Canton Tower, which opened last November in Guangzhou, China, boasts the "world's highest Ferris wheel." At 1,480 feet, there's no denying that it's pretty dang high. But it may be a bit of a tall tale to claim the record. The ride sits atop the upper deck of the TV and observation tower, and rotates horizontally around the perimeter. I wouldn't consider that a Ferris wheel. Would you?
Regardless of its classification, it sounds like a sweet ride. Each of the 16 glass-enclosed capsules seats up to six passengers. The slow-moving wheel takes about 30 minutes to make one revolution, and the cabins slightly rise and descend as the undulating platform spins. (Sounds more like a tame flat ride, doesn't it?) According to the attraction's Web site, a 115-foot "gravity machine" that is under construction will shoot riders from the top deck up to the tip of the 1,595-foot tower. This sounds similar to the Big Shot ride at the Stratosphere Tower in Las Vegas.
Tall "real" Ferris wheels, which rotate vertically and sit on terra firma, include the London Eye, which is 443 feet tall, the Singapore Flyer, a 535-foot wheel, the 175-foot Niagara SkyWheel, and the iconic 150-foot Wonder Wheel at Coney Island. A 286-foot Ferris wheel is slated to be part of the American Dream Meadowlands project in New Jersey and a 575-foot wheel, which would, in fact, be the world's tallest, is under development in Las Vegas and expected to open in 2013.
Connect With Arthur: Twitter | Facebook
Photo: Canton Tower
No comments:
Post a Comment