Visiting the Intrepid Aircraft Museum

Our Krazy Adventures have taken us to New York City for three weeks....yep that's not a typo.  We have been in NYC for three weeks.  I thought I had prepared myself for this trip.  I mean, it's not like traveling with Joe is a new adventure.  But traveling in NYC is a totally different experience.

First off, I was not prepared for the cost.  I had budgeted an amount for our trip, and HOLY COW was the budget blown out of the water.  Food costs are far higher than I even estimated.  It costs to drive almost anywhere.  The tolls are awful and the roads are horrible.

Second the crowds are nasty.  No one speaks English.  People are pushy, rude and seriously....can some of them use deodorant.  It's both fellow tourists and residents that are just mean.  We did meet a few people that were helpful.  Our first family journey out on the subway had us lost, and a nice lady helped us find the right train.

We have visited some exciting places and loved most of our adventures.  The adventures have left us exhausted, but all-in-all we have had a good time in New York City.

Our first adventure, minus just me trying to get used to driving in the city, was a trip to the Intrepid Aircraft Carrier which is docked in the Hudson River.

This is an aircraft carrier that was used in WWII, Korea and Vietnam.  It also helped recover some shuttle pods from NASA missions.  After sitting in the scrap yards for many years, it was recommissioned during 9/11 to help pump water into Manhattan and also house the FBI agents that were sent to NYC.  After that it was decided to turn it into a museum.

The Intrepid Aircraft Museum is definitely worth the trip.  If your family has a membership to your local science museum, they are members of the ATSC reciprocal membership family.  So most of the museum you can see for free.  We had to pay a little extra to see the Enterprise shuttle.  If you have already seen a space shuttle, you can easily skip that part.  We actually were a little upset, since we have seen a shuttle.  I was expecting more out of the Enterprise exhibit considering the cost.

For your admission, you not only get to tour the aircraft carrier, but there is also a submarine for tour.  We did skip that part because of the amount of walking involved.  Joey's legs were a bit shaky, and since we have been in a submarine in Philly, we stuck with the Intrepid.

There is a short film when you arrive to watch about the ship.  It shows its history, and you discover that is was even the victim of a kamikaze attack.  You can explore various floors of the ship and some cabins are set up on display.

This is the steam pumps for the motors that release planes that are taking off.

 A basket used to retrieve pilots from the ocean.

They had some equipment to show the kids that the ship was really a mini-floating city for the soldiers.  They had to have their shoes repaired even on the ship.  This was a shoe repair machine.

 All doctor visits were done on the ship also.

Can you guess what this is?

 They had several restored planes on the ship.

 The kids were able to play in a few.

 Pretending they were running the flight deck.

 Learning how hard it is to keep a ship balanced and upright in the water.

 Mechanics room

 The galley

 Cafeteria style for the lower ranks.  They were basic, yet decorated with a western theme to keep the mood more festive they said.

 The officers dining room style.

 Lower ranking soldiers slept in barricks like this.

 The control rooms.

 More planes on the upper flight deck.

 We did visit the Enterprise display, but were not overly impressed since we have been to space museums.  But it was neat to see once.

Joey's favorite display, a 500 pound LEGO replica of the Intrepid.

It was a great visit.  DO NOT eat on the ship.  The food was overpriced (and I mean triple the price) of a typical restaurant.  Also go early in the day.  This attraction draws long lines in the summer.  We got there shortly after opening and still had to wait 20 minutes in line.  I don't know if the ticket sellers were slow or what the hold-up was.  They were also short and rude when I showed them my pass and tried to ask a question about the Enterprise exhibit.  But the rest of the volunteers and employees were very nice on the ship.

Watch for more of our NYC adventures over the next couple of weeks.