luckie
06-19-2006, 01:52 PM
Segs in the City: Take a safari on a Segway
By SHARON P. CUNNINGHAM
The Capital
June 16, 2006
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2006/06_16-22/ENT
Looking for a different perspective on the Annapolis Historic District? See it by Seg or from the comfortable confines of a carriage. What is a Seg? It's a Segway HT (which stands for Human Tansport) and you ride one of these two-wheel vehicles on a safari that will take you to various points interest downtown and in Eastport. These state-of-the-art, self-balancing, battery-powered machines are ridden while standing up. Called "the best ride on two wheels," it's lots of fun and very easy to use. Just lean forward on your toes to go forward or lean back on your heels to go in reverse. To stop, simply stand still. "Most people are quite surprised at how simple it is to do this," said Bill Main who owns Segs In The City with his wife, Tonia Edwards.
"People have preconceived ideas of how it works," he said. "Some have never even heard of Segways. They are very surprised at how easy and intuitive it is to ride a Segway. Usually after two or three minutes, people are doing it. By the end of their tour they usually are very comfortable with it and are running it at the highest speed - about 12.5 miles per hour." Segs In The City is now in its third year and Bill and Tonia have taught thousands of people how to ride a Seg. Their sidewalk tours, known as safaris, take you to key tourist locations. "On a two-hour safari, we may spend the first 15 minutes teaching them how to operate a Segway," Mr. Mann said. "They want to know about the history of Annapolis so we tell them about that as we take them to key places like the State House and Paca House."
Among their customers are Deborah Gonzales and her husband, Charlie, who recently came to Annapolis on vacation. Residents of Mahwah, N.J., it was their first trip to our fair city. "I thought it was great! We'd seen Segways in Atlantic City a couple of years ago," said Mrs. Gonzales. "My husband wanted to try it. Someone said they had them in Washington D.C. so I looked it up online. Bill (Mann) had Segways in Washington and Annapolis. "We were a little intimidated by it at first. Annapolis' streets are not very even. But once we got the hang of it, we were off...
"I've been telling everyone to forget Baltimore; go to Annapolis," she added. "It's a cute little city and the Segways were the highlight of our trip. I'd do it again." Carl Robbins did it again. In fact, he just took his girlfriend, Nancy Grace on a one-hour safari for her birthday. Carl is a psychotherapist and Grace is a child psychologist. Both are from Baltimore. "I thought it was fantastic! The Segways are always great fun. It's a great way to see the city," said Mr. Robbins. "You can cover a lot more ground than by foot and you don't have parking problems like with cars or buses.
"It's really a wonderful way to take a tour. Bill's talks are interesting and funny. The Segways are really a lot of fun - like riding a magic carpet. It moves forward and backward when you do!" Each safari includes instructions, a license, a helmet and bottled water. Riders must be at least 14 years of age and under 260 pounds. Safaris are generally limited to six people, but can be customized to accommodate larger groups and off-site functions.
Mark Bentley is a corporate client of Segs in the City. As the vice president and general manager of emergency care for a healthcare software company, Mr. Bentley brought his employees to Annapolis all the way from Atlanta just to ride Segways. "I used it as a team builder," he said. "I've tried other things but nothing worked as well. I've got an eclectic group with all different levels of athletic ability."
Riding through Annapolis via Segway apparently does not go unnoticed, Mr. Bentley recalled. "People were watching us as we went by," he said. "In fact, we saw a guy with one leg on crutches. His wife asked if it were something her husband could do. We stopped and Bill had him doing the Segway in minutes. What a life-changing thing for him!"
Segs In The City offers several safaris. The two-hour City Safari costs $70 and hits key sites downtown and Eastport. It departs twice daily at 10 a.m. and at 2:30 p.m. The one-hour Colonial History Safari of downtown costs $50 and leaves each day at 12:30 p.m. The Mini-Safari costs $45 and takes you past the William Paca House, City Dock and St. John's College. This one rolls out at 12:30 and again at 5 p.m.
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/photos/segscity.gif
To reserve your safari, visit www.segsinthecity.com or call 1-800-SEGS-393.
