First Class

We fly a lot. Correction, we fly all the time. Generally, our flight experiences are pretty run of the mill. Overcrowded planes, crying babies, delays on the tarmac...the usual. Fortunately, we are MVP Gold members of Alaska Airlines (meaning we fly so much we get extra benefits). However, since we have been working with Holland America we have been flying Delta a lot. No offense to anyone who works for the company or has friends or family who are Delta employees, but our experience has been less than pleasurable with Delta. We've had luggage lost several times, rude employees, lost reservations...the list goes on.

However, yesterday (the busiest travel day of the year) we flew first class. No the cruise line did not pay for a first class ticket (ha!). No we didn't cash in miles to upgrade. No we didn't pose as Britney and K-Fed to sneak up front. It was actually because Delta screwed up. We got to JFK airport and low and behold, there was something wrong with our reservation. After 45 minutes of talking to the agent (and being told we had to buy a new ticket) the problem was solved. Now here is where it pays to be patient and nice. We didn't lose our temper. We didn't complain and yell. We didn't threaten anyone's job. We were just nice. And boy did that niceness pay off. We were bumped up to first class seats on a nonstop from New York to Seattle. If flying can be enjoyable, this is it. It's not our first time in first class, but it was definitely the best. If you have the means I highly recommend doing it. It is so choice.

New York City

We just finished up a cruise ship contract out of NYC. The ship is the ms Noordam, the newest and prettiest of the Holland America Line. As shown in the pictures, the ship is immaculate and the theater was fantastic. The pier was literally right downtown so sail away went through the harbor with the most gorgeous view of the city.

The ship went to the southern Caribbean and we actually got to go to some ports we had never been to. The itinerary was Road Town, Tortolla; St. Thomas; Barbados; St. Martin; and San Juan, Puerto Rico. We had a fantastic day in St. Martin. Neither of us had been there since our Disney days, so it was a blast from the past. We spent the majority of the day on the French side of the island enjoying fantastic French food and wine....the new Beaujolais!

Post-cruise ship contract, we went to Boston for Thanksgiving and came back to NYC for the night. Unfortunately, due to the Broadway stagehand strike, our original plan of taking in a show was not able to happen. It's weird to walk around the theater district, see all the theaters and know nothing is happening inside. There were protesters outside each theater (see above picture). Although we 100% support their strike it sucks for us and all of the thousands of other people who vacationed in NY just to take in some theater.

The Most Amazing Concert

Last night we had a religious experience with our idol Billy Joel. We attended a concert of his recent tour and were absolutely blown away. Now, we all know that Billy isn't a spring chicken anymore. In fact his opening line was "Hi, I'm Billy Joel's dad. Billy couldn't make it tonight so he asked me to perform for you." Regardless of his age (58 years young), Billy rocked Key Arena harder than many younger acts could have imagined. His voice was spot on- I mean... spot on. He sounded like he did 30 years ago. Like I said- blown away.

He opened the show with 'Angry Young Man.' What a beginning! He sang a lot of his radio hits: 'Big Shot,' 'My Life,' 'Only the Good Die Young,' 'We Didn't Start the Fire,' and 'New York State of Mind' to name a few. However, intermixed with the hits were some of his more obscure tunes (these were our favorites). 'Zanzibar', 'The Entertainer,' and 'Everybody Loves you Now' . He brought the house down with his instrumental 'Root Beer Rag.' A-Maz-Ing. He graced our presence on the piano (of course), with his vocals, and also guitar. He celebrated his stay in Seattle by playing some of Jimi Hendrix 'Purple Haze.' He, of course, ended with 'Piano Man' as a 3rd encore. The audience sang the entire song. The highlight for us was his performance of 'Innocent Man.' Yes my friends, he hit every note and then some. Something he hasn't been able to do in years. It was unbelievable.

I could go on and on about the phenomenon that is Billy Joel. If you have any opportunity to see him live...DO IT! It was both inspiring and, as an entertainer, humbling.

One Minute with Dave

This is a video Jeff & I made last year. It's with one of our cruise ship entertainer friends, David Aiken (aka the Checkerboard Guy). He does these "One Minute with Dave" episodes wherever he goes. They are just random videos from his life and experiences. We had a lot of fun making it. It's too bad it could only be a minute...we had to omit a lot of footage from the "piano nazi."