Boston Duck Tours

Mina wanted to go to Boston when she came to visit us. Given the difficulties both Jan and I have with walks, I tried to find a compromise that would allow easy parking, a short walk, and extensive sightseeing. I remembered seeing the funny-looking vehicles of Boston Duck Tours. With some research, I found that we could drive to the Prudential Center in Boston and park the car, have a quick lunch at one of the restaurants at the mall, and walk across the street to the boarding station of Boston Duck Tours.

Boston Duck Tours, Here We Come

We checked with Mina before she came, and she was OK with the idea, so I bought the tickets for July 5. That day, we left home around 10:20 AM and arrived at the Prudential Center a little after 11:30 AM. After parking the car, we took the elevator to the mall level and found a few eating places. California Pizza Kitchen was in front of us, and we were seated next to a window.

Although they had an extensive menu, we settled on some salads that came in half sizes. Oh, my, how could anyone eat a full-size of them? We left more than half of the half-size salads, and after paying the bill, we slowly walked to the other side of the street to where the Ducks were parked. We still had about 30 minutes or so to wait after checking in.

Click on the images to see them larger, uncropped, and read their titles.

On The Duck

They boarded us through the ladder on the back of the bus. It was only a few steps, and Jan made it with some help. Our seats were in the front; Jan and Mina sat in the first row, and I was one row behind them on the window side. The bus driver, sorry, the Duck driver, settled in his seat; then the tour guide, called the ConDUCKtor, sat just in front of Mina and Jan. They probably have a standard script that each ConDUCTor delivers in their style and embellishments. It is supposed to be informative and fun.

Art Ducko, our ConDUCKtor, introduced himself as a clueless architect who was in love with the art deco style of architecture in Boston. He is in one of the pictures above, helping a passenger to come down. As we drove, he would tell the riders about the buildings we passed by or about the famous Bostonians, of which there were plenty. He even trained many riders to scream “Quack, Quack” on his cue “Jenga” when other Ducks went by.

I tried to capture interesting architecture, landmarks, and general scenery photographs. I never knew there was a theatrical release of Ben Hur. With about 350 cast and crew, it was on stage at Emerson Colonial Theater in 1900 with real horses and chariots, no less!

We used to go to Boston occasionally but have not been there for many years. The general air and texture of the city remain the same, but there are quite a few new buildings, mostly skyscrapers. We drove by the parks, famous people’s residences, and unique architecture and eventually came to a bridge I had seen from a distance, Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge.

In The Water

Driving around the bridge, the Duck arrived at a ramp going down to Charles River, and the driver slowly let the Duck feel at home in the river. I have never seen Boston from that vantage point. The view was pleasant, and I saw many interesting buildings. Since the vehicle moved slowly and there was not much traffic, the ConDUCKtor invited anyone who wanted to steer it to sit in the driver’s seat. Kids, even some adults, took turns holding the wheel and received small stickers as mementos.

Back on Land

After about twenty minutes, the vehicle was at the ramp again. With some maneuvering, the driver brought us back on land. The narratives and the scenery continued until we made it back to the Duck stop in exactly eight minutes. We thanked our ConDUCKtor and crossed the street to the Prudential Center, where we left the car. Soon, we were on our way back home. This time, the traffic was heavier than the morning drive. We were home a little before 6 PM.

The Research

While editing the photographs, I realized that it would be nice to include their identity. I looked for clues for location in the pictures, like street, store, and building names, then let Google Maps help me find the names of the buildings. All the buildings, or the key ones on the photographs, will have their names in the picture titles when you click on a smaller thumbnail to see them larger. Although I have the tour map and know roughly where we entered the river, I could not find its exact location on the map. It is somewhere near the Science Museum that much I know.