ABOARD THE USS KEARSARGE – As soon as the sailors and soldiers encircling the deck of the USS Kearsarge could see the Manhattan skyline in the distance, the speculation began about where on the crowded island they would be eating, drinking, shopping, and sightseeing.

The 1,100 sailors and 500 Marines aboard the ship were among more than 4,000 active duty servicemen and -women to arrive in Manhattan yesterday for the city’s 19th annual Fleet Week festivities.

“I want to see everything,” Corporal Todd Meyer said as the 844-foot amphibious assault ship that he boarded Monday made its way up the Hudson River. It would be the first New York visit for Corporal Meyer, who, like many of the Marines on the ship recently returned from Fallujah, Iraq.

Corporal Meyer, 22, surmised that he would be working at a fast food joint in his hometown of Lawrence, Kan., had he not chosen to enlist in the military shortly after the terror attacks of September 11, 2001. New York’s Fleet Week, he said, would not only provide him some much-needed leisure time, but would reinforce his decision to join the Armed Forces. “It gives us a chance to see what happened here,” he said, referring to the World Trade Center attacks. “It’s one of the reasons why we do what we do.”

Many of the servicemen and -women said the first item on their New York agenda was visiting ground zero.

The USS Kearsarge was one of eight Navy ships to participate in New York’s Fleet Week’s first event, the “Parade of Ships,” which took place yesterday morning and afternoon. Galas, military demonstrations, concerts, and parades are planned throughout the week.

Arriving in New York yesterday was homecoming of sorts for Lieutenant Mike Lucrezio, a 36-year-old Queens native. He said he had spent the last few days dispensing advice about New York attractions to his fellow servicemen and -women, many of whom would be visiting the Big Apple for the first time. “They want to know where to get good pizza, how to get to the Empire State Building, and if it’s really safe to get on the subway,” he said.

His Fleet Week highlight won’t be the pizza or the skyscrapers, but a visit to the Forest Hills home of his 89-year-old Italian grandmother, Lieutenant Lucrezio said. “She’s always wanted to see me in my Dress Whites,” he said, gesturing toward his white Navy uniform.

Several hours before disembarking in Manhattan, the troops received a visit from three stars of the new movie “X-Men: The Last Stand,” actors Halle Berry, Hugh Jackman, and Kelsey Grammer. As the stars expressed their gratitude to the Armed Forces, the troops cheered and snapped photographs of the famous visitors, who arrived on the ship via helicopter late yesterday morning.

Later in the day, Mr. Grammer and his wife, Camille, spent several hours chatting with the servicemen and -women, taking down some of their e-mail addresses and vowing to stay in touch. Asked about the widespread anti-war sentiment in New York and Hollywood, he said, “I chalk it up to lack of thought, and lack of thoughtfulness.”

Marine Corps Sergeant Anthony Nagle of Struthers, Ohio, said he didn’t think Fleet Week should be about politics. “Even though the war’s unpopular, I’ve realized that there’s a lot of support for the troops,” Sergeant Nagle, 22, who recently returned from Iraq. “I joined the military because I felt that I would die for my country. I just hope people here will appreciate that.”