Big Bus San Francisco - Night Tour

Shearwater is a classic Newport-style schooner yacht, only recently recognized as a national landmark in 2009. The vessel was built by Rice Brother Corporation in East Boothbay, Maine, back in a time when yachting was a rare combination of elegance and adventure; Rice Bros. were well known for building luxury pleasure yachts and produced some 4,000 hulls over a period of 64 years. The keel was laid down on January 4, 1929 and a news clip from the Boothbay Register reflects alongside a photograph "Tyler Hodgon at the old Tide Mill is getting out timbers for the schooner to be built at Rice’s. Vessel to be built of native white oak." Traditionally built from hand-hewn native white oak, she was the last boat to be constructed at that yard - likely due to the ensuing Great Depression brought on by the Stock Market Crash that occurred later that autumn. East Boothbay was a small coastal town with shipbuilding being its only industry. About 40 workmen were employed for the construction of SHEARWATER. Her designer Theodore Donald Wells was born in Hudson Falls, N Y on October 22, 1875. He was a naval architect and marine engineer, a member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and also the Institute of Naval Architects London. His education included post-graduate work at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. He began his career as a member of the firm Herreshoff and Wells, N. Y. City in 1902. Working with Herreshoff no doubt had an influence on his designs, which bear similarities to many of the famous Herreshoff designed yachts of that time. From 1903 to 1907 he worked for Wintringham and Wells and then began practicing his profession under his own name. Mr. Wells joined the Navy Department in March 1917 and became Superintending Constructor of the Baltimore District U. S. N. Notable yachts designed and constructed under his supervision are "Viking" a 272 foot steel motor yacht built for George F. Baker in 1929 by Newport News and "Karina" a three masted schooner built for Robert E. Tod in 1932 by Staten Island Shipbuilding. Mr. Tod was a well-known offshore yachtsman as was his former yacht ‘Thistle", which competed in the Emperors Cup ocean race. SHEARWATER was launched on May 4, 1929 and photographs in the Boothbay Register reflect her graceful and elegant lines. Her first Captain, Leon Esterbrook of Edgarton, MA, arrived to take charge of the fitting out. Her owner Charles E Dunlap was a member of the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, Oyster Bay, NY and this became SHEARWATER’s first homeport after her completion in late September 1929. It was there in Oyster Bay that she first started to thrill those who sailed in luxury aboard her and those who were privileged to crew her on race day. Since her launching and documentation in Lloyd’s Register of American Yachts in 1929, she has had a colorful history and has been carefully maintained and restored to standards that few contemporary vessels are able to match and is truly a piece of American Maritime History. On November 7, 1942 SHEARWATER was requisitioned by the War Shipping Administration and became a member of The United States Coast Guard’s Coastal Picket Patrol during World War Two. She was painted gray and bore the numbers CG67004. Based at Little Creek, Virginia she patrolled the waters east of the Chesapeake Bay entrance and south towards Cape Hatteras. Her skipper during that period reflected on how they used their free time while out on submarine patrol to race against other yachts and in his own words "sailed in tandem with the schooner Lord Jim, racing in and out of port, up and down the east coast and winning." She was designed and built as a gaff rigged schooner but during this period was changed to a Marconi rig. She carries over 2,550 square feet while under full sail. A true veteran world cruiser, she first transited the Panama Canal in July 1946 and in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s completed a two and a half-year global circumnavigation. In December 1971 Mrs. John B. Thayer of Rosemont, wife of a former trustee and treasurer, donated SHEARWATER to the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute of Environmental Medicine. She was used by the university as a laboratory for research on physiological responses to the stresses of living and working underwater. Captained by James Shearson, she was fitted with compressors, generators, monitoring instruments and a small decompression chamber. She has participated in many Ancient Mariner and Classic yacht races in U S waters as well as racing in the Bay of Islands in New Zealand while on her circumnavigation in the early 1980’s. It is rumored she was once dismasted in the famous Newport to Bermuda race. She was last raced by the current owners in San Diego in May 1995 in the American Schooner Cup and finished second overall. She entered the yacht charter industry in 1966 whilst on the West Coast sailing to the Channel Islands and was again used to generate income to keep her shipshape while owned by the University of Pennsylvania. During the chartering industry’s infancy in the Caribbean, SHEARWATER was known as the " Queen of the Fleet". Today she continues this tradition offering the most unique sailing experience and has passed rigid Coast Guard inspections and can carry up to 49 passengers. We welcome you to join us for an excellent opportunity to experience the ambiance of a vintage sailing vessel while delighting in the splendors of The Manhattan sky-line, the Statue of Liberty or the beauty of the oceans beyond.

