New York City Fleet Week 2009

Sorry for the late notice on this one. We get so carried away with lowrider trucks and hundred-year-old theme parks sometimes that we forget some of the coolest events of the year until it’s nearly too late. If you’re in the New York area a couple weeks from now, or you’re looking for fun vacation idea, don’t miss New York City Fleet Week 2009 from May 20-26 at New York Harbor.

The New York edition of a tradition that started in San Diego over seventy years ago, Fleet Week brings together the active military ships and their crew from the Navy, Marines and Coast Guard for military displays, fun spectator competitions and, most importantly, shore leave. While the fine men and women of the U.S. Naval Services enjoy a refreshing day or two on the town, civilians have the opportunity to check out the ships that the soldiers call home almost year-round.

The entertainment schedule has been jazzed up over the years, but the heart of Fleet Week is still the ship tours. Depending on whether you visit the Manhattan location at the New York Passenger Ship Terminal and Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum or the location at Stapleton on Staten Island, you’ll have two to nine ships to explore.

At the terminal in Manhattan, you can visit the USS Iwo Jima and USS Roosevelt, while over on Staten Island you can visit four more United States ships and five HMCS ships (those would be ships from the, ahem, Canadian military). Unless it’s all about the ships for you, in which case Staten Island’s got an embarrassment of options, we say to head to the New York Passenger Ship Terminal in Manhattan, where the ship tours are joined by many other fine entertainments.

Military displays are an annual favorite, whether its formations, technique presentations (like fast roping from a helicopter to a ship deck), flight shows, search and rescue shows, or even musical performances by rock bands formed by active military members. Love a good competition? The soldiers do, too! Be on hand for the tug-of-war, the stem-to-stern relay race, and everyone’s favorite, the cooking contest amongst each ship’s galley crew.

Over the years, Fleet Week has begun to attract major New York performers from Broadway and the like, and this year’s no different. The cast of “Wicked” will perform for the military and civilians alike, as will the casts of CHICAGO and, my favorite, STOMP.

New York City Fleet Week 2009 will be held May 20-26 at the New York Passenger Ship Terminal and the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum with additional ship tours on the coast in Stapleton, Staten Island. Most ships are open for tours from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., no admission required. Consult the schedule for other events and attractions. You can learn a little bit about Fleet Week at the official site here, though to be honest I like the Intrepid Museum’s site a little better.

There’s never a shortage of hotels in New York City, that’s for sure, but today we’ve got a new one for you. For a charming Manhattan hotel not too far from the Terminal, consider the Hilton Garden Inn New York / Tribeca. The hotel is new, pet-friendly and just a few miles from where you need to be.

Of course, we know this is the kind of thing some people head in just for one day to see. For something like that, consider staying at the airport. Near JFK International Airport hotel, consider the Holiday Inn JFK Airport Hotel. Not a bad choice for convenience and affordability.

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