Short trip to NYC flying EK & SQ F

[mmchow]

That rueben sandwich look so yum!

 

[boomy]

Love Sex and The City and plan on doing the tour when next in NY. One day.

We saw couple of those tours in the area, they seem to be very popular with the ladies.

In case you're Seinfeld fan I heard Kramer's reality tour is awesome. On my to do list for the next visit.

 

[boomy]

Next we walked via Little Italy to SoHo, checked out some galleries but mainly did shopping. Some interesting local designer shops in that area.
We had dinner at Balthazar restaurant.



Stylish French bistro but atmosphere was casual enough to feel comfortable walking in with normal clothes and shopping bags.



Raw seafood bar



Onion soup



Escargot



Best thing about eating in French restaurant in NYC is that not only the food is great but also the service!

 

[boomy]

Took the subway back to the busiest spot in the city.



It really feels like standing in the centre of the world.



Using TodayTix we scored another Broadway musical - Chicago, just $70 for both of us. The wonders of technology, no need to come early stand in the queue hoping to score cheap tickets, it's all much easier now.

 

[boomy]

New York Day 5

Last day of this short visit. Our flight flight departs at 20:15 and check in opens 4 hours prior. We planned to leave the hotel around 15:00 hoping to avoid the rush hour traffic. For the few hours we have left we decided to check out couple of shooing centres near by.

Brookfield Place - just across the road from Conrad.



Nice place but not many interesting shops.
The food court seemed to be very popular.

Westfield World Trade Centre. New two-level shopping centre, train station and subway station underneath.



Interesting design.



Can see the One World building from the roof.

 

[get me outta here]

I booked the Federal Reserve Tour, just a 1 hour thing - take your passport, and can be booked on line. Book it at 0900 sharp their time on the day as it becomes available, and you may get in. There is $billions of other countries gold in there. Even just the tremendous weight of the gold and the hugely thick walls built on schist rock is all very interesting.

 

[bismarck]

My apologies interrupting the great TR boomy but thought I would add the bagels in Melbourne are improving (it's no NYC ) I work near 5 and Dime in the CBD and they are terrific and they do takeaway paper bag and all! My newest favourite is the jalapeño and cheddar it's amazing with cream cheese or peanut butter! They are also stocked in certain cafes and IGA's around the inner suburbs.

Take it away boomy enjoying this immensely!

5 & Dime Bagel

Bowery to Williamsburg off Flinders Ln also does a decent bagel.

 

[TomVexille]

Bowery to Williamsburg off Flinders Ln also does a decent bagel.

The Shakshouka there is rather good too

 

[boomy]

After having lunch at Brookfield Place we returned to the hotel, picked our luggage from the concierge and took Uber to JFK. Managed to avoid most of the traffic leaving the city but there was an accident on the highway which slowed us down significantly. The ride took 1h 15m. Doesn't matter, we weren't in a hurry and still had plenty of time, lucky we left early.

Check in at SQ counters was quick and easy. Suite pax receive an invitation to the VS clubhouse.

I read and heard quite a few horror stories about JFK immigration queues so was prepared for long wait but the priority queue was not bad at all, took less than 15m. Terminal 4 duty free was nothing special so we headed directly to the lounge.



Most business lounges are dull and boring. TK IST lounge in an exception and now I can add VS JFK to that list.













What a cool lounge! So many different designs but somehow they all blend together and create a fun atmosphere.

 

[boomy]

The bar and dining area





Food menu





Drinks menu

 

[boomy]

VS Clubhouse Spa



The massage room



Haircut with a view





Treatments are not complementary for SQ F pax but I couldn't pass on the novelty of getting haircut in this cool place so payed $40, which is actually not too bad for washing, scalp massage and scissors haircut. Meanwhile got +1 30m foot massage for $35.

 

[boomy]

We spent around 3 hours in the lounge and it was great, one of the few business lounges I'd be excited to visit again.

The gate for our flight was just short walk from the lounge. SQ know how to do PB correctly.



SQ25 A380 JFK-FRA 7h 40m

We were escorted to our seats and FA offered to hang up jackets. Well done, good first impression



Row A suite



The CSM came to introduce himself and as he left the FA came back offering something to drink but the good stuff can't be served on US soil so we had water. Service was very polished, each knew exactly what they need to do and always did it with a smile. Some may call it robotic, I prefer to call it efficient.

We only took one large check-in bag with us and another cabin size each. +1 didn't calculate correctly how much shopping she is going to do in NYC so we ended up carrying additional two shopping bags each. Traveling F I wasn't worried about quantity of onboard luggage but I forgot there are no overhead bins on the A380. We were sitting in 3C/D and luckily no one was sitting in both 4A/F for the entire flight to SIN so we used those suites as storage.



