Fleet Week on The Intrepid Space Museum

Memorial Day weekend had begun.  Just like that.  It caught NYCity Mama off guard.  It wasn’t too long ago she had been talking about making plans to go away with the family, holding off scheduling the trip “till later” when all of a sudden the weekend was upon her and no plans had been made.

So, here they were, stuck in NYC, on a holiday weekend.  For most New Yorkers, and even for Mama till recently, there was nothing worse.  Ironic when you think about how much she loves the city.  But, she was determined to make the best of it, no regrets that the holiday met her here. She was going to make it GREAT.

And all this “greatness” was going to be kicked off by the activities taking place on Pier 84 in celebration of Fleet Week.

When they arrived at the pier, the lines were already pretty long, the sun was beaming at full capacity, and the boys were ready to go.  Luckily, the angels that watch over her came up with this amazing gift called “Will Call“, and though she received these tickets as a gift, anyone who purchases their tickets online will reap the same benefits she did: no lines.  Having bypassed the lines impressed her husband and 11 year old so much that they were smiling and giving her high-fives when they got in on the other side.

Once they were on the Pier, they headed straight to the Intrepid Museum‘s Flight Deck.  Now, fighter planes and helicopters are not really much of what Mama would call a “good time”, but her boys (husband included) could not lift their dropped jaw at the sight, and this reaction is enough to get Mama excited about anything, even fighter planes and helicopters.

Truth is, she did think it was pretty cool up there.  Her 3.5 year old kept wanting the ship to actually sail away with them on it, and the 2.5 year old kept wanting to get inside the cock pits of the various planes, things that caused a few minor tantrums, but all in all, slowly checking out each machine was fun, interesting, and really exciting for them.

They headed to the next level down and then inside the museum.  All was well, until they got inside the museum. Turns out that during Fleet Week the lines for all the free activities in the museum are longer, which is to be expected. However, when you go there with toddlers, who have yet to master the skill of taking and waiting for turns, then long lines and large crowds make for not-so-fun situations.  So, they quickly walked through, with Mama taking note of all the things there are to do when she returns on a weekday, while other kids are still in school, and the festivities are over.

They made their way out of the museum and onto the pier again, this time to check out all the activities going on. And there were plenty.  They listened to music from the cast of Wicked (who also spray painted her 11 year old’s hair green), participated in drill challenges, which her 3.5 year almost did until the shyness got the best of him, but which her husband took on fearlessly and they watched a tag team competition between the Navy and the Army soldiers,which was unbelievably hysterical.

The one game the kids enjoyed the most though was shooting hoops and competing against each other.  Granted, not much competition for the 11 year old, but the little ones took the challenge quite seriously, as is evident by the expression on their faces in these pictures!

So much to do, so much going on.  It was really a great time!  The boys (and Mama) loved seeing the men and women in uniform, the boats passing by, the helicopters flying overhead.  She thinks she even saw Whoopi Goldberg hanging out nearby. It was crazy to imagine, but a little over 3 hours had gone by before the boys started showing the first signs of exhaustion.

They made their way out, which is conveniently located through the gift shop, and bought the boys a little toy to remember the trip.

Instead of heading home, they headed to Times Square to walk around a bit more and enjoy the beautiful day.  The streets were crowded, music was everywhere.  It’s definitely the heart of New York City and it feels you up with energy just being there.

Before heading home, and by way of Hell’s Kitchen, they stopped by the local Sullivan St. Bakery.  Not having been there before, Mama was helped by local resident, Samantha, who guided her through the various delicacies to choose from, pointing out her favorites and helping Mama pick some for her hungry crew.  The shop is small, and cute…but the pastries are huge in flavor and were wonderful!  All the activities and fun, the tasty delights of Sullivan St. Bakery, and the kindness of strangers (who are friends in her heart) place this Adventure on the list of Mama’s favorite.

Fleet Week 2009 is ongoing till Tuesday, May 26th.  Check the site for details and scheduled events.

Thank you to all the men and women who serve our country and are dedicated to keeping us safe and protected.  We salute you and hope you enjoyed your visit or return to New York City!

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Tags: food, kid friendly, Museums
Posted in Good Eats, Museums/Science Centers/Tours | 4 Comments »