Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

"You'll be amazed in New York"

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #16
    The (in style) departure from the hotel

    Go downstairs at 2pm, check out, exit the hotel and try to get a cab. So far so good. Spot a big van that had just offloaded a passenger, and ask the taxi driver to go to JFK. “Let’s go”, he replies, and opens the boot. Those Ford Crown Victorias may or may not have enough space for our baggage, had unsuccessfully tried to get one from JFK to the hotel when we arrived so they redirected us to a van type. So I tried to do the same here, especially now that we have four items excluding hand carry-ons. Taxi driver is from Africa, but what I don’t think of is that there were two other taxis waiting in line and he was only supposed to be leaving his passenger and leave the hotel entrance. The other two guys had priority.

    Start to give him my baggage, two taxi drivers who had been waiting in line for ‘clients’ come rushing on and shout loudly at him “you should not be taking passengers from here, go away now!”. I stand still, not understanding what is going on. Bell ‘boy’ is so old, ready to fall down even if you blow your breath at him and so tired that can’t even be bothered, he’s not moving and just waiting to get his $5 bill tip from the ‘tourists’. In the meantime the taxi drivers get into a serious argument, and I make the mistake of trying to sort out the mess with them. Attacking drivers are a middle aged guy with red painted hair (urgh) who shouts and exhibits aggressive behavior, as he was first in line, and an Indian (with one of these Sikh bandage-type things round his head) who is more calm and says to me “he’s illegal, we were waiting in line and trying to get passengers”.

    Red-haired (painted, as we said earlier, haha, I’m enjoying this) bends into the boot of the Ford Galaxy (or whatever that was) of the African guy and grabs my first luggage with both of his hands, trying to take it over to his car and thus ‘steal’ the clients who is obvious they are going to JFK. African taxi driver seems to have a very low IQ and tries to check-mate the red-haired guy by bringing down abruptly the open boot cover of his Ford, therefore smashing it directly and intensely on the head of the red-haired guy who was pulling my first luggage from the boot. Bang! Boot cover knocks the red-haired taxi driver straight in the head and almost knees him down. He realizes what is happening and immediately leaves my luggage, turns round to the African guy, raises both his fists in a Muhammad Ali fighting position and threatens to punch the Nairobi guy straight into the face.

    “Where is Francis Ford Coppola?” I wonder (for the movie we are now shooting, here in front of a 25-star hotel…) Yea, I know you’re all laughing by now (but I wasn’t, later on, while we were driven to JFK…). Anyway, after this experience I propose to the management that the Helmsley Park Lane Hotel instead becomes part of the LHFTD chain (Leading Hotels of the NYC Fighting Taxi Drivers) (aaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahahahaha). Back to our fight now, and the Ghana/Nairobi guy does not raise his fists up in order to fight back as he knows he has cheated the line. By the way, we’re still in the first round, ladies and gentlemen, official umpire is the third taxi driver, the Sikh guy, and the three panel judges are the on-the-pavement (10 feet away from the action, as usual) still-sitting bell ‘boys’ of the Helmsley hotel [aaaaaahahahahahaha].

    I make my second mistake, turn round to one of the panel judges, our bell ‘boy’, just to see if he can put some order in this, but he’s barely raising his shoulders and eyebrows, his lethargic look not being disturbed to the slightest. I give up. The conflict is almost over, while in the meantime Francis Ford Coppola has notified his agent he’ll not be attending as he ‘lately refrains from directing undisciplined pupils’. Means we should be on our way in a few minutes. Ghana/ Nairobi guy leaves as he’s lost his chances, red haired guy is p***ed to the limit (perhaps even with me, as initially I didn’t think the African guy as wrong and as I also wanted to avoid the Crown Victoria thinking it won’t be able to fit our stuff) and takes all our luggage to his cab, which surprisingly fits all four in the back (yes, I’m still in America, where everything is big). Ready-to-fall-down panel judge (sorry, bell ‘boy’ I meant) takes his five buck note and we get into the cab of the red-haired guy.

