New York City

October 9th - Saturday Beautiful Day - Pretty Drive

Lou and I were up at 4:30 AM to be at Benedict's Bus Service at 5:30 so we could board the bus to travel to New York City. This was Lou's first trip to NYC in years and he throughly enjoyed it. Up until this year, I traveled to the City at least twice a year, for many reasons, one trip two years ago was just to have lunch in Central Park and get a hair cut.

This year we went for the express purpose of visiting The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum. If you folks can believe it, this is one Air Museum that Lou had never visited.

Lou and I were dropped off near the Gershwin Theatre close to Eighth Avenue and we walked the distance to the Museum which was located at Pier 86, 12th Avenue and 46th Street. Lou and I both enjoying walking and it was the perfect day for walking in the City, as it is always windy and sometimes can be very cold; however, yesterday was a perfect day in all aspects.

The Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum spans four city blocks, the new Intrepid is an attraction with spectacular interactive exhibits and the latest in virtual, multi-sensory and video-display technology. It is located at the new park-like Pier 86 that is lined with lush trees and comfortable benches.

From the moment you walk through the entrance you are captivated by a 10 foot by 30 foot video wall, views through opened hatches and a inspirational introductory film.

We were able to see areas of the shop that the normal person would never see, such as the massive anchor chains to the newly opened berthing area where the crew slept to a 1960 recreated mess deck.

There were many hands on activities in the new interactive halls. The guests could land a plane in the flight simulator, climb into a life boat, pick up objects with astronaut gloves.

Lou and I were fortunate enough to be among a special tour group and had a marvelous tour guide (Mark) that just bubbled with stories and history of the Intrepid. Among our group was a gentleman that was stationed on the ship while he was in the Navy and he also shared his stories. It was a day neither of us will ever forget.

Lou and I rode up on the huge elevator that brought the fighter planes from the lower deck to the flight deck, listened to the planes take off and return to the ship and the precautions that were taken to make sure the plane and the pilot and his crew were safely returned to the ship.

The most impressive part of the day for me was to sit in the Mulitmedia room and watch The Day of Darkness and Day of Light. We were able to be transformed into the actual part of the ship on November 25th 1944, when the Intrepid was struck by two kamikaze suicide planes. It was as if we were actually taking part in the attack, right down to the sound and smoke from the massive fires that broke out when the ship was hit. At that point the ship was out of commission for three months and once again returned to the Pacific Ocean near the Philippines where it remained until the end of the war.

After we left the Intrepid, we walked on to the British Airways Concorde, if you remember this plane flew 1,350 MPH. The fastest Atlantic crossing by any Concorde occurred on February 7, 1996 and it took only two fours and 52 minutes. We were able to explore this wonderful plane.

After touring the Concorde we walked up to the USS Growler Submarine. The Growler is the only strategic missile submarine open to the public in the United States. A guided cruise missile, the 32 foot long Regulus. The Regulus missile served as an important nuclear deterrent during the Cold War 1950s and 1960s.

The sub was 317 foot long and could carry up to 15 torpedoes which were intended for self-defense. We toured the Missile guidance center, a truly unique room, 35 years ago this space was classified top secret.

The Control room/attack center houses the Growler's periscopes. This is where the captain commanded the Growler and the crew members steered her through the water.

The Growler was commissioned on August 30th 1958 and decommissioned on May 25th 1964.

All in all the hours that we spent at the Museum were very enjoyable and the time passed so quickly. We had to be back to board the bus for home at 7:00, so we quickly walked back to the area close to the bus area and found a place to eat. We had a delicious dinner and stopped at the Hershey Store at Times Square for dessert and a snack for the ride back home.

It was a wonderful day and one that Lou and I throughly enjoyed. It was a day of bitter sweet memories also, as my late husband has been gone for three years today, and I am so thankful first to the Lord for guiding my steps and for placing Lou in my path and for the support from my family for accepting Lou as my husband. I can not imagine what these last two years would have been without Lou in my life. Praise God for all of his blessings each and every day.

We arrived home safely around 12:30 am, tired and happy.

This will be a busy week coming up, as Lou and I are sponsoring a weekend of SMART camping in Adamstown, PA, along with our friends Steve and June Bahr and we will be leaving early Thursday morning. So much to get done prior to departing.