Take in the impressive views and explore the facilities and attractions before heading up the chairlift to the start zone of the Skyline Luge. The Queenstown Luge is a unique wheeled gravity ride that provides riders full control over their descent on two purpose built tracks, scenic or advanced. Enjoy five Luge rides at your own pace before riding the Gondola back down to earth. YOU SHOULD BRING: Sunglasses Hats Warm clothes during winter periods

Important information before your arrival at The Crystal Maze LIVE Experience Manchester:   Please arrive at least 15 minutes before the time shown on your tickets. Latecomers may not be admitted to the attraction. Your ticket is non refundable, non exchangable and non-transferrable. For the safety of all visitors, The Experience reserves the right refuse admission, or may on occasion conduct security searches. The Experience reserves the right to alter or vary the content or timing of the whole or part of the show due to circumstance beyond their reasonable control without being obliged to refund or exchange tickets. Visitors will not be allowed to join The Experience without a ticket, please ensure you have this ticket on either a phone or print out on the day of your visit. No filming or photography is allowed in the maze. Phones are not allowed in the maze. You must be 13 years old and above 1.2meters in height to play the maze. All 13 -17 year olds must be accompanied by a playing and paying adults. If you have a disability or a pre existing injury please contact the guest services team prior to your visit. Pregnancy strictly prohibits participation or entrance to the maze. Open-toed shoes or high heels are not permitted. Trainers or pumps are recommended. Alcohol must not be consumed prior to the maze experience. If you are found to be under the influence of alcohol you will not be permitted to the maze.

Gray Line CitySightseeing NY has just made seeing the city a truly welcome experience by offering audio tracks in 11 different languages on all of our popular hop on/hop off bus excursions aboard a double-decker bus. In addition to a licenced guide who provides live narration, you can listen along in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Russian and Hebrew. Discover Lower Manhattan and more in one of the many tours available in this package such as the Downtown Tour, where you’ll get easy access to the most popular sites in town: the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building and “Ground Zero". See the whole city and enjoy maximum flexibility over 48 hours with our All Around Town Tour. There’s so much to see and do at Madame Tussauds, interact with, take pictures of and get up close and personal with over 220 life-like wax figures of celebrities, politicians & icons from the past and present. Experience the magic their 4D cinema theatre, that delivers 3D technology with the latest in 4D special effects! Scare yourself silly with the dark side of Madame Tussauds in SCREAM, this live-actor filled attraction and finally immerse yourself in the real essence of New York City in the newest exhibit, The Spirit of New York! Located in the heart of Times Square, no visit is complete until you’ve experienced the world famous Madame Tussauds. All Around Town Tour Now Offered in 11 Languages!* Tour Includes: Hop on Hop off double-decker tickets valid for 48 hours from the time you arrive in NYC and exchange your confirmation voucher for a boarding ticket.  *Not available on the Bronx tour Downtown Tour Plus The three most visited sites in New York City are all located in the area referred to in local terms as “downtown”. Uptown Treasures & Harlem Tour Plus Where can you find a green oasis that occupies 20% of the island of Manhattan or the headquarters of the largest media conglomerate or places with the alluring names of “Millionaires Row and Museum Mile? All of these places and more can be found, discovered and enjoyed on City Sights’ Uptown Treasures + Harlem tour. Bronx Tour Plus Welcome to the Bronx! Once you hop on this uniquely narrated trip through Upper Manhattan and the Bronx, you’re in for a sightseeing excursion aboard a double-decker bus like no other. Night Tour Please Note: Escorted bus Tour (not Hop-on Hop-off). New York's only double-decker night tour where you enter historic Brooklyn for a photo opportunity and breathtaking views of the glittering necklace of the Manhattan Skyline. Enjoy nighttime views and ambiance of Times Square, Chinatown, Empire State Building , Greenwich Village, SoHo, Little Italy, Manhattan Bridge, Brooklyn Bridge and Lower East Side. Brooklyn Tour Plus Hop aboard a double-decker bus for CitySights NY’s Brooklyn Tour, a hop on/hop off journey through the city’s most populated borough. Museum of the City of New York Free Admission! The Museum of the City of New York embraces the past, present, and future of New York City and celebrates the city's cultural diversity. Hop-on, Hop-off Sightseeing Ferry Enjoy the fun & flexibility of hop-on, hop-off by sea! Learn about NYC with guided tour commentary while traveling from stop to stop. This service operates with four stops: Pier 78, West 38th Street and Hudson River; 199 Vesey Street Pier (lower Manhattan) - connection to Downtown Tour at stop #11, Park Row Pier 11 (Wall Street and South Street) - connection to Downtown Tour at stop #13, South Street Seaport DUMBO (Fulton Street and Furman Street) - connection to Brooklyn Tour at stop #2, Brooklyn Promenade What You'll See: Statue of Liberty Ellis Island Battery Park Governors Island Brooklyn Bridge Manhattan Bridge Williamsburg Bridge South Street Seaport ​Chrysler Building