    He is polite, but in a ‘fake’ way. I notice it but keep my suspicions for later. He starts driving fast, changing lanes continuously as if he’s racing or as if he is in a hurry to go for lunch. I say nothing. He asks if we are Italian. I ask him his nationality, and he says he’s Hungarian. Well, well, well. I tell him I had a ‘gf’ from there, but he doesn’t seem too excited to continue conversation. Instead, he presses on. We’re not in a hurry, buddy! Slow down! Why are you causing us inconvenience and risk our health as well? Why? Can’t you have discipline and hold your temper? Ok, you got angry, but keep your bad temper outside, you’re driving a car with 62mph now…

    We arrive in JFK. I am not happy. But he’ll get the tip for unloading the luggage, all four of them.
    I ask him “How much is it?”
    He replies : “55 dollars.”
    “But it is a standard rate of 45” I say.
    “There is 5.50 for the tolls (which of course I knew) and tip included”
    Really? Since when tip is included at a predetermined rate straight from the beginning? Taxi drivers, what do you expect... That’s what I said earlier, you get good ones some times and bad ones others.
    I give him 60 and say please give me 5 dollars change. He takes the money, puts them in his pocket and then gets out of the car, without giving me the 5 dollars change. He unloads all four pieces and then stands still ready to go.
    I say to him “Please give me my 5 dollars change”.
    Reluctantly he looks at me and with a small delay takes out of his left pocket a small pack of bills, handing me out five dollars.
    This is why I simply dislike taxi drivers and always try to avoid using them, unless it is absolutely necessary.

    Next time it’ll be a hotel car, I can tell you that.
    Last edited by N_Architect; 26 August 2009, 04:32 AM.

    Comment


    • #17
      We arrived at JFK T4 after 3pm. Check-in counters opened at 5:20pm. Check-in for SQ25 to FRA was flawless, young agent was very polite, thorough, and quick enough. We check our luggage all the way to ATH, get the BPs and proceed to the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse lounge at JFK. Our flight departure was on time and was scheduled for 21:15 hrs.


      Ready to go. I had chosen seat 4F.


      JFK T4 VS CH lounge.






      JFK T4 departures/arrivals hall as seen from the VS CH lounge level.


      Few pics (not good ones, though) of the SQ 744 F cabin.









      Next: The menu pictures.
      Last edited by N_Architect; 20 September 2009, 02:31 AM. Reason: Edited text and pics

      Comment


      • #18
        Great pics as usual!

        I can't believe The Helmsley Park Lane is part of LHW! But the price you paid for the location is OUTSTANDING!
        HUGE AL

        Comment


        • #19
          Some pictures of the menu:


          Chicken corn soup for me as a starter.


          Caesars salad followed the soup.


          SQ F Slipper Lobster Thermidor Book The Cook.


          Breakfast, shortly before arriving in FRA.

          Arrival in Frankfurt Main:


          Just before touching down.


          9V-SPQ taxiing to our gate.




          Another bird with passengers in FRA.


          On our way to our connecting flight.
          Last edited by N_Architect; 26 August 2009, 06:32 AM.

          Comment


          • #20
            A note on SQ F

            I gave you the (or at least some) photos in the previous posts. Now I’ll give you the text. And I do this separately because I need to enjoy writing about it in the same way I enjoyed flying SQ F onboard the 744 fourty eight hours ago.

            I like Jeremy Clarkson. I like the way he writes, I have few of his books. I like the fact that he’s doing what he really loves and that he expresses his opinion freely, without the fear of being set on ‘probation’ by any of the big car manufacturers. I like the fact that he loves cars and speeding, the fact that he refers indirectly to Rafael Nadal as a Spanish ‘ape’ (honestly, he does that) and the fact that he is one of the few romantics still out there, against all those ‘environmentalists’ who propose that we drive with a max of 40mph in hybrid cars. I liked when he wrote that “…for Koreans, trying to make a world-class automobile is as hard as us trying to make dog-and-vinegar-flavored crisps. We wouldn’t know where to start…” I don’t like the fact he’s such an extremist at times, but I’m also like that so I understand. [Jeremy is a leading British automotive journalist, author and presenter of the BBC Top Gear, a British weekly show about cars.] So I’ll start this post in the way he usually starts his weekly columns in the ‘driving’ website section of The Times Online. He recently said some very bad things about Greece, but I haven’t heard them first hand and he may be right in some points as well so I’m ok with it (my sister told me about it when we were flying to JFK as she kind of freaked out seeing me pulling out of my carry-all one of Jeremy’s books.)

