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  1. lucky I got to check out some nuclear submarines before those tours became offlimits post 9-11 world. amazing how much stuff they can cram into those subs. those japanese pod hotels would be luxury compared to the beds in the subs

  2. There must be a big sorting during the day now b/c I saw the planes landing in the morning and taking off at night. I love getting tours of big industrial facilities. I got to see some really cool stuff when I was in the Navy. Favorites were the floor of the Bath Iron Works facility where they manufacture Arleigh Burke class destroyers and a facility in rural Virginia where they make advances radar systems.

    This is giving me an idea. My next driving vacation is going to consist of a tour of big manufacturing facilities where they let in the public for tours and / or I have contacts and can get myself in. That would just completely rule. Maybe a one week tour with one or two facilities per day.

  3. jessi,

    are you still planning the trip to Isanbul?

    lechacal,

    there’s a place in Queens where you can park your car and see the planes taking off from JFK, it’s near the nature preserve.
    used to be, you could park there at 9:00AM on Thursday’s or Saturday’s I think, and you could watch the Concord take off for London or Paris.
    That thing was awesome, it shot out like an arrow through the clouds and the sound was this huge roar like thunder being stretched out all taffy like.

  4. Yes, lechacal. They did a huge expansion in 1982. Our tour was overnight as that’s when the action happens. Back then it was the only facility in the country. I believe they have a few satellites now.

    But back then, every single package they touched was flown in, sorted and flown back out of that one facility. In 1982, that was some major technology!!!!

    One of the other really interesting tours is a cigarette facility a la Philip Morris. To see the speed that they churned out cigarettes with virtually no human labor!!!!

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