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MARDI GRAS WORLD: WHERE MARDI GRAS IS MADE! There are plenty of tours in New Orleans, but only one offers a real, behind-the-scenes look at New Orleans Mardi Gras, and that’s the Mardi Gras World tour. Mardi Gras World gives you an authentic Mardi Gras experience all year round, whether you visit while sightseeing in New Orleans, enjoying a New Orleans family vacation or taking a break from your business trip. Take our day tour to see what it takes to bring Mardi Gras to life year after year. Our tour allows you to see firsthand the hard work and extensive planning that goes into this grand event. Since 1947, Blaine Kern Studios has built the breathtaking parade floats for major parades not only for Mardi Gras, but for parades all over the world. Mardi Gras parades would be nothing without the fantastical floats that line the parade route year after year. The hard work that goes into making these spectacles is what makes Mardi Gras in New Orleans the greatest show on Earth! Our knowledgeable guides take the mask off Mardi Gras with an all-access Mardi Gras tour, winding through the massive studio where these magnificent floats are built from the ground up. You’ll learn about the history of this unique and festive tradition and go beyond its reputation to get a deeper understanding of the real Mardi Gras. The whole family will love the experience of touring the space where our artisans create spectacular floats for over 40 parades each year. There are plenty of opportunities for photos in front of floats, with props, or wearing a traditional Mardi Gras costume on this New Orleans tour. This is an experience you will want to document, so don’t forget to bring your camera! A FREE shuttle is provided with ticket purchase, and has pick-ups at 20 convenient downtown locations. Just call 504-361-7821 to see where our designated pick up locations are. Call when you are at one of our many locations and we will quickly pick you and your party up. If you do not wish to use our complimentary shuttle, the closest parking is available in Lot J across from the Mardi Gras World entrance. ($15.00/vehicle, owned by the New Orleans Convention Center, subject to change) Wandering through the magical float den is an exciting experience for kids and adults alike, so come join us for the best Mardi Gras tour around.
Here are just some of the many amazing sights you will see: The Statue of Liberty The famed gift from France that served as the symbol of America to millions of immigrants and citizens alike was erected in New York Harbor in 1886. The Brooklyn Bridge Completed in 1883, the iconic Brooklyn Bridge is one of the oldest suspension bridges in the United States, and the view from underneath is unlike anything you’ve ever seen. One World Trade Center The tallest building in the Western Hemisphere - 1,776 feet tall! The Empire State Building Built during the American Great Depression in 1930, this astounding building has 102 floors and 6,500 windows, and is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Tour Stops Atomium Route (Blue): 1. Central Station 2. Rogier 3. Royal Greenhouses 4. Atomium 5. Magritte Museum 6. National Basilica 7. Tour & Taxis 8. Dansaert - Mima 9. Stock Exchange (Bourse) - Fish Market 10. Marolles 11. Manneken Pis Europe Route (Red): 1. Central Station 2. Royal Place 3. Sablon 4. Avenue Louise - Palace of Justice 5. Art Nouveau - Horta 6. Flagey 7. Luxembourg Place - European Parliament 8. Leopold Park 9. Cinquantenaire 10. Shuman 11. Royal Palace Passengers can hop-on and hop-off at any of the 11 tour stops along the Atomium Route, and any of the 11 along the Europe Route. If you’d prefer, stay on the tour for a full loop: Each loop takes 90 minutes Additional Information: • Vouchers must be printed to be exchanged for a City Sightseeing bus ticket in location. • The audio commentary is available in the following languages: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Dutch, Russian • Buses are wheelchair accessible.
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.