            Someone once said (can’t remember who it was) that “a luxury once sampled easily becomes a necessity.” I come from a humble environment, went to public school but was privileged enough to be able to attend college in the U.K., at one of the leading universities worldwide for naval architecture and marine engineering. I like the good life, the good food, good cars, clothes and flying business class. But I really consider options like flying First Class almost unnecessary, especially when you have out there products like the J class of Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, All Nippon Airlines or Lufthansa. When I turned 18, my parents had two cars, the traditional ‘family’ sedan and a smaller one, for my mother to use locally (shopping, etc.)

            Like all kids of my age, I wanted to drive the car whenever possible, go out with friends and all the rest, you know. That was a privilege for an 18-yr old boy, to have pocket money and a car at his disposal. We were not rich, but we were living a good life, nothing was missing from our lives. I loved driving and had (and still have) a passion for cars. What I learned through driving our small car all those years back then (an Austin Rover Metro, 1.0L engine) is that you don’t need a big or luxurious car to enjoy an hours drive in a wonderfully curvy countryside road, or during a warm Mediterranean summer night when you drive back home with the front windows open and the air comes refreshing you and you hear the sweet music of the 4-cylinder engine. Yes, it may not be an Aston Martin, a Ferrari or an Alfa Romeo with a punchy V6 or V8, but it is the car that keeps you good company, that takes you safely back home and that you can communicate to when you drive it. ‘Cause you essentially drive the car by ‘listening’ to it; you don’t drive a car with your hands or eyes, you must listen to the car, this is how you check its behavior, this is how you can only anticipate what may be wrong at any minute. It is an erotic relationship, and those who have gone through it, understand it. We sold the Rover Metro in the mid-90s, but if I could feel with it content and enjoying driving to its fullest without the need for anything else, then this is all I need. And I’ve been to that stage, so I’m very happy. I know well that you do not need a brand new big or fancy car to enjoy a really good ride.


            Driving my Austin Rover Metro in the northern suburbs of Athens, Greece. June 1988.

            It’s the same with girls. Someone told me once that “when the woman is so beautiful, then it means she lacks something else, as in all of them the final mix of beauty and truthful smartness is always the same” (meaning if one has plenty of beauty she may lack kindness, smartness, truthfulness or whatever else). I’ve always been attracted to very beautiful girls, but all those I fancied and/or had been with had something major that contradicted their natural beauty and shiny image they were conveying. So the final balance was not good.

            So we come to airline travel. A close friend told me last year (when I visited him in Washington DC) that the difference between longhaul Y and J class is big. Furthermore, according to his opinion, the difference between J and F is not so big. For the history, he is my age and flies about a dozen times IAD-FRA-ATH a year, all in J. He’s also been traveling extensively in the States before that, when he was working in retail and had to be all over the States of Ohio, Indiana, DC, etc. Another best friend (who was flying VS F LHR-Boston back in the days when we have not even had our first intra-European flight in Y) had told me once (a couple of years ago) that “you should fly once J class long haul, it’s an experience worth having.” To be honest despite the fact that this guy has considerable wealth, he is one of the most modest people I know and this is why I actually respect him so much and value him greatly as a friend (apart from the longstanding relationship that ties us all together since high school.)

            This trip I just did to New York was not planned; neither was it a necessity for me. But I like traveling, and thinking I may not have the time to do something like that in the next couple of years, I decided to go for it. I was not really crazy about flying SQ F, as I consider it an unnecessary luxury. J would have been more than enough for me, and I could also do it in Y as I this time I was not flying alone. But out of curiosity and in order to sample something different, I wanted to try the 744 F, just to say to myself that yes, I did and experienced that. To be honest, I have always thought that F will not be that different from J, hence my lack of desire to ever fly F. I had seen the pictures from the Boeing 747-400, 777-300ER and Airbus 380-800 SQ F & Suites here at SQTalk and felt as if I had done the F trip in a way, and that was enough. In addition, I do not drink champagne (so Krug means nothing to me), I do not know how to eat caviar (and hence skipped the champagne and appetizer part of my recent SQ F experience); these things mean nothing to me.

