The Window Seat

When I started flying regularly for business 20-some years ago, I knew right away that the aisle was my preferred place to sit. Even before they began cramming more and more seats into the cabin, I liked the sense of additional space the aisle afforded me (and my long legs).

It's been years since I sat by the window. Until the other day. Flying Southwest (where there are no assigned seats) to Florida, I was on  the 6:30am outbound and exhausted after having had very little sleep. I decided to break with my "aisle seat rule" and go for the window where it might be easier to catch a few winks.

Sleep, however, ended up being the last thing on my mind. Beginning with the rising sun as we departed, there were many wonderful things waiting for me on the other side of the window. Even a lousy snapshot looks pretty!

On the return flight last night, again I opted for the view, and was not disappointed. Though the moon wasn't full, it still cast a considerable amount of light on the mostly cloudless night - adding an additional glow to the city lights and landscape below.

I watched the moon rise, and then enjoyed the show all the way up the Eastern seaboard. The most spectacular display was New York City. With my equipment up in the bin, I wasn't able to shoot properly (my little pocket camera's shutter moves too slowly, making blur a sure thing when factoring in the speed of the aircraft).

Still, this gives you an idea of the magical scene:

It was quite beautiful - especially with the reflection of the moon on the Hudson River, the East River, and the ocean beyond. Sometimes the most wonderful things are waiting for us right outside the window - wherever that window happens to be!