This afternoon I went to check out our new and own little ‘London Eye’ Ferris wheel right here in Seattle. (The Great Wheel has been in operation since the end of June, actually. Also see seattlegreatwheel.com). The Wheel was a $20m investment (funded privately) and is designed to draw visitors to the Seattle waterfront, in part to address concerns that the construction of the waterfront tunnel nearby will keep visitors away.
The Seattle Great Wheel is 175 ft (53.3m) tall and has 42 enclosed climate-controlled gondolas for a year-round operation. The London Eye is a lot bigger at a height of 443 ft (135 m).I am standing below the Wheel on the pier. There doesn’t seem to be a gear track on the big wheel meshing with a pinion gear on the ground structure. Check out the sturdy black roller that is in contact with the wheel frame (to the left of the upper gondola).The sun is setting on Elliott Bay and Pier 57, but no matter, the Wheel keeps going and will actually be lit up in different colors at night time. I will catch it another time for some night time pictures as well.