In fact on this leg there were only two more pax in F, sitting in 1A/F. Because of the unique layout of the cabin they seemed very far and we had total privacy.

The seat was comfortable and suites felt very spacious but we could notice signs of wear and tear. The CSM told us it's one of the oldest A380s in the fleet and they expect to refurbish both J and F cabins soon. One thing that needed urgent replacement was that small TV screen.



Yea, I know, first world whinging The TV was fine, we just got used to high resolution EY and EK screens.

 

[boomy]

Seat and TV controls.



Plenty power outlets to charge laptop and mobiles.



PJs and Salvatore Ferragamo amenity kit handed before boarding. Interning approach SQ have to amenities, they give small amount of high quality stuff, including perfumes and keep the basics in the F toilets for individual use.

 

[boomy]

New York to Frankfurt diner menu.



Champagne menu - impressive choice!



Reds menu



Australian reds



coughtails menu



SQ offer WiFi onboard but prices are ridiculously high.

 

[boomy]

Dinner service started with Caviar and champagne tasting. Both Dom and Krug, how awesome is that!



Followed by double boiled chicken soup which was much better than expected, maybe it was the extra boil that made the difference



Did some French red tasting between courses.



For main I've pre-ordered Lobster Thermidor via Book the Cook, an online service allows J and F pax to pre-book their main courses from an extensive list.



Meal choices are different and depends on the departing port. This is the list provided ex-JFK:
https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/au/flying-withus/dining/book-the-cook/suites-fc-menu-new-york/

For dessert the crew surprised +1 with birthday cake.



The crew was so lovely, they all came and wished her happy birthday and took plenty photos together (unfortunately can't upload them on public forum).

This meal, to me, was a text book first class meal.
So many airlines do it wrong so we felt very privileged flying an airline that does everything just right!

 

[boomy]

It was around midnight NYC time and after eating and drinking for hours in the lounge and onboard it was time to hit the sack. I've asked the FA if she could make our bed in suites 2C/E and she said it had already been prepared while we were dining.



SQ can really make pax feel special and it seems they do everything with passion. The double bed is something so unique, one of the best perks for couples flying together. Most pax don't even know such thing exists. Only SQ and CZ currently have this product and I assume the former will offer better overall product so bottom line, SQ A380 F is a must try!

This was a summary of the "short" leg with another 12h to go after short stopover to refuel in FRA, yay

 

[Flying mermaid]

1531312[/URL]]After walking on the Brooklyn Bridge we headed towards Battery Park with the intention to take the ferry to Liberty & Ellise islands. By the time got there we didn't feel like visiting the immigration museum on Ellise and since it's not possible to climb Lady Liberty anymore we decided to take the free ferry to Staten Island, do roundtrip and see the statue from far.

We found Ellis Island very interesting, but I think you need a bit of time and interest in the history.

 

[boomy]

We found Ellis Island very interesting, but I think you need a bit of time and interest in the history.

Interested in history but with only 5 days to spare and traveling with first timer there was no time to do everything. Tried balance between sightseeing and talking long walks just enjoying the vibes on the city.

 

[boomy]

We had short 90 min stopover in FRA, enough for shower in LH senator lounge and getting some German products at DF before going back onboard for the second leg.

SQ25 A380 FRA-SIN 12h 15m



Same plane, different crew. Was looking forward to this leg, the right amount of flight time to enjoy the full service and getting at least 5-6 hours of good sleep.



Boss NC headphones, the benchmark in first class.



Toilets are not big enough to change comfortably but at least they are equipped with all necessary amenities, include Ferragamo Tuscan Soul.



We got new set of PJs but no amenity kits.



Was told they don't offer extra kits on connections with same flight number. No big deal but feel somewhat stingy. On the outbound we received new kits on every leg flying EK (four legs, two flight numbers).

 

[diningdecadence]

We got new set of PJs but no amenity kits.

Was told they don't offer extra kits on connections with same flight number. No big deal but feel somewhat stingy. On the outbound we received new kits on every leg flying EK (four legs, two flight numbers).

remember i had this discussion with cruiser in the SQ thread - flew the same route in March and pushed for an extra, which appeared based on the 'extraordinary' request. "we don't usually do this" etc. I'm not necessarily against it - but a quick word when handing them out in JFK would surely save the FRA crew from some awkward conversations, particularly when FRA departing passengers are receiving them around you.

did you check out the funky sculptures in air canada lounge in FRA or stay put in LH?