN shows that South Korean who won the PGA tour. Feel sorry for Tiger, but to be honest he’s not to be sympathized really as he is so aggressive and fiercely competitive that at some stage he was one way or another about to face such an encounter. I hear on CNN that the Korean took his chances instead of playing it safe. Well done, that’s the spirit, especially if you’re playing against ‘selfish winning machines’ like Tiger or Michael Schumacher.

      One thing I simply wouldn’t like is to be in South Korea one of these days, as at the moment you just dare to open a newspaper, that golfer’s picture and achievement will probably occupy a whole page, if not more. I still remember the Olympic Games (2008) when we were trying to watch on TV some of the events. No chance, absolutely no chance. South Korea was playing Norway (if I remember correctly) in women’s handball one night, so the thing was live. So far so good, as the Koreans had three TV channels dedicated in covering the games. Thus the average-IQ-possessing viewer will naturally assume that if in one of the three channels the handball game was live, then in the rest two there would be something else. It’s these kind of thoughts you make and calm you down a little bit, only momentarily though, before pressing channel ‘#2’ and ‘#3’ buttons and get the slam in the face adjusting to reality. So you try channel ‘#1’, and naturally handball is on. Ok, let’s go to channel ‘#2’ in order to watch our swimming or basketball or whatever else. As soon as you press the button for going up one channel, you realize that only handball is on, and this is confirmed if you refuge for your last chance, channel ‘#3’. How nice, isn’t it? You wish, but, hei, big brother has thought and planned differently before for you and for you, of course. I love this country, I really do. Such freedom of speech, such pluralism, such absence of brainwashing that make me wonder why did I really decide to leave that place for good few weeks ago… And their food is so ‘delicious’…


      Total absence of taste in a country where (almost) everything is designed and planned for you in advance, irrespective of your will or desire.


      Never, never, never, ever again. Never.

      Anyway, I am being quite ironic here, sadly, and most of you know that already. But when you open the English-version of a South Korean newspaper every day for four damn years and all you read is how ‘well’ has South Korean footballers playing in the Premier League or the South Korean footballers or pitchers or golfers or whatever else are doing abroad, after a while it really makes you sick. I want to be able and read the real news, how Man U or Liverpool FC is doing first, not how the Kims or Parks are doing.

      But I’m digressing again. So where where we? Ah, yes, in Frankfurt.
      Last edited by N_Architect; 26 August 2009, 12:25 AM.

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      • #4
        Back at the Holiday Inn Express Frankfurt Main, trying to get a descent sleep in order to wake up fresh the next morning and take SQ26 to JFK. I fell asleep at 8-9pm, having had only 6 hrs of sleep the night before in Athens. Get up at 02:15 in the morning (!), take shower at 04:30. Hotel has b’fast included but who has time for that when you can get a nice fresh pretzel at the airport or take b’fast on SQ26 after take off… What a trip, decided to do it at an instant, when I woke up last Friday morning. Was hoping to find a particular ‘ex’ to meet or go somewhere with, but no luck. She’s off for holidays now with her current ‘bf’, which is fine, I guess. Communication had been just re-established with her a month ago, after a solid gap (without not even one phonecall during that time) of three full years.

        “I just can’t be alone, can’t stand it”, at least she was honest. I understand, as four years in the ‘superdemocracy’ of the Far East I had gone through the same, but I’m different in this, so it is ok with me. Having been in Asia since 2006, I'm now moving up to northern Europe for 3 yrs, and who knows what’s next. She has her own consulting things here in Athens, so she can’t move or follow, so what the heck. And at the end of the day, it's not easy for her leaving everything back, jump on an SQ bird and go 6 or 10 hrs (by air) away for a few days, is it?

        Morning is here then, we go to FRA Main on the hotel’s 06:00 shuttle bus, check-in, German agent is very slow and says surprised “you only have total 23.5 kg of baggage!”. Yea, but wait till you see on the return… hehe (for the history, we had a total of 89 kg ex-JFK, sister was shocked when I told her the PPS check-in weight allowance, especially if you’re flying J or F). A lot of reconstruction works currently at FRA Main. Lounge is the UA RC FRA lounge, stay there for 45’, we have been assigned seats 22D (baby basinet for the big baby) and E on the main deck, upper deck was almost full with only two seats empty and not next to each other. Lounge is fairly basic, No duty frees really (only one small shop), so glad I had checked for Global Nomad’s D60 price earlier on upon disembarking the LH aircraft which brought us from ATH.

        Going BP check and through security with some impolite young backpackers who wear their bags on their backs and turn round whenever they like not paying attention if there is anyone standing next to them (like us in the J BP line check) and also with the usual thing (take your belt off, etc.) which I also hate. We’ve made our lives so difficult in the name of ‘security’ (especially the Americans are obsessed with it - but I understand them), that’s a well known fact. Agent demands to open up my toiletries pouch for visual checking, even though it is clearly full with items that comply with the 100ml liquids limit. Ah well.

        We move on to the gate, C6, and it’s (a) completely full and (b) very basic and small for that size of plane. I don’t know, perhaps it is because of the reconstruction works that take place, I really can’t say. Fortunately we wait only 5 mins and boarding starts. We enter 9V-SPI, turn right and settle into our seats. Senior male Asian passenger is sitting in 22C, and the LSS has already given him two blankets from First Class cabin, and asks him how long will he be staying in New York. First SQTalker alarm raised he may well be Solitaire or even LPP. Alarm confirmed upon disembarkation as his PPS card on his carry-on was yellow and brown color… A mix of other passengers in the main deck J cabin, Germans, Asians, Indians, a New Zealander taking homeopathic pills for jet lag (called ‘No-JetLag’).


