By Henry V.

On a crisp Saturday morning, Troop 5 gathered at the train station, ready for an exciting day in New York City. With our daypacks and Scout spirit, we boarded a train bound for “The City.” Our destination was the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. The journey was part of the adventure — as we had to walk almost 10 blocks to reach the ship.

The Intrepid is a retired aircraft carrier-turned-museum docked at Pier 86. The ship was enormous, and the variety of exhibits immediately struck us. From fighter jets on the flight deck to the Space Shuttle pavilion housing The Enterprise, the first space shuttle, actually named after the famous fictional USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), from the original television series ‘Star Trek,’ (which shared the name with the most decorated aircraft carrier of WWII) there were interesting and interactive displays around every corner.

A highlight was stepping into the ship’s combat information center and war room, where we learned how sailors coordinated missions. We learned that the USS Intrepid served in World War II, and the Vietnam War, and recovered astronauts from space missions.

“Our favorite activity came from an accident.”

We took a lunch break on the ship.

Our favorite activity came from an accident. We were originally scheduled to watch a 3D movie. Unfortunately, the movie’s audio didn’t work — we were instead compensated with tickets to a fighter plane simulator. This proved to be the Troop’s favorite activity that day! Lastly, we explored the submarine docked next to the Intrepid called The Growler.

Afterward, on the way back, we walked along the pier, admiring the views of the waterways. One highlight was that we even saw a Concorde jet and learned how it flew passengers faster than the speed of sound.

The day wrapped up with another train ride back.