            However, what I was about to experience on our return from JFK to FRA on Sunday night was going to change all that. And this brings me to my final point.

            The Singapore Airlines First Class is by far the best pre- but also in-flight seating arrangement, crew service and menu choice, presentation and taste airline service that I’ve ever experienced. It is a service that greatly exceeded my expectations, as it was unlike anything I had ever tried before. It may be a dearly expensive or an unnecessarily luxurious product, yes, I agree, but this is the product that one has to experience once in their lifetime, should he or she have the ability to do so. Do not be tempted to think it resembles the SQ J SpaceBed product in a ‘luxuriously packaged’ form or that it is slightly above the J experience. It is a service that clearly stands above anything else, at least based on my up-to-date experiences.

            And this is why I would certainly choose this product again, given the ability and opportunity in the years to come. Because Singapore Airlines First Class simply rocks and is clearly way beyond anything else that I have sampled so far.

            N_Architect
            Last edited by N_Architect; 26 August 2009, 06:43 PM. Reason: Corrected typos

            Comment


            • #21
              Thanks, N_Architect for another TR which I enjoyed reading!

              One of the really great things about this hobby of ours is the opportunity to experience new places and cultures and of course airlines. Wishing you many more interesting trips in the future!

              Originally posted by N_Architect View Post
              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…
              When you've settled down in your new position (all the best with that), please do pop over for a cup of tea and some cakes!

              Comment


              • #22
                Nice views of the Apple
                Le jour de Saint Eugène, en traversant la Calle Mayor...

                Comment


                • #23
                  Great TR N_Architect!

                  So did you make a stop at Adorama or B&H in NYC?

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    Originally posted by N_Architect View Post
                    However, what I was about to experience on our return from JFK to FRA on Sunday night was going to change all that. And this brings me to my final point.

                    The Singapore Airlines First Class is by far the best pre- but also in-flight seating arrangement, crew service and menu choice, presentation and taste airline service that I’ve ever experienced. It is a service that greatly exceeded my expectations, as it was unlike anything I had ever tried before. It may be a dearly expensive or an unnecessarily luxurious product, yes, I agree, but this is the product that one has to experience once in their lifetime, should he or she have the ability to do so. Do not be tempted to think it resembles the SQ J SpaceBed product in a ‘luxuriously packaged’ form or that it is slightly above the J experience. It is a service that clearly stands above anything else, at least based on my up-to-date experiences.

                    And this is why I would certainly choose this product again, given the ability and opportunity in the years to come. Because Singapore Airlines First Class simply rocks and is clearly way beyond anything else that I have sampled so far.

                    N_Architect
                    Welcome to The Club! And NOW, what have you told these friends of your?

                    Originally posted by Nick C View Post
                    Great TR N_Architect!

                    So did you make a stop at Adorama or B&H in NYC?
                    Is 42nd Street now bunk???
                    HUGE AL

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Bravo!

                      I'm thrilled that you got to do the Jumbo in F again, it's probably the last time...

                      And it seems the arm-twisting in Singapore paid off? Good times, good times...

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        Originally posted by N_Architect View Post
                        It’s the same with girls. Someone told me once that “when the woman is so beautiful, then it means she lacks something else, as in all of them the final mix of beauty and truthful smartness is always the same” (meaning if one has plenty of beauty she may lack kindness, smartness, truthfulness or whatever else). I’ve always been attracted to very beautiful girls, but all those I fancied had something major that contradicted their natural beauty and shiny image they were conveying. So the final balance was not good.
                        Side track a little about the about passage, this was something I read this morning....

                        Pathetic Love

                        When I was 14, I hoped that one day I would have a girlfriend.

                        When I was 16 I got a girlfriend, but there was no passion, so I decided I needed a passionate girl with a zest for life.

                        In college I dated a passionate girl, but she was too emotional. Everything was an emergency; she was a drama queen, cried all the time and threatened suicide. So I decided I needed a girl with stability.

