May 23, 2007

Fleet Week kicks off with parade of ships, fly-over

Fleet Week pulls into New York today, with several thousand military personnel arriving into the city onboard Navy, Marine and Coast Guard ships.

They wil arrive dramatically, taking part in the Parade of Ships from the Verrazano bridge, up the Hudson to the George Washington bridge. (It's scheduled for 9:30 to 11 a.m.) Once docked - mostly in Staten Island but also along the Hudson piers -- many of the ships will open for public tours during the next week. (See the full schedule in pdf format.)

Be warned, the fly-over is scheduled for today and it can be shockingly loud.

Oddly, it appears that all of NewYorkology's favorite webcams of the harbor and Hudson River are out of order this morning. The best glimpse online may come via 1010WINS streaming video, WiredNewYork's webcam No. 1 or the city's traffic cam near the Verazano Bridge.

(Here's the list to New York's 50 best webcams that NewYorkology put together in December.)

As for the webcam on the USS Intrepid, it's still afixed to the ship, which is in drydock undergoing repairs in New Jersey. There's another webcam on that page, positioned at the Hudson docks of the Intrepid's usual home, which may offer a view of the Parade of Ships.

As for the visiting service members, there are plenty of perks on offer. The Empire State Building always offers free entrance to active-duty military in uniform and there's THE USOh! SHOW. Chocolate Bar is also launching a new Fleet Week truffle collection with an anchor necklace, but alas, no deals for the sailors themselves.

(Image from Fleet Week 2006.)

Earlier: Intrepid on the move to dry dock - watch via webcam

May 23, 2007 07:34 AM in Cheap Stuff, Downtown, Kids, Midtown, Out of Manhattan, Sightsology, Techology, Tours, Upper West Side

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