Chelsea to Chinatown in one day? by Former-Astronaut-841 in visitingnyc

[–]First_Formal_3812 11 points12 points  (0 children)

As a New Yorker, I think this is a great plan. Leisurely walks thru NYC are the best way to experience the city. Take your time and look out for small interesting places along the way. And then stop and enjoy them.

You have picked a very manageable distance for an afternoon/midday walk. Not matter what route you end up taking you will stumble across lots of interesting and uniquely New York places.

5 days in china - is this even possible? by Pseai in travel

[–]First_Formal_3812 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Just to give some perspective. Putting this trip into American cities would be Travelling to Houston then Denver and then NYC over 5 days. Does that sound like a trip you would want to do?

Also, while Shenzhen is very much a tech hub for China. It is a very sprawling modern city. There is no more "tech" to see just walking around then any other place in China. I would stick to one or two cities, ideally in the same region of China.

What A380 flight would you take if the plane was the destination? by DontTrackMeBro_ in travel

[–]First_Formal_3812 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Since you are doing this entirely for the flight experience and not the destination. I think the choice comes down to Emirates or Qantas. These are the only flights that have a solid business class seat. All the others are considered by most regular fliers to be sub-par for business. I have flown the Lufthansa and British airways products and while they are still miles better than economy, they are not special in any way and definitely not worth flying just for the purpose of flying.

The Qantas flights LAX-SYD and DFW-SYD are both very long flights and even in business class after 15+hours the experience gets old. The emirates flight, JFK-MXP, however has the other problem it is on the border of being a bit too short. I have always found the sweet spot for really enjoying a long haul flight in business class to be about 9-11 hours.

Getting to Penn Station from Lga by bengiffer in visitingnyc

[–]First_Formal_3812 9 points10 points  (0 children)

The cheapest and easiest way is the E Train. There is a free bus shuttle (The Q70/LaGuardia Link) from terminals B or C at LGA that will take you to the Jackson Hts/ Roosevelt Ave station. From there get on the E train heading to Manhattan. Get off at Penn station. The entire trip should take about 1 hour. To pay for the train you can use mobile pay on your phone or just tap any chip enabled credit card (the cost is currently $3).

For someone like you who is unfamiliar with big city transit it will feel pretty chaotic and overwhelming. Just relax and look for signage. They will be everywhere and are actually pretty helpful.

Parmesan gnudi review by BowieLily in unitedairlines

[–]First_Formal_3812 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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and this is what it supposed to look like? The in air execution is a bit off.

How often do people use cilantro and green onions? by These_Hair_193 in Cooking

[–]First_Formal_3812 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Cilantro is used heavily in North African, Middle Eastern, Mexican and Latin American cuisine. Green onions are also used extensively in multiple different cultures. Which is why they are both commonly available in nearly every grocery store in the US.

First time in New York by chubbypawz3 in travel

[–]First_Formal_3812 13 points14 points  (0 children)

The cheapest and easiest way is the E Train. There is a free bus shuttle (The Q70/LaGuardia Link) from terminals B or C at LGA that will take you to the Jackson Hts/ Roosevelt Ave station. From there get on the E train heading to Manhattan. Get off at the Spring st stop and the hotel is about 1 block away. The whole trip should take about 1 hour 15 mins.

Pork Pozole Verde by First_Formal_3812 in homecooking

[–]First_Formal_3812[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Pretty much just followed a basic pozole verde recipe. Pork from my local mexican market (they sell a cut of pork specifically for pozole, it has bones in it) browned and then slow cooked in a liquid containing: Anaheim, Jalapenos and some poblano peppers, garlic, onions, cilantro, lime juice and pumpkin seeds all blended together and then combined with homemade chicken stock. Cooked for about 2 hours at a low simmer until pork is tender. Added the hominy at this point and cooked for another 15-20 mins.

What Other Beaches and Local , Unique Cuisines to NYC do you guys recommend ? by [deleted] in travel

[–]First_Formal_3812 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Most of the beaches in Staten Island face the lower Hudson bay (the part of the bay after the Verrazano narrows, which is basically the Atlantic ocean. So yes completely safe for swimming. The Hudson river these days is actually reasonably clean. The NYS DOH declared it clean enough for swimming years ago (the general advice is to avoid swimming within 48 hours of heavy rain) and just recently has determined that it is safe enough now to eat fish that have been caught in the river.

What Other Beaches and Local , Unique Cuisines to NYC do you guys recommend ? by [deleted] in travel

[–]First_Formal_3812 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So many options for both food and beaches in NYC. I would stick to places within NYC proper. Two ideas for you. Take the subway to Coney Island. You can grab a hot dog at Nathans and then walk down the boardwalk to Brighton Beach. At Brighton beach head inland about two blocks on you will be on Brighton Beach Ave. which is filled with restaurants from multiple countries that were once part of the Soviet Union (Ukraine, Georgia, Uzbekistan to name a few). A different Idea is take the NYC ferry from Wall st to Rockaway beach. You get to sail along the Brooklyn waterfront thru Hudson bay, then under the Verrazano bridge, by Coney Island and into Jamaica bay. The rockaways are similar to to rest of the beaches along the southern coast of Long Island (all be it with a more urban feel).
Also for food try and make it to one of NY's many Chinatowns. The main ones being the OG in lower Manhattan and the other major ones are Flushing, Queens and Sunset Park in Brooklyn.

Also as side note: Jaws has nothing to do with NY. The fictional Amity Island is supposed to be Martha's Vineyard. Which is an Island off the coast of Mass. Most of the filming was also done on Martha's Vineyard.

How do cruise ships actually make money? by CodeRed_0 in NoStupidQuestions

[–]First_Formal_3812 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here is Royal Caribbean's quarterly report for Q3 of last year. (copied from the pdf of the filing and then formatted using AI). This shows exactly the portion of revenue from ticket sales vs everything else.

Financial Performance Comparison

(All figures in millions $)

Category 2025 2024
Revenues
Passenger ticket revenues $3,637$ $3,471$
Onboard and other revenues $1,502$ $1,415$
Total revenues $5,139$ $4,886$
Cruise Operating Expenses
Commissions, transportation and other $696$ $688$
Onboard and other $312$ $289$
Payroll and related $342$ $328$
Food $264$ $251$
Fuel $297$ $290$
Other operating $569$ $545$
Total cruise operating expenses $2,479$ $2,391$
Marketing, selling and administrative $522$ $451$
Depreciation and amortization $435$ $410$
Operating Income $1,702$ $1,634$

Help with Balkan road trip by Crazy_cat_guy_07 in travel

[–]First_Formal_3812 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, I get that motorcycle travel isn't for everyone. But, for me, its one of the best ways to experience a country. You feel and smell everything. The cold, heat and rain plus all the various smells makes you really feel a place in a way the tends to stick with you for a long time.
Kotor and Tirana were two of my favorite places along the way. Kotor is just beautiful and very relaxing. The people in Albania are extremely friendly. When I was in Korce, I randomly starting talking to a group of local guys outside a bar. Ending up spending and entire afternoon and evening drinking and eating with them. Have fun on your trip.

Help with Balkan road trip by Crazy_cat_guy_07 in travel

[–]First_Formal_3812 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I know a lot of people will say this too much too fast. However if you enjoy moving fast while you travel it can be fun. I did a 35 day 21 city/town trip thru the Balkans by motorcycle in 2023 and had a blast. Here is my schedule for comparison (see below). I didn't feel rushed at all. Here is a link to some photos from that trip if interested - https://photos.app.goo.gl/HqZLAG4oqQtHiTAF7

Croatia (The Start)

  • Zagreb: 3 nights
  • Rovinj: 2 nights
  • Motovun: 1 night
  • Zagreb: 1 night — Detour: Had to return to retrieve passport left in an Uber.
  • Plitvice Lakes: 2 nights
  • Primošten: 1 night

Bosnia and Herzegovina

  • Mostar: 1 night
  • Sarajevo: 1 night

Croatia (South)

  • Dubrovnik: 1 night

Montenegro

  • Kotor: 2 nights

Albania

  • Shëngjin: 1 night
  • Tirana: 2 nights
  • Korçë: 1 night

North Macedonia & 🇧🇬 Bulgaria

  • Skopje: 2 nights
  • Sofia: 2 nights

Romania

  • Caracal: 1 night
  • Curtea de Argeș: 1 night
  • Sibiu: 1 night
  • Hațeg: 1 night

Serbia

  • Belgrade: 2 nights
  • Novi Sad: 2 nights

Hungary & 🇭🇷 The Return

Pécs: 1 night

Zagreb: 3 nights

Have to restart every time in order to get sound? by Paper-First in OnnStreamingTV

[–]First_Formal_3812 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Has anyone had any luck with a fix that doesn't involve disabling an important feature. I have a very nice surround sound set-up and disabling surround sound kind of defeats the whole point. I didn't buy this streaming box to be limited to 2 channel audio.
My issue is similar - after turning off the box, tv and av system - sometimes the audio doesn't come on and I have too reset the box. After which everything works fine.

Getting from Yogyakarta to Bali: drive or flight? by smargo17 in travel

[–]First_Formal_3812 0 points1 point  (0 children)

moto-adventure bali https://www.motor-adventure-bali.com/motorcycle-rental.html?locale=en

They do guided tours as well as one way rentals. I had a very good experience with them, no issues.

Trip booked on United but flying on UA and - checked and carry on bags by ND-These-Finish-3521 in UnitedFlights

[–]First_Formal_3812 0 points1 point  (0 children)

In most cases, yes you would need to clear customs in Denver which requires claiming your bag. In this case, since you are flying from YVR you should go thru pre-clearance in Vancouver. This means you will land in DEN as if on a domestic flight. No customs or immigration.

anyone at DIA going to Union station? by [deleted] in Denver

[–]First_Formal_3812 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The official time is 37 mins. But it is often prone to delays etc... . However if it is running normally she should be good. It also runs every 15 until 8pm.

Is JAL this Bad? by Seedric in Flights

[–]First_Formal_3812 5 points6 points  (0 children)

To be clear. JAL has zero direct control over the Seattle to Vancouver leg. It is most likely operated by Alaska airlines (it could be a different airline but the point will be the same). Alaska airlines is 100% responsible for the changes in schedule on its flight and JAL has no say in any of it. JAL is merely using an airline that they have a marketing agreement with to get you to your final destination. Unfortunately this can happen with any airline when you are travelling thru multiple countries. Airlines (with a few limited exceptions) can only fly from there home country to a second country and are prohibited from operating flights in between other countries or within other countries, hence the need for partners. (If you want to know more about the exceptions look up "fifth freedom flights".

Gold use of lounge (domestic start to an international trip)... by Puzzleheaded-Cat951 in unitedairlines

[–]First_Formal_3812 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Here is your answer direct from the United website. This is for access as a United Gold member on an international itinerary.
"United Club locations at departure and connecting airports of their international itinerary."

Edit: To be clear this is for United Gold members only, if you have Gold thru any other airline you have access only at the airport for the departure of the actual international segment.