The INTREPID Sea-Air-Space MUSEUM, an air craft carrier and so much more,...this guy loved it!!
Written: Jun 20 '03 (Updated Sep 30 '08)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A large area to explore and never feel crowded. This was in May.
Cons: None, this place is well thought out and used well.
The Bottom Line: This museum has many hands on demonstrations of sea experiences, flight control, and space travel. This ship was in battle in WWII, and rescued space capsules.
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| popsrocks's Full Review: Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum |
A couple of weeks ago a friend from England came into town. One of his wishes was to check out the Intrepid Museum. There was aircraft aboard that he wanted to see. Our nations being allies, we two, an American and a Brit, I believe, enjoyed it that much more.
GETTING THERE
That day we took the LIRR, the Long Island Railroad to Penn Station. From there you can walk to the museum in about twenty or thirty minutes time. We opted for the subway up to 42nd street and walked the four blocks cross town to the Hudson River. There were many buses, the M42 line, that passed us going to the river on 42nd street that we could have hopped on.
Taxis are pretty easy to get in mid-town too. If you are driving just get over to 12th Ave. and 46th Street. That gets you there. Parking will cost you about $15.00 for a four hour stay. The parking is safe and convenient. There is a garage on 11th Ave between 44th and 46th streets. There is another by the Circle Line Cruise boats. I don't know their fees at all.
ARRIVAL TO THE PIER
The intrepid is tied up at pier 86. As we walked to it we passed a large Circle Line cruise ship station. These New York lines take you on excursions around Manhattan, up the Hudson River, pass the Statue of Liberty, on sunset cruises and the like. This could be something relaxing to do after spending a number of hours of studying so much the museum has to offer.
Just south of the aircraft carrier is a small park with benches. It looks like a great place to enjoy a picnic lunch you may have packed. Nearby are street food vendors for hot dogs, pretzels, knishes, sodas and the like.
The museum has vending machines for snacks and sodas. There is also a McDonald's on the second floor of the entrance center.
As you near the ship you will notice a bridge that carries pedestrian traffic across 12th Avenue. This is a new safe way of crossing the street but also gives a view of the aircraft carrier and direct entrance to the museum areas. You will also notice a tank and other guns on the pier. These are great picture opts.
THE VISITORS CENTER
This is where you purchase your tickets,and are given the free Acoustguide. This is a tape recording machine that tells you all about the different sites, artifacts, and goings on, in on and around the aircraft carrier. Where they got that name, Acoustguide, I just don't know. Hey, it is free so...... Everyone must go through security. I always say to pack light whenever site seeing for the freedom of hands, less weight and bulk and for quicker security checks.
I found the wait for tickets unusually long for the few people who were on line. There were about thirty people on line, five people behind the counter, and a twenty minute wait!
After I arrived to the counter I believe I found out why the line was slow. They could not process my credit card automatically. They had to hand enter the numbers etc, due to "The system being down."
The BIG SHIP
We went directly to the Intrepid aircraft carrier. You never realize how big these ships are until you are on or in them. It's HUGE! We went up the ramp to the ship and started exploring.
There was a small hands on simulator of landing a plane on the deck of a carrier. You are using instruments as your guide. I took in my fighter jet until I hit the deck, hard. BOOM!! and a note comes on the screen saying, "Sir, you just wasted a perfectly good 65 million dollar aircraft."
We went directly to where they had what they called a, 4D Seahawk Ride, Battle over Iwo Jima This cost an extra five dollars over the price of admission. It was fun, but not great. I suppose it would be a good diversion for the kids for a bit. There is another THRILL RIDE that we didn't try. You go into an aircraft simulator and "fly" a jet. This simulator takes you through g forces and spins you around and upside-down. It's pricey but the people who came out said it was an awesome experience.
That's it on $$$$ extras. Everything else was free. On the hanger decks were many hands on items. There was a deck of a ship you could stand on and it simulated the rocking and rolling in the sea. I checked out my scout skills at the knot tying station. I did well. You could signal to a friend with those flashing lights that send code too. I enjoyed this area as did many others.
SPACE INFORMATION
The Intrepid was the prime recovery ship for many space capsules in the fledgling years of NASA's participation in the Space Race. It picked up the Mercury Capsules and Gemini alike.
There was a whole area dedicated to space flight. I sat and watched a film of early NASA control stations as they monitored the moon landings. It's like watching the learning channel. I could get absorbed in it for hours, but, there was so much more to see and do. There were mock-ups of the space capsules and many more interesting items to see and learn from.