        Senior Asian passenger in 22C on my left shortly before landing.

        Temperature is too warm, announcement is made that once we’re on the air all will be well with the temperature (and so it was). Last time I did a 747 was back in 2000 to LA on LH Y and before that on Pan Am (yes, late ‘80s, FRA-LHR…, it was coming from India at the time and was making a stop in FRA). First time on an SQ 744, though. Take off is very good, aircraft feels pretty solid and stable. Breakfast starts as soon as we stabilize at our cruising altitude, and we opt for the bacon & egg option, which is fine.


        Hard working and sexy. The more I see her on screen, the more gorgeous she looks.

        Few hours of music (New Age and Chill Out channel, reading and writing) and then light lunch menu. We had chosen chicken curry BTC and salmon feta cheese BTC as well. Both were good. Overall a pretty standard flight (service-wise). Male LSA in First (was sitting across me during take off and landing, so I could see him as the curtain was retracted) was pretty nervous and appeared to be pretty angry or worried with something, had continuously a long face. Was also sitting cross-legged during all take off and landing time.












        About an hour before landing in JFK, we had a picture taken by the In Flight Supervisor.
        Last edited by N_Architect; 3 October 2009, 02:06 AM. Reason: Edited text and pics

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        • #5
          Originally posted by N_Architect View Post
          smt else another friend had said a year ago was that the difference between J and F is not so big, esp. in comparison to the difference between flying Y and J...

          and how wrong was he...

          (but of course he was, he flies LH and not SQ...)



          I definitely prefer the sight of SQFG's legs....
          .
          .
          This is a computer generated message, no signature required....

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          • #6
            Originally posted by kapitan View Post
            I definitely prefer the sight of SQFG's legs....
            Hahahaha, that was a good one...

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            • #7
              Hahaha I'll second that!
              blog

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              • #8
                And we're off to a 'flying' start

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                • #9
                  We arrive at JFK. Nice and clean area. But the immigrations officer is an old guy who takes things slowly and thoroughly. Sends us back as soon as he sees two lines missing that my sister has forgotten to complete in the immigration declaration form. Anyway, in this kind of place last thing you want is to mess with those guys or even attempt to use any sense of good humor. The authority that has been given to all these ‘enforcers’ has gone above limits and this is one of the reasons why so many bad things happen here in the States. Have I told you the story with the K9 officer at Washington DC train station last year? No, I haven’t. Well, I was there in May ’08 and looking for the subway. Subway was two floors down, but as I was tired I thought about asking first and naturally made the mistake of asking a police officer.

                  I approach him and ask: “Could you please tell me how can I go to the subway station in this building?”
                  Though the dog he’s with is pretty calm, he immediately and abruptly raises his nhand and voice and says: “Step back, please. Step back now.”
                  I repeat the question.
                  He then replies that the station I need to go to is down that escalator.
                  I thank him and leave.
                  Terrorism in our train stations, in our streets, terrorism everywhere. By all those who have been given excessive power and authority in their hands and use is accordingly and in compliance with their IQ. Thank you so much (hypocritically, of course, as this is also perfectly natural for them).


                  Washington DC subway. May 2008.

                  We exit JFK and stand in line for a cab. African-American young man comes, offering to take us off the line and lead us to his taxi. No, thank you. I’ve done crazy things in Budapest last September, no more, had enough. And we just don’t want to discuss the Budapest stories here, do we? Not only because we have discussed them a year ago, but also because we don’t want to have a particular moderator removing something from this thread for the second time in the last 24hrs (at least jjpb3 for example has the guts and the courtesy to PM/notify me laying out the reasoning when he changes or removes part of my threads/posts, or at least this is the impression I have so far from him as an example).

                  So let us move on.

                  Take the cab to Manhattan, heading for Central Park South Street. Our destination: The Helmsley Park Lane Hotel, a member of the Leading Hotels of the World.


                  Heading to Manhattan from JFK.














                  Next: Our hotel.
                  Last edited by N_Architect; 26 August 2009, 02:39 AM.

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                  • #10
                    We arrive at the hotel. Booked it through the LHW website, for US188/day plus taxes. Special package. Property is fairly old and shows its age clearly in halls and rooms. Decoration is too classic. View is magnificent, though, and absolutely worth the choice, given the money we are charged. Get upgraded at check-in as well, so a great start.


                    Room view, King size bed.




                    The bathroom.




                    We had thunderstorms for four days, during our stay in New York. Weather was warm and humid (usually 82% humidity peak at 7am).

                    However, when you look outside your window and see this…



                    …or this…



                    …or this…



                    …or this…



                    …or this…



                    …then you tend to forget about almost everything else.

                    And if you combine it with how the city itself feels, utterly vibrant and literally as if it is the center of the whole world, then you feel the pulse within you and start to love it. Here we go:





                    Next: More New York.
                    Last edited by N_Architect; 26 August 2009, 02:59 AM.

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                    • #11
                      Great so far!

                      Your TRs are addictive

                      Looking forward to the rest...

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                      • #12
                        Great start. I look forward to the rest. Odd I was just thinking the other day while visiting this board, I wonder what has happened to N_Architect as we have not heard from him for a while.

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          More New York: (via the lens of my Canon G10)










                          View of Central Park (looking north) just before sunrise [damn jetlag!].






                          Magic at the Met.



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                          • #14
                            And even more:























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                            • #15







                              Sunday Market in Madison Av.











                              Next: The return – Virgin Clubhouse JFK, SQ F on the Boeing 747-400.

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