New York via Turkish Airlines
A couple of months back I got an email from Turkish Airlines asking me if I could try out their service and write about them. At first I figured they wanted me to fly to Turkey Economy Class but then I found out they actually wanted me to try their Business Class and gave me 6 very cool destinations to choose from:
Toronto
New york
Chicago
Los Angeles
Washington DC
São Paulo
I didn’t know much about Turkish Airlines back then other than their TV commercial featuring the football players so I was a bit surprised they actually flew as far as LA or São Paulo. It was pretty hard choosing a destination but in the end it was between LA and NY and since I was already planning a big trip to LA next year I decided to go with New York instead.
I’m leaving tomorrow early morning and will continue to post from New York although my timings will probably be off. This time around I’m staying at The MAve in Manhattan instead of Brooklyn since I’m going to be there for only a week and don’t want to waste any time commuting. The picture above is how my room should look like so will see how close to that it is once I get there.
Now Siri, find me the best burger place in New York!
Epic fail u should have gone to Sao Paulo
I thought about it but I don’t think I would have liked it.
Yeah its crowded and a developing nation, but to say that you went to the biggest city in Brazil, is major bragging rights. Plus Bossa music is kick ass.
If i were u ,iwould choose chicago
It was tough to choose!
Tell me about it
you mean the city that has been devastated by the global economic crisis that every street is literally full of boarded up and pad locked business, yeah good choice.
Chicago? I was there last week, its never been better.
well that’s something nice! offering 2 tickets to wonderful far destinations is really smth!
I once tried Turkish Airlines when I went to Istanbul & really liked their service. Bon Voyage
I hear they’re pretty good, I’m gonna try them next time I travel.
Pretty awesome! Coincidentally, I have been looking for THY reviews all morning as I plan to travel to Toronto this summer with the family.
Extremely eager to hear back from you about the flight. Have a safe trip.
I’m going to try and take pics and will share them with you
i fly with turkish airlines more than 3 times a year. they’re always on time, their transit flights are always on time, they never cancel, their food is the best ever, theve bumped me to business class once. you’re lucky they gave you the tickets. i wish they’d give it to me. i’ll be flying w them after the weekend actually. enjoy it!
That’s good to know. My #1 priority though is a flat bed lol
Watch this :) you can youtube their other commercials, theyre fun to watch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-z110Y4YbZU&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Also they give you more than 20 kilos which is a big deal for those of us with shopping wives lol
Since I’m business I get two bags, each 32kg plus two carry on.
forget about Siri this time you’ve got to try Jackson Hole Burgers.
Siri where is Jackson hole burgers :D
BareBurger
33-21 31st Ave
Astoria, NY
(718) 777-7011
535 Laguardia Place
New York, NY
(212) 477-8125
514 3rd Ave
New York
(212) 679-2273
u should quit ur job and stay on this blog .. have a nice trip
lol i’ve thought about that before
How much do you make off this blog, be honest :P
all i can say is i make a lot more than my 9 to 7 job
That’s basically the detail I was curious about. That’s actually quite awesome, good for you.
So why do you keep working 9 to 7 :P I bet you could easily leverage the blog into something bigger if you worked on it full time. I work 8 to 6 and I often think if I had a chance to work from home with similar pay I’d jump on it.
If you see me on weekends or holidays I’m usually very lazy and without my job I think I’d be lazy everyday which isn’t a good thing. More importantly though I actually like my job hence why I haven’t quit yet.
That’s awesome man, have a great time.
they once delayed my flight back to dubia for 6 hours :(
but they refunded us and gave us business class tickets – NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL PURE SERVICE
My husband and I flew with them in August to Spain and back. Our layover flight from Kuwait to Istanbul had a rickety plane. Our flight back home from Barcelona was delayed by 90 mins, and the ground staff had no clue what was wrong or when it would be resolved. I also thought it strange for the captain to not announce takeoffs/ landings and outside temperature, local time etc. OTOH, the food was pretty great.
My moms restaurant sold some meat and kimichi to contestants on the “great food truck race” season 2.
I would suggest looking up Korilla BBQ when your in NY. Or just try korean bbq, its the best!!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-oq6Br7al2E
http://korillabbq.com/
i really want to try a food truck but don’t think there are any in Manhattan? need to check them out.
never mind, just spotted 2 near my hotel :)
MAAAAAARK , Go to “” The W Hotel “” its in the middle of time square , the rooms are very clean and good ,
MAAAARK do not go to the ‘W Hotel’! It’s run down.
Lol I won’t, I tend to stay away from times square
Is it posible if i could meet you in newyork … I am your fan and your blog’s fan .. I live in longisland so coming to nyc is not a problem .. I can drive you around if you need to be .. Plz you can e-mail me at ripoberoi@aol.Com ..!! Thanks ..!! Hope to see u !!
I think there is a pizza place i want to try out in Long Island so maybe I’ll come to u
Lol if your looking for good food in NY first thing I would do is look at all the places Diners Drive Ins and Dives went to in NY
good idea, how can i get that list?!
found them!
