The Intrepid

Illustration: Alex Eben Meyer

Flight deck
“Two-thirds of the jets have been restored since September 2006, the last time we were open,” says John Zukowsky, chief curator of the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. All 24 aircraft—including the U.S. Navy’s F-14 Tomcat (from Top Gun) and the U.S. Air Force’s F-16 Fighting Falcon (nicknamed “Viper” after the planes in the 1970s sci-fi TV series Battlestar Galactica)—are in formation and grouped by military branch. Here you can see the famous Concorde jet that flew from New York to London in under three hours, plus four newly acquired aircraft: a pair of Soviet MiGs, a rescue helicopter and a whirlybird that served during the Korean War.

Hangar deck
“We have a 22-foot-long LED wall projecting clips from World War II on,” says Zukowsky. “We’ve also created a steel-and-glass world of large and small artifacts.” That world boasts one of the ship’s four 27,000-pound solid-brass propellers, flight helmets, uniforms and crew books, including a 1973 yearbook of sideburned Navy men—the last boys to serve before the ship was retired. The Story of Intrepid will screen in a refurbished theater, and the Exploreum is chock-full of interactive exhibits; don’t miss the Bell 47 helicopter that you can sit in.

Mess deck
Zukowsky tracked down Robert Craig, a mess officer who served in 1969. Craig’s scrapbook shows a groovy take on the traditional dining room: Flea-market furnishings and walls painted in far-out colors like butterscotch. The swanky decor allowed the seamen to create themed spaces, which included a French café and a country-western area. Adjacent to the mess hall, compartmentalized sleeping quarters with bunk art drawn on the walls are on view. Says Zukowsky, “There are even images that one might find on a late 1960s album cover, including ’shrooms and a Cheshire cat.”

READY TO GO? The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum, Pier 86, Twelfth Ave at 46th St (877-957-7447, intrepidmuseum.org). Reopens Sat 8; check the website for hours and information on the opening celebration; $7.50–$19.50, free for retired military, active duty, museum members and children under 2.