                        When I was 25 I found a very stable girl but she was boring. She was totally predictable and never got excited about anything. Life became so dull that I decided that I needed a girl with some excitement.

                        When I was 28 I found an exciting girl, but I couldn't keep up with her. She rushed from one thing to another, never settling on anything. She did mad impetuous things and made me miserable as often as happy. She was great fun initially and very energetic, but directionless. So I decided to find a girl with some real ambition.

                        When I turned 31, I found a smart ambitious girl with her feet planted firmly on the ground and married her. She was so ambitious that she divorced me and took everything I owned.

                        I am now older and wiser, and am looking for a girl with big tits.
                        .
                        .
                        This is a computer generated message, no signature required....

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Thank you all for your warm responses and kind comments.

                          I did visit B&H, and got the Dust-Aid sensor cleaning kits (dry and liquid form), as well as a very nice Manfrotto 'table' tripod (around $85). I did not visit Adorama. I wanted to get the Sony Lifestyle mini PC, but I passed as I'll be visiting New York again next year and I'll have been given two new laptop PC's by then (one from work and one from my MBA school). I did try all big dSLRs at B&H, and the Nikon D3 feels great. The ergonomics of the Canon 1D body are still the best for me, but the Nikon is so light, it has a better viewfinder and even better shutter sound. 5D II was naturally out of stock.

                          I've told my friends about the SQ F experience but almost all of them do not find it reasonable to fly even Business Class, so it is pointless trying to explain more to people who do not really like that kind of product. My sister had never flown J in her life. She found the SQ J experience excellent, but was simply amazed by the service in F. She is also a person that prefers to fly Y and keep the money difference in order to spend it on clothes, etc. for the kids instead of splurging it on flying J. She was shocked when she heard the extra baggage allowance a PPS member has, and understands though that when you fly frequently (like some of us) you need to fly J (at least), as the waiting times at the airports, the connection times, the avoidance of Y queues and the better seating arrangement and service are definitely worth the extra cash.

                          Thank you, jhm, for your good words on my new endeavor. I am flying next Monday to northern Europe on CZ C (second time on them in C) and hopefully I'll have some pics from them too.

                          My New York pics were not that good, the G10 I got in Singapore this August is still giving me trouble adjusting my hand properly at the back of the camera, keep pushing buttons accidentally while shooting. Another thing is that I took pictures of a certain part of New York, without giving a glimpse of other areas. I guess next time I'll have to carry with me my dSLRs in order to get some really good shots. Talking about photography and the Big Apple, take a look at this guy: he's done an extensive photo shoot of the city.

                          cornershots.com

                          Best,
                          N_Architect

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Fantastic TR! Have really enjoyed your rants and diversions...the cars, the woman, SQ F. Great read after a hectic day at the office for sure!

                            Kapitan - I did laugh!
                            blog

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Originally posted by kapitan View Post
                              Side track a little about the about passage, this was something I read this morning....

                              Pathetic Love

                              When I was 14, I hoped that one day I would have a girlfriend.

                              When I was 16 I got a girlfriend, but there was no passion, so I decided I needed a passionate girl with a zest for life.

                              In college I dated a passionate girl, but she was too emotional. Everything was an emergency; she was a drama queen, cried all the time and threatened suicide. So I decided I needed a girl with stability.

                              When I was 25 I found a very stable girl but she was boring. She was totally predictable and never got excited about anything. Life became so dull that I decided that I needed a girl with some excitement.

                              When I was 28 I found an exciting girl, but I couldn't keep up with her. She rushed from one thing to another, never settling on anything. She did mad impetuous things and made me miserable as often as happy. She was great fun initially and very energetic, but directionless. So I decided to find a girl with some real ambition.

                              When I turned 31, I found a smart ambitious girl with her feet planted firmly on the ground and married her. She was so ambitious that she divorced me and took everything I owned.

                              I am now older and wiser, and am looking for a girl with big tits.
                              Well since SQTalk insists on at least five characters I will just write out - Rolling On Floor Laughing.

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Did I miss something? What is this new endeavor?

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X