What it will look like, in theory. (Image by NYC Mayor’s Office.)
Read any “NYC on the cheap” guide ever, and it will let you in on a little “secret”: It’s fun to ride the ferry to Staten Island. There’s a pretty good view of the Statue of Liberty from the boat, and it is FREE.
Upon reaching Staten Island, though, most people turn around and go back to Manhattan immediately, as Staten Island is mega-boring and it’s impossible to get anywhere without a car or a really confusing bus ride. So the city has decided to give tourists a reason to stay in the borough for longer than the time it takes to catch the next ferry. And that reason will be The Biggest Ferris Wheel In The World.
And man, if you think the view of the Statue of Liberty is good from the boat, imagine how good it will be from this monstrosity:
The New York Wheel will be built just to the north of the ballpark and be 625 feet tall — 84 feet higher than the Singapore Flyer, currently the tallest Ferris wheel in the world. It will also be taller than the planned ‘High Roller’ wheel for the Las Vegas Strip, which is set to rise to 550 feet.
Also, the London Eye? Pfft. That thing fits 800 people on a crowded day. The New York Wheel can spin 1,440 passengers at once up into the sky, and will deal with about 30,000 riders each day, per the press release.
Probably someone in Qatar will build a taller one soon, as they seem pretty into building things that are the tallest. But for now, Staten Island — at least one small, very convenient bit of it — will have something to boast about.
