The Intrepid serves as home base for annual Fleet Week celebration (photo by twi-ny/mdr)
Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
Pier 86, 12th Ave. & 46th St.
May 25–30
Admission: adults $22, children three to six $10, seven to seventeen $17 (if purchased online in advance)
www.intrepidmuseum.org
Fleet Week is back for its annual visit to New York City over the long Memorial Day weekend, kicking off May 25 at 10:00 am with the Parade of Ships; among those vessels that will be docking either at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum or Staten Island are the USS Iwo Jima, Carr, John L. Hall, Kauffman, and New York and the USCGC Willow, Tampa, Reliance, and Katherine Walker. Through Monday, there will be daily pier displays by the Office of Naval Research, the Coast Guard, Army, and Marines, the American Red Cross, and various corporate sponsors, and the Broadway showcase will feature live performances by the casts of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Jersey Boys, Chicago, Catch Me If You Can, Rock of Ages, Wicked, Rain, and Billy Elliot. The Military Tug of War is always a Fleet Week highlight, along with a series of educational demonstrations, tours of an LSV-1 Army Vessel, and live music by the Statue of Liberty Army Band, the U.S. Coast Guard Trio Band, the U.S.A.F. Band of Liberty Afterburner, the Manhattan Dolls, United We Sing, the Jonathan Batiste Quintet, and the George Gee Swing Orchestra. In addition, the Intrepid will be opening the new exhibit “Portraits of Flight” on Sunday and have extended hours during Fleet Week. (To avoid long waits and save two dollars per person, it’s best to buy tickets online in advance.)