Getting a Chinese Visa in New York

I recently had to get a Chinese visa for a trip to Shanghai. I could have used an online agent or a local travel agency to get the visa for me for a nominal fee but I decided to do it myself just to see how the process went. I did some research beforehand so I knew what to expect. The reviews on Yelp are not make it seem like a horrible process so I was prepared for the worse.
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Cathay Pacific Business Class JFK-HKG Flight Review

I was able to book a flight to Asia using the old British Airways miles (pre Avios devaluation of November 2011). Before the devaluation, a round-trip business class flight from North America to Asia on Cathay Pacific costs only 100,000 miles. The same round-trip business class flight on Cathay Pacific from JFK to HKG would now cost you 140,000 miles using the British Airways Avios program.

I was booked on CX845, which left JFK  very late at night and would land in Hong Kong around 4:00 AM. We would be in the air for about 15 hours. The equipment used for this flight was the Boeing 777-300ER. Because I was flying business class, I was able to relax in the lounge before my flight. I left the lounge when the boarding announcement was made but when I got to the gate, the boarding process hadn’t started yet. After a short while on line we were able to board the plane.
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British Airways Terraces Lounge Review at JFK Airport

The British Airways Terraces Lounge at JFK Airport is located in Terminal 7. I was flying JFK-HKG in Cathay Pacific’s business class so I was given an invitation to use this lounge while I waited for my flight. The lounge was located up the stairs to the left as you leave the security screening area.

The lounge was pretty empty when I entered. It could have been because of the late hour; it was around 11:00 PM or so. I was flying on CX845 so my flight was a little bit after midnight. I’ve only been in this lounge once before and it was for an Iberia flight in the afternoon. The lounge had more people but hardly crowded. The lounge is quite big with both a seating area in the front of the lounge and the rear. In the rear, you’ll find a bar area with a selection of self-serve liquors. There was also a pub area with draught beer and a small fountain in the middle of the seating area. The bar in the pub area was closed so I don’t know how good the draught beer is.

 

British Airways Terraces Lounge JFK Front Seating Area

British Airways Terraces Lounge JFK Front Seating Area

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Delta Rangers Fan Flight

Delta Rangers Fan Flight T-Shirt

Delta Rangers Fan Flight T-Shirt

 

Today I was lucky enough to take part of the Delta Rangers Fan Flight. This flight was for fans attending the Rangers vs Devils game and would be departing from LGA airport and landing in EWR airport. This promotion sounds pretty crazy and cool at the same time. Crazy because it would be faster for me to go to the game on my own but cool because something like this has only been done once before.
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Public Transportation Options For New York City Airports

Taking a taxi from the airport into Manhattan can cost up to $60 (and that’s not including tips and tolls). Taking a taxi may make sense if your group has 3 or 4 people or if you don’t want to deal with the hassle. I’m usually traveling to/from the airport by myself so I mostly take public transportation. I’ll outline the public transportation options to the 3 major New York City airports and the pros and cons of each.
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