The World War II aircraft carrier Intrepid has returned to its berth on Manhattan's West Side following a two-year refurbishment in Bayonne, New Jersey and Staten Island, New York. The decommissioned ship had served as the centerpiece of the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum at Manhattan's Pier 86 since 1982, but two decades of visitors stomping through its narrow passageways had left it looking worse for wear, so an ambitious renovation was initiated in late 2006.
When the museum reopens on November 8, visitors will be able to explore parts of the ship that were previously off-limits, including the forecastle and machine shop, as well as gawk at several new aircraft on the flight deck. The hangar deck, meanwhile, will contain a host of interactive exhibits that tell the story of the ship's history in periods of both war and peace.
The Intrepid is one of only a handful of attractions in the city solely dedicated to the military, and its return to the West Side Piers should give a welcome bump to tourism in an area that was once one of the busiest ports in the country.
A friend of Jaunted just got back from a jaunt through Scandinavia and gave us a tip on what turns out to be the most visited museum in the whole of the region. Their website even goes so far to say that it's one of the foremost tourist sights in the world, so we thought we'd better keep you informed.
It's the Vasa Museum in Stockholm, which houses a completely intact 17th century warship with quite a story behind it.
Sinking Titanic-like on its maiden voyage in 1628, but without the iceberg excuse (apparently it was just badly designed), the massive ship was rediscovered and dragged back up into the light in 1961.
It's now on display as the largest ever preserved object, and has been housed in a specially-designed building since 1990. Plenty of science has gone into both pulling this nifty ship outta the water and keeping it looking good. It must be worth seeing--all those visitors can't be wrong.
Most men have an opinion on the relative quality of women drivers--we're staying out of this one, as we don't own a car--but Englishwoman Hannah Gutteridge is doing very little to improve the image of the female driver. She crashed and sunk her boyfriend's brand-new, $500,000 yacht into rocks off the coast of Dorset, England yesterday while her boyfriend was giving her a sailing lesson.
The boat capsized and the happy couple clung to those same rocks while they waited to be picked up by the English equivalent of the Coast Guard. One would hope that the rescuers brought along a couples counselor with them.
According to Hannah, her boyfriend (a stockbroker/Porsche driver/empty suit type) didn't mind all that much about the wrecked boat. "He wasn't angry with me," she said. "He's not that kind of guy." From our experience, Stockbrokers who buy yachts and drive Porsches aren't materialistic at all, so she's a lucky woman. Next time, Hannah, maybe convince him to buy a speedboat? And whatever you do, don't take any flying lessons.