By SHARON P. CUNNINGHAM
The Capital
June 16, 2006
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/cgi-bin/read/2006/06_16-22/ENT
Looking for a different perspective on the Annapolis Historic District? See it by Seg or from the comfortable confines of a carriage. What is a Seg? It's a Segway HT (which stands for Human Tansport) and you ride one of these two-wheel vehicles on a safari that will take you to various points interest downtown and in Eastport. These state-of-the-art, self-balancing, battery-powered machines are ridden while standing up. Called "the best ride on two wheels," it's lots of fun and very easy to use. Just lean forward on your toes to go forward or lean back on your heels to go in reverse. To stop, simply stand still. "Most people are quite surprised at how simple it is to do this," said Bill Main who owns Segs In The City with his wife, Tonia Edwards.
"People have preconceived ideas of how it works," he said. "Some have never even heard of Segways. They are very surprised at how easy and intuitive it is to ride a Segway. Usually after two or three minutes, people are doing it. By the end of their tour they usually are very comfortable with it and are running it at the highest speed - about 12.5 miles per hour." Segs In The City is now in its third year and Bill and Tonia have taught thousands of people how to ride a Seg. Their sidewalk tours, known as safaris, take you to key tourist locations. "On a two-hour safari, we may spend the first 15 minutes teaching them how to operate a Segway," Mr. Mann said. "They want to know about the history of Annapolis so we tell them about that as we take them to key places like the State House and Paca House."
Among their customers are Deborah Gonzales and her husband, Charlie, who recently came to Annapolis on vacation. Residents of Mahwah, N.J., it was their first trip to our fair city. "I thought it was great! We'd seen Segways in Atlantic City a couple of years ago," said Mrs. Gonzales. "My husband wanted to try it. Someone said they had them in Washington D.C. so I looked it up online. Bill (Mann) had Segways in Washington and Annapolis. "We were a little intimidated by it at first. Annapolis' streets are not very even. But once we got the hang of it, we were off...
"I've been telling everyone to forget Baltimore; go to Annapolis," she added. "It's a cute little city and the Segways were the highlight of our trip. I'd do it again." Carl Robbins did it again. In fact, he just took his girlfriend, Nancy Grace on a one-hour safari for her birthday. Carl is a psychotherapist and Grace is a child psychologist. Both are from Baltimore. "I thought it was fantastic! The Segways are always great fun. It's a great way to see the city," said Mr. Robbins. "You can cover a lot more ground than by foot and you don't have parking problems like with cars or buses.
"It's really a wonderful way to take a tour. Bill's talks are interesting and funny. The Segways are really a lot of fun - like riding a magic carpet. It moves forward and backward when you do!" Each safari includes instructions, a license, a helmet and bottled water. Riders must be at least 14 years of age and under 260 pounds. Safaris are generally limited to six people, but can be customized to accommodate larger groups and off-site functions.
Mark Bentley is a corporate client of Segs in the City. As the vice president and general manager of emergency care for a healthcare software company, Mr. Bentley brought his employees to Annapolis all the way from Atlanta just to ride Segways. "I used it as a team builder," he said. "I've tried other things but nothing worked as well. I've got an eclectic group with all different levels of athletic ability."
Riding through Annapolis via Segway apparently does not go unnoticed, Mr. Bentley recalled. "People were watching us as we went by," he said. "In fact, we saw a guy with one leg on crutches. His wife asked if it were something her husband could do. We stopped and Bill had him doing the Segway in minutes. What a life-changing thing for him!"
Segs In The City offers several safaris. The two-hour City Safari costs $70 and hits key sites downtown and Eastport. It departs twice daily at 10 a.m. and at 2:30 p.m. The one-hour Colonial History Safari of downtown costs $50 and leaves each day at 12:30 p.m. The Mini-Safari costs $45 and takes you past the William Paca House, City Dock and St. John's College. This one rolls out at 12:30 and again at 5 p.m.
http://www.hometownannapolis.com/photos/segscity.gif
To reserve your safari, visit www.segsinthecity.com or call 1-800-SEGS-393.