LaCombes visit the CIA & Grassy Knoll

HYDE PARK, New York (LCN) -- The LaCombes continued their tour of the Hudson River Valley with stops at the CIA and a grassy knoll

Security was virtually non-existent at the CIA this Saturday. The typical shadow operators were gone...replaced by men and women dressed in checkered black pants and billowy hats.

The apparent change in the Agency's operating procedure shouldn't alarm you - Our country isn't getting soft on spying. David, Kathryn, and Will visited the other CIA - The Culinary Institute of America.

Located in Hyde Park, NY, the CIA is a private college that provides world-class culinary education . The Institute opened in 1946 as the New Haven Restaurant Institute, a storefront cooking school in downtown New Haven, CT, with an enrollment of 50 students and a faculty consisting of a chef, a baker, and a dietitian.

Today the college enrolls more than 2,400 students in its degree programs and employs more than 130 chef-instructors and other faculty members representing 16 countries.

Our tummies growled in anticipation of eating gastronomical delights as we toured the perfectly manicured grounds. Climbing the main stairs to Roth Hall, I could hear Kathryn's heart beating. Our mouths began to salivate. We were about to eat at the legenday CIA. We reverently approached the Apple Pie Bakery Cafe - known for its sumptuous baked goods and cafe cuisine.

The sign to the Cafe was coming into focus...this was it. What....CLOSED...how could the cafe be closed on a Saturday afternoon. We were crestfallen. Our dream shattered...oh...the betrayal.

With little fanfare we turned on our heels and headed for the Pathfinder. Hunger was now taking hold of our will-power. We quietly ate our McDonalds hamburgers as we drove by the CIA. Refraining from throwing our fast food debris onto the CIA grounds, we moved on to our next stop...the grassy knoll.


No, not that grassy knoll...we went to Prospect Hill, a family owned and operated orchard in Milton, NY. The orchard permits visitors to pick their own fruit. We hiked uphill to a knoll with the nicest white and yellow peaches.


William enjoyed picking peaches and posing for photographs. Daddy mainly thought about the dessert KC promised - peach and blueberry crisp with amaretti cookie topping....whew!



We concluded our day with a stop at Lowes - we're getting ready to paint the sunroom and needed supplies. Stay tuned for updates on the dessert and room painting.