For those of us who have not gotten around to it, don’t want to stand in line for it or are afraid of heights, we sent our online news intern, Evan Hoover, to video his ride on Seattle’s waterfront Great ‘Ferris’ Wheel.
Here’s the the ride in under 3 minutes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N2jOEJyHUYs
The Great Wheel opened at the end of June and has been a darling of photographers and Ferris wheel aficionados since then.
One photo, however, caused the most stir when it was published before the wheel was open for business. The photo (at right) purports to show a man sitting on top of the Great Wheel.
According to the Seattlepi.com, the wheel’s owners hired 24-hour security guards after the photo made the rounds on the internet.
The Seattle Times provided this rundown of the wheel’s attributes:
"The Seattle Great Wheel is one of the largest of its kind in the U.S., according to developers. The 280,300-pound wheel holds 42 climate-controlled gondolas, allowing for 252 passengers at full capacity. Extending 40 feet over Puget Sound, the 12-minute ride boasts incredible views of the city."
An adult gets three revolutions on the 175-foot-tall Ferris wheel for $13.
Here’s part of the company’s story of the Great Wheel’s development:
"The Seattle Great Wheel was built in less than a year, but the story of the Ferris wheel goes back much further than that. Seattle businessman and restaurateur Hal Griffith has envisioned a Ferris wheel in the city for nearly 30 years. As is typical with a project of this magnitude, Griffith met various roadblocks that halted the dream for decades. After taking some quick measurements, they realized that the idea could work on Pier 57, and they set about to make it a reality."
We’d love to see your videos or photos of your ride on the Great Wheel (just stay in the gondola please!)