FUN AND EXCLUSIVE EXPERIENCES TO DISCOVER FRENCH WINE The French Wine Experience was created by people who think wine culture needs to be fun and relaxed. They transformed an 18th century Royal wine cellar into a maze of rooms that will surprise, enchant and stimulate you. The French Wine Experience is truly unique and possibly a little crazy. NEW IN PARIS – 1 mn walk from the Louvre Museum DISCOVER EVERYTHING ABOUT FRENCH WINE SENSORIAL EXPERIENCE IN AN HISTORICAL VENUE GUIDED VISIT including GAMES, QUIZZES, VIDEOS etc... FRENCH WINE TASTING WITH A SOMMELIER at the end of the visit TERROIRS ROOM The idea here is to start at the beginning. Visitors will discover the most sought after slices of earth in all of France, and learn how this soil nourishes the vine, which in turn, gives the grapes their unique taste... This room is about discovering the very genesis of wine, where the grape-grower works the soil and the vine in effort to produce magnificent grapes. AROMAS ROOM Wine is a sensory adventure and here, they would like to propose that you stimulate a sense often overlooked: the sense of smell. Take the wood cork and bring it to your nose. The game begins: can you name the aromas in each cork? Do you have the stuto be a great taster? Do you enjoy discovering the great families of wine aromas (fruity, mineral, empyreumatic...) as well as identifying the classic defects in wine ?? Off to the corks ! THE LABORATORY In this new, majestic room, the adventure continues and this time, it is taste we are going to stimulate. Can you name the primary types of taste (salty, sweet, bitter, acidic... and also umami) ? In order to progress in wine, take the opportunity to taste the solutions marked withterms such as 'woody', 'round' or 'fresh'. SOUNDS OF WINE Sounds in the world of wine The pop of a cork as the bottle opens, the cling of glasses being toasted, the soft murmur of Champagne bubbles...Can you recognize the different elements in the soundtrack of this room? The sounds of wine invite us to learn about different types of bottles and corks. LABELS ROOM This magnificent room is dedicated to sight. Sight is the initial contact with a wine: the color of a wine itself colors a new story for us each time. But it's also the label, sometimes legendary, sometimes complicated, and sometimes amusing. Learn here how to better interpret wine labels! CHEERS! Well, that's it! Your five senses have been stimulated - who knew learning could be so fun! You are now ready for the grand finale: the tasting! Our jolly and joyful sommelier is at your service not only to serve you, but also to answer any questions! While tasting, continue to learn and to have fun and above all, do not forget to take a detour into the photobooth inside the big barrel...
Downtown Tour The three most visited sites in New York City are all located in the area referred to in local terms as “downtown”. That world famous trio includes the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, and the site of the World Trade Center – “Ground Zero” where the city and the nation’s heart was broken on September 11, 2001. Your City Sights hop-on/hop-off double decker tour bus has stops offering convenient access to these must see locations and attractions Narrated by licensed New York City tour guides passengers will hear about the neighborhoods, sites and attractions made famous in song, story, film and television. Hop off and explore the legendary artists and writers’ quarter, Greenwich Village or have authentic Italian or Chinese cuisine in Little Italy or Chinatown or see the neighbourhood that was the first home to wave after wave of immigrants making this diverse city truly the World’s Capital. View the most famous neighborhoods, attractions and places of interest: Times Square, Madison Square Garden, Macy's, Empire State Building, SoHo, Chinatown, Little Italy, Site of the World Trade Center, Wall Street, Financial District, Battery Park South Street Seaport, Lower East Side, United Nations, Rockefeller Center, Carnegie Hall, Broadway Theater District and much more. Brooklyn Tour Hop aboard a double-decker bus for Gray Line CitySightseeing NY’s Brooklyn Tour, a hop on/hop off journey through the city’s most populated borough. Many people who visit the city never set foot outside of Manhattan. But that would mean you’d miss some wonderful treasures so close by. And this newly expanded tour includes many wonders, allowing you to get off at any stop and grab a bite or see the sites in person. You’ll start in downtown Manhattan, crossing the Manhattan Bridge into Brooklyn, where you’ll see the first parkway for cars ever built in the U.S., the majesty of Grand Army Plaza, the Brooklyn Botanical Garden and Brooklyn Museum (a Beaux-Arts building with a vast art and Egyptian antiquities collection), along with the graceful mansions, intriguing shops and restaurants and a wide array of cultures. Your licensed guide will also take you past the gloriously designed Prospect Park with its zoo and the Brooklyn Public Library. And of course, you’ll see the spectacular Brooklyn Bridge. Tours Now Offered in 11 Languages! Now, Gray Line CitySightseeing NY is giving you even more flexibility in enjoying their tours by offering multilingual audio tracks in 11 different languages on all of the popular hop on/hop off bus tours. You can experience the journey in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Russian and Hebrew. Hop on Hop off double-decker tickets valid for 24 hours from the time you arrive in NYC and exchange your confirmation voucher for a boarding ticket.