Sure, they’ve been open for years. But I’ve been busy. I’ve been meaning to go one of these days - it’s on my list.
So what do I see in today’s paper? An announcement that yesterday was the last day they were open before they closed for renovations. Two years’ worth of renovations.
Would it have killed them to publicize this a month - or even just a week - before they closed? This is exactly the kind of thing that would have gotten me off my butt and made me visit them.
Hell, I don’t even expect to still be living in this area in two years.
As you said, the museum had been open for years, and you’d never bothered to visit. Did you just expect them to always be there, just in case you felt the urge?
I wouldn’t be surprised if there had been other notices, which you hadn’t seen. Maybe at the museum itself, hmmm? For the regular patrons, the ones who had earned the right to be let in on the museum’s “little secret”.
Isn’t that sort of the idea? You open your doors for business and people who get the urge walk through them and give you money. I don’t expect businesses to just close up shop for two years. I live in the area and this is the first I’ve heard of the thing shutting down.
You don’t work in Marketing do you? Letting only your regular patrons know is fine when the local bakery closes for a month. It’s not fine when you’re a tourist attraction that draws people from all around the area, and beyond. You have a chance to bring in a lot more people that last month or two, it’s silly not to take it.
I make this statement assuming there was little effort to inform the public, I hadn’t heard the notice, so I can’t say either way what the Museum management tried to get out there.
Since the OP didn’t make it clear (typical New Yorker; thinks their shit is the only shit), both Air & Space Museums in Washington (the one on the Mall & the Udvar-Hazy out at Dulles) are still quite open.
We’ll just send down a corned beef sandwich for you to choke on. Would you like mustard with that?
Little Nemo, I feel your pain. I had a day off and my wife and I were all set to take our 3 year olds over to The Children’s Museum. My wife called to check the hours. Turns out they were closed for two weeks. After letting the bitter disappointment seep away we went to the Central Park Zoo instead.
Too bad for ya, but as pointed out by Tom~, it had been announced two months’ ago. And it’s not like I’d expect a massive media blitz, either, so I don’t really get the indignation. Besides, you assume that the people running the Intrepid Museum would have the same motivations vis-a-vis running a “closing for renovations sale” as would a department store, or for that matter, the publicity-hungry management of places like MOMA.
Guess who was planning to take his “World War II in Literature and Film” class to the Intrepid? We did it last year, and it was the highlight of the term.
While I have no aircraft carrier suggestions for you, may mention that the USS Ling, a WW2 era submarine, is open for business in Hackensack? (Take the GWB to Rt 4, get off the River Road exit. First submarine on your left.)
Also, a slightly longer drive, but the USS New Jersey (BB-62), the longest battleship the US ever made, is docked in Camden. If you call ahead, you can even arrange to even sleep over aboard her.
(Shelling Philly, sadly, is not a package option.)
Their Website mentioned the renovation plan at least as early as Late June when I was checking into visiting again in July. We did the USS New Jersey BB62 instead. We combined that with the Aquarium in easy walking distance on a joint ticket. Ask about the Fish and Ships package, a very good deal.
I have seen a small article or two about the closing for renovations over the past month.
Darn them to heck, that they did not send you an Email notification of their plans. Mighty selfish of them.
I thought it would be obvious I’m not genuinely mad at the Intrepid museum (by the way, Arky, I’m pretty sure there’s only one USS Intrepid and it’s in New York). I’m annoyed at myself for delaying doing something and then losing my chance.
I am surprised that the Intrepid didn’t choose to publicize the immanent closing with a “this is your last chance until 2008” publicity campaign. I read about the closing itself in two different places yesterday but had heard nothing about it before (and I would have noticed).
And now as Count Blucher & I have provided links to the Battleship NJ, you must plan to get there in the next few weeks so you will not be kicking yourself for missing out on it also.
In all honesty, the Intrepid was more interesting as it had a wide variety of planes and better exhibits. The NJ is still interesting, but might not be worth the drive for you. If you do like aquariums, the package makes for a great day.
Jim {Considering your user name, it seems like a better than 50-50 chance that you do like Aquariums. }