These are the ones near me:
Diners, Drive-ins and Dives
Gazala’s Place
709 9th Avenue New York, NY 10019
(212) 245-0709
Defonte’s of Brooklyn
261 3rd Avenue New York, NY 10010
(212) 614-1500
John’s of 12th Street
302 East 12th Street, New York, NY 10003
(212) 475-9531
The Redhead Restaurant
349 East 13th Street New York, NY 10003
(212) 533-6212
Mama’s Food Shop
200 East 3rd Street New York, NY 10009
(212) 777-4425
Please review the best dishes in each restaurant :p Your gonna need to get 2 seats to fit in the plane for the return flight because of all those awesome restaurants near you.
A blog sure does have a lot of fringe benefits; but one does pay the price for being brutally honest (Beni – HaHa) and then you have people like Turkish who will actually fly you free knowing very well that this could also be an upset of sorts for them. Waiting for your review Mark. Enjoy your time in NYC.
You should have tried something new! anyways turkish airlines tend to have crappy business class seats on their kuwait istanbul flight. By the time you reach you need physiotherapy.
Mark,
Check out Sat Brunch NYC style : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CFpcN7RYgz4&feature=related
Maybe I’ll bump into you?
Once again you are a realist. All airlines don’t care what kind of plane they fly out of Kuwait, it is their condescending message to the market and we have been suffering for years. Each steward/ress dreads the flights out they are commonly known as ‘nightmare flights’. Personally my flights out of Kuwait are like psych wards especially to Dubai. But the fact that ‘THIS GOVERNMENT’ does not have an ounce of sense in their agenda’s to realize that a new airport is paramount to the reputation of this nation is appalling and should send the alarm bells ringing in the public that maybe, just maybe they aren’t quaified for the job and they took the job for self-serving reasons.
BRGR has great burgers.
tried turkish airlines and the service was very bad not to mention the attitude they gave us.
my brother is actually the marketing manager for turkish airlines in kuwait. so im gonna refrain from any positive comments :)
U did the right choice. NY is the best city in the world. I have been to Brazil quite a few times and you would have hated Sao Paulo. Its a commercial city and way too far. Chicago is alright but still 2nd to NY. I know NY well so if u need any advice let me know. Best Italian food is Tonys Di Napoli. They are in Times Sq area. Try Roxys Deli for breakfast or sweets thruout the day. They are in Times Sq. For cheesecake, try Juniors Cheesecakes. They are in Times Sq as well. For amazing huge lunch sandwiches, go to Carnegie Deli.
I lived in NYC since 1997 before moving to Kuwait. In my opinion, the best burger is at the Corner Bistro in Greenwich Village. Best slice of pizza is at Joe’s on Bleeker just down the street. And nothing is boarded up. Have fun!
Interesting, I never thought of flying Turkish Airways to NYC? But that is why they are asking you to do this, hmmmm smart marketing, Kuwait. Now you don’t go to NYC without trying a steak, I recommend Quality Meats at 57 W 58th St, it is around the corner from The Plaza. You need to check out The Apple Store across the street, so maybe you could ‘do lunch’. Staying in the Upper East side, how about ‘Pop Burgers’? It is next to TAOS nighclub near the FS on 58th St. According to my driver, 5 Guys is the Best? But probably a really good burger is PJ Clarks at 915 3rd Ave at 55th St. But I secretly love Soho and the West Village, so try The Corner Bistro at 331 W 4th St. in the West Village. If you would have booked The Intercontinental TimeSquare, Shake Shack would have been downstairs and if you walk a block over you would have been in TimeSquare. Enjoy one of the greatest cities on earh, good choice! I am interested to read about Turkish Airways.
I got so much I need to try
Talk about freebies……you lucky sod.
Enjoy:) Have a CSI hotdog with mustard and onions, standing in front of a courthouse somewhere wearing a long trenchcoat…..
Good for you Mark.. :)
I wish I can quit my job and just blog while traveling all over the world – free… :P
Free ticket to NYC? I’m *Jealous* ;)
I flew Qatar Airways to Turkey (lovely) and then Turkish Airlines inside Turkey (yikes!). Both were 1st class or B/1st. I never thought about flying Turkish Airways to the US. I always fly Qatar Airways 1st to Doha and then Bclass to NY. I’m looking forward to your review & pics! Have fun MarkyMark.
I will be interested in the following points.
1. What kind of planes you flew on your journey with an evaluation of seat comfort, food quality and customer service.
2. What was the airport like in Turkey and what was the business class lounge like?
3. Flight time of your journey.
4. What terminal you flew into in NYC and the business class lounge facilities there.
That’s exactly what I am hoping to do. Will try to post today but just wanted to say the Turikish airport and the lounge have to be the nicest I have ever been to. Complete surprise, I’ve been to the turkish airport back in 1999 but i dont recall it being like this, it’s amazing, i didnt want to leave the lounge as well.
goodluck..
just wondering.. did you find a fix for the contact names not showing on the iphone?
I didn’t
Is the whole trip on them?
no just the tickets.
Best pizza is John’s On Bleeker St. in The Villiage
(347) 706-3336
278 Bleecker St (Between Jones Street and Morton Street)
How lucky are you? Jeez.