| Edification value |  |
|---|---|
| Entertainment value | |
| Should you go? |  |
| Time spent | 150 minutes, including 26 queued to get in. I could easily have spent more (inside, that is). |
| Best thing I saw or learned | 
For all those who think technology progresses in only one direction, Intrepid offers a few counterfactuals, but none better than Concorde. From 1976 until 2003, people (very few, and very rich to be sure) jetted across the Atlantic in under 3.5 hours. I hope we see supersonic travel again in my lifetime. But I doubt it. |
Driving up the west side of Manhattan helps New Yorkers exercise our jadedness. Here’s my routine with out-of-towners.
- Oh, the Renzo Piano Whitney building. I was just there the other day.
- Hmph, High Line. Too crowded with tourists.
- Frank Gehry’s IAC Building is really showing its age, isn’t it?
- I can sometimes be bothered to look up from my smartphone at midtown’s forest of skyscrapers.
- Hudson Yards, a whole new city within the city, is an inconvenient and messy construction zone.
- And that over there? Oh, that’s just our aircraft carrier.
I can act the part. But, oh, the Intrepid. I’m still a kid at heart. I love boats and planes and exploding things. And the Intrepid has all of that, including a Concorde, a nuclear submarine, and even a (sort of) space shuttle. I love that we’ve got an aircraft carrier, just parked next to Manhattan like its crew dropped by to see a show or go shopping on Canal Street.
As I’ve observed, New York has a glut of art museums and far too few science museums. Intrepid is one of the latter, with a good dose of history to boot. Partly due to supply and demand, then, there can be long lines. And it gets away with charging a hefty entrance fee. Still, it’s worth it. Continue reading “Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum”