From Boston Harbor to the San Francisco Bay there’s no better way to see a city from both sides now. We’re talking about duck boats folks, amphibious vehicles that double as busses and vessels at the same time. Lots of cities have them. Some ducks are authentic WWII DUKWs. Others are modern variations on the same theme. Either way, they offer you a unique perspective on the town.
We’ll take a look at a quartet of tours:
- Boston Duck Tours are conducted aboard an authentic WWI amphibious landing vehicle, one that’s been reworked for sightseeing. Those sites include Bunker Hill, Boston Common, the Big Dig and Quincy Market.
- Ride the Ducks Philadelphia serves up a singular perspective of the City of Brotherly Love – from the Delaware River. Behold the behemoth battleship U.S.S New Jersey as you’ve never seen her. Tour Philadelphia’s Historic District and hip South Street.
- Austin Duck Adventures is one of the exceptions that proves the rule: duck boat tours aren’t always bicoastal. While most people don’t associate the heart of Texas with things nautical, this trip might change that. Austin Duck Adventures operates Hydra Terra amphibians on this 75-minute sojourn along Austin Streets and on into Lake Austin. See the State Capitol Building, historic Sixth Street and the Governor’s Mansion. See how a high-tech city’s grown from a semi-sleepy Texas college town in a few short decades.
- Ride the Ducks San Francisco embarks from the corner of Taylor and Jefferson Streets, just across from the famous Fisherman’s Warf sign. From the land toodle about Chinatown, North Beach, the Ferry Building and other landmarks. After splashing down in the near reaches of the bay you get a seaside view of the city’s signature skyline, the Bay Bridge and – for baseball aficionados – AT&T Ballpark and McCovey Cove.
(Image: Richard Masoner/Cyclelicious)
