FLEET WEEK!
★★★★★★ (6 out of 5)
Hello, and welcome to my week-by-week review of everything in the world. Today I am reviewing Fleet Week!
Technically there is no exclamation point in “Fleet Week,” but I use one in order to convey my unbridled enthusiasm for the event. Roughly six times a year San Francisco is host to Fleet Week!, an exciting parade of jets that fly back and forth over the city! Where do the jets go? Nowhere! What do they do? Fly! And boy do they fly. These jets can travel in literally any direction. Left! Right! Up! Down!
I don’t live in San Francisco, but I always visit during this exciting time. Surprisingly the hotels don’t fill up. I asked the desk clerk at Motel Renoir why they had so many rooms available, but she couldn’t hear me over the exciting roar of jets! When I asked again, she still couldn’t hear me over another exciting roar of jets.
Motel Renoir has a few amenities perfect for Fleet Week! Roof access is key for an unobscured view of all the flying, as is the wake-up call service which allows me to awaken at 4 AM to ensure a good spot on the roof. I must be a heavy sleeper though, because I always sleep through the calls. Fortunately the paper-thin walls allow me to easily be awoken by my neighbors who are so excited about Fleet Week they can’t stop screaming.
For those of you who have never had the privilege of seeing Fleet Week! in person, let me describe it to you. Jets fly pretty fast in the sky. They don’t just sit on the ground, but actually become airborn! Sometimes groups of them fly together! There are clouds and other sky-related objects such as birds or lost balloons that also might be visible. To be clear, I’m not describing photographs of jets flying, but actual ones literally flying! And have I mentioned the sound? It’s so loud! All week long!
The whole city shares my excitement, too. Crowds of people gather to crane their necks and look at deafeningly loud jets. And no one minds the cost involved or thinks the money could be better spent on absolutely anything else. After all, these are flying jets we’re talking about!
Fleet Week! is happening right now! If you aren’t in San Francisco, come on over! If you are, look out your window, there’s a thing in the sky!
Please join me next week when I’ll be reviewing the hours of video I shot of Fleet Week!
8 responses
Ted, I have a strong preference for watching jets that can fly at between a 30- and 35-degree angle to the ground. Before I invest in a ticket to SF, I want to be sure the Fleet Week! jets can do so, but Yelp offers no such information. Please advise.
Dear Larry,
As near as I can tell, these jets do it all. And they do it all while flying! Trust me, you WON’T be disappointed.
Your Friend,
Ted
Ted, don’t forget how awesome it is when the Fleet Week! jets buzz that snobby suspension bridge to show it who’s boss, a la Tom Cruise in Top Gun.
Dear Sloan,
Thank you for mentioning that! The first time I saw those jets buzz that bridge, they really put into action words I had been trying to express for so long. Kudos!
Your Friend,
Ted
So you’re saying Tom Cruise will be at Fleet Week!? This substantiates rumors I’ve been hearing about Tom for so long, and it’s welcome news. Ted, I’ll be on the red eye tonight to SF, and I’m hoping you can pick me up at the airport.
Are these the jets that have exhaust coming out the back at 21,000 pounds
per inch or are these the kind that little kids launch with a twitch of their elbow and forearm? From certain perspectives they can look the same. And if you’re really close to the kids, the roar can sound the same too.
Dear Larry!
I only just got your message! I’m headed to the airport right now! I hope you get this! I’m so sorry for the delay! I’m not even in SF anymore, so look for me in the baggage claim area! I land at 6:30 PM! So sorry!
Your Friend,
Ted
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Dear Art!
No time to respond, I have a flight to catch! Will write more later!
Your Friend,
Ted
Dear Ted – I have been living in the SF bay area for a long time and the flying jets are so awesome I don’t mind the $30-$40 dollars it takes them to fill up, it’s well worth it. Plus when they fly low and everything shakes we get to see which buildings are ready for the big one, so there’s that, too….enjoy!
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