MORE TO SEE and DO
I was amazed to see a rock wall where you could harness up and climb a forty foot piece of mountain.
We then passed a statue that I recognized as the one of raising the flag over Iwo Jima. I read that the statue I was looking at was the very first and original. The one at Arlington Cemetery is a much larger copy of this one, aboard the Intrepid.
I checked out what looked like a really large oak barrel. This was a sumarine that was being tested hundreds of years ago. Little handles that turned propellers were in the vessel.
This was in an area dedicated to the heroes who fought and lost their lives on this ship in WWII. Many films depicted what the sailors went through. There were very interesting displays, films, and pictures of the Kamikaze pilots that tried to sink this ship. Many American lives were lost but the men fought valiantly.
Just a note here. This museum is different than others in that it is the actual place where men fought and died. Yes, right on the decks that you are standing on. It is an awesome reminder of what so many before us have done to protect our freedoms.
There was a model showing what the flight deck looked like in WWII and then when it was refitted with a different shaped and larger deck for more modern aircraft later.
I spotted an Avenger aircraft that was painted in the colours and markings of our first President George Bush's aircraft when he was shot down in WWII. That was a Grumman TBF/TBM Avenger.
Don't miss the Bob Hope cutout. Wish him a 100th happy birthday.
The Intrepid did three tours of duty in the Viet-Nam War.
In this area were a couple of computers set up so you could send messages to our troops in Iraq. My buddy got to do it.
An area in the museum was dedicated to the victims of 9/11. It was a small area but it had some of the flyers and notes that people posted in the days immediately following, when there was still hope for more survivors. This took me back to a trip my wife and I took to ground zero one week after the event. My heart sank when I saw that display of items where family and friends were hoping to see or hear of the survival of their loved ones.
We then went to the movie theatre. It was quite large and rivals any theatre out on the streets with its comfortable seats, nice decor, great sound system and good picture quality. We saw a film about the Intrepid. It was excellent. This is all part of your admission price.
Guys, you must go to the restroom just outside the theatre. Wash your hands and then try out the hand dryer blower. It's like the exhaust of one of the jet fighters on board the ship. I have never felf the heat and the blowing pressure like this. I mean it! You must check it out. My hands were dry in seconds! There is a ladies room nearby too. I didn't get to check out their facilities.
THE FLIGHT DECK
WOW!! This is a huge area over 900 feet long. Hey that's three football fields!!. On deck they have many aircraft on display.Living on Long Island I noticed the home built Grumman aircraft.
F11's, F14's, Ts-2 Trecker, E-1B Crusader and the A-6F Intruder were some of these.
There were so many more other aircraft, including many helicopters. Gosh, I forgot the name, but there is a stealth aircraft on the deck too. A Polish, Soviet built MIG was also on display.
We climbed up into the tower too. There was a fellow up there that could answer any questions you might have of the bridge. It was pretty cool going up and down those narrow stairs to get around up there.
Be sure to take time to just relax and look at the views of the Hudson River.
SUBMARINE TOO!!
With the same price of admission you also get a tour of a submarine. The USS Growler is right across the pier from the Intrepid. They have an area that is the sort of holding pen getting people into the sub. I believe they took us down in groups of about twenty.
The first thing before even getting into the holding area is that you must climb through a small opening. Well I suppose it wasn't too small because this nimble 270 pound guy could get through it. If you can't get through it, you are not going to make it into the sub. There are many small such opening to get through on board.
This tour took about a half an hour. It was very interesting seeing how confining these subs really were. I was also taken back by the huge amount of electronics that were used in those past days. Computers of today would save so much room.
Seeing everything from torpedo rooms to the kitchen was all very interesting and enlightening. I don't know if I would be very comfortable staying down under water for such long periods of time in the conditions aboard these vessels.
They take your picture upon boarding. Everyone has the picture taken. You can purchase the finished product if you like it.
THE USS EDSON
A third ship is open for inspection. This US Navy destroyer was open for self guided walks. It too has very informative guys aboard, hoping you have questions because they do have the answers.
Gift Shop
When you are all finished do check out the store. I thought they had some of the best post cards in New York. The prices were OK too.
The shop has many models of sea craft and aircraft. They have some pretty cool hats. too.
BACK TO the LAND
I have been to this museum before. I found it even more interesting the second time. The place is well set up and with hundreds and perhaps even thousands of people around I never felt crowded. I learned a lot from this museum. It's a good one!
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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