Despite my request to upgrade him as well, poor Michiel had to suffer with an exit row in economy while I drank champagne, ate gourmet food and drank port, watched a movie with good headphones and slept nearly horizontally in Qantas pajamas. It made me wish I was rich enough to always travel that way, but more importantly, I realized that there is a missed opportunity for airlines to offer better seats for more money without all the extra frills. I would have been willing to pay extra for just the seat, nevermind the hand creams, shaving kit, white tablecloths and 3 flight attendants dedicated to my small section that come with a Business Class ticket that costs thousands of dollars more than economy class. Managers of airlines, feel free to steal the idea - upgraded seats without the upgraded service for less money than business class.
We spent a week in New York visiting my family and mom was good enough to fly up from Florida for the occasion. We did lots of resting, catching up with American television and some sightseeing. We spent a day driving up the Hudson River and visited the Moorish home of Frederic Church of the Hudson River School of landscape painting and (the highlight of the day) took a tour of the world famous Culinary Institute of America (known as the other CIA). We even got to sample several decadent desserts that had just been pulled out of the oven by student bakers.
The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park
With Lisa, Mom and Michiel at Olana, Frederick Church´s home on the Hudson River
With Lisa and the Hudson River in the background
