spun out

From TRAVEL + LEISURE magazine

You spin me round

Think the ferris wheel is just a ride for the kiddies? Think again. As Jane Parbury reports these gentle giants have grown-up and now no self-respecting metropolis would be seen without one.

No fair or show seems complete without a big wheel – and these days, no major redevelopment, or city seems entirely finished without one, either. From Berlin to Beijing and Orlando to Qingdao, giant observation wheels are running circles around cities.

The overnight success of the London Eye might have started the latest urban attraction revolution, but passenger-carrying wheels have been around since the 19th century, ever since engineer George W Ferris responded to a call from the organisers of the 1893 Chicago World Fair to devise an attraction to rival Paris’s Eiffel Tower.

Since then, the big wheel has enjoyed its ups and downs as a tourist attraction; right now, with the recent opening of the Singapore Flyer, its star is firmly in the ascendant.

There are new ferris wheels set to open in Melbourne, Beijing, Berlin and New York plus the Great Wheel Corporation, reportedly has plans for three more: a 185m whopper at Dubailand, Dubai; a 150m structure at Qingdao, China; and a comparatively modest 120m construction at Orange County, Orlando, in the US; while in Asia Japan is already a hotspot for big wheels, with several measuring over 100m.

Here are 10 of the world’s big wheels, including those that are due to open within the next year.

1. Name The London Eye
Where Southbank, London, UK
Opened 2000
Size 135m. 32 capsules; up to 800 passengers in total per revolution.
Ride 30 minutes
Views On a clear day, up to 40 kilometres along the Thames and across London's most famous landmarks, as far as Windsor Castle.
Claim to fame The biggest in the world when built. Achieved iconic status virtually overnight and now no postcard of London views is complete without it. Generally thought to have inspired the current big wheel - er, revolution.

2. Name Singapore Flyer
Where Marina Bay, Singapore
Opened 2008
Size 165m. 28 capsules; up to 28 passengers each
Ride 30 minutes
Views About 45 kilometres across the city, taking in sights such as Singapore River, Merlion Park and the CBD
Claim to fame Currently the world's largest, but set to be overtaken by its Beijing counterpart (see below).

3. Name Star of Nanchang
Where Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China
Opened 2006
Size 160m. 61 capsules; up to 480 passengers in total.
Ride 30 minutes
Views Along its riverside location and across the city.
Claim to fame Briefly the world's largest, overtaking the London Eye before it was eclipsed, in turn, by the Singapore Flyer.

4. Name The Southern Star
Where Part of the Waterfront City development, Melbourne
Opening November 2008
Size Over 120m. 21 pods; up to 20 passengers each
Ride 30 minutes
Views All-round vistas over the city and Port Philip Bay
Claim to fame Melbourne has been the regular home-from-home of the travelling Giant Sky Wheel; the fixed Observation Wheel, which has a unique star construction, will top it – in physical terms at least – by some 70m.

5. Name Great Observation Wheel, Beijing
Where Chaoyang Park, Beijing, China
Opening late 2009
Size 208m. 48 capsules; up to 40 passengers each.
Ride 30 minutes
Views Some 60 kilometres, including the Great Wall of China to the north of the city
Claim to fame Will be the world's largest.

6. Name Great Berlin Wheel
Where Hertzallee, West Berlin, next to the Berlin Zoo
Opening Late 2009
Size 185m. 36 pods; up to 40 passengers each
Ride 35 minutes
Views Across greater Berlin
Claim to fame Will be the biggest in Europe and one of the tallest structures in the city.

7. Name Pepsi Globe
Where Meadowlands Xanadu sports and leisure complex, New Jersey, US
Opening Late 2009
Size About 85m. 26 pods; up to 20 passengers each
Ride 25 minutes
Views The New York city skyline
Claim to fame The largest big wheel in North America. It will be partially constructed from recyclable materials and powered by green energy. In common with the London Eye, it’s attracted a major sponsorship deal, in this case a soft drinks firm (London had British Airways).

8. Name The Texas Star
Where Dallas Fair Park, Dallas, Texas, US
Opened 1985
Size Just over 64m. 44 gondolas; about 260 passengers in total.
Ride About 15 minutes
Views On a clear day, across to the city skyline and to Fort Worth
Claim to fame The largest ferris wheel in north America since its opening, although likely to be eclipsed by the upcoming Pepsi Globe in New Jersey.

9. Name The Riesenrad (Giant Ferris Wheel), also known as the Prater
Where Prater Park, Vienna, Austria
Opened 1897
Size just over 64m. 15 cabins; up to 12 passengers each.
Ride around 5 minutes per revolution
Views The slightly seedy Prater funfair, the park around it and rather distant views of central Vienna.
Claim to fame One of the oldest giant ferris wheels in the world and probably the most famous. Substantially damaged in a fire in WW ll and subsequently rebuilt with fewer gondolas (15 instead of the original 30). Starring role in the 1949 film noir The Third Man, alongside Orson Welles and Joseph Cotton.

10. Name Tempozan Harbor Village Ferris Wheel
Where Osaka, Japan
Opened 1997
Size 112.5m. 60 cabins; up to eight people each.
Ride About 15 minutes
Views Unobstructed sightlines across Osaka Bay to the city, as far as Mount Rokko and Kansai International Airport.
Claim to fame One of several big wheels in Japan built around the same time, the Tempozan wheel’s particular appeal is in its night-time appearance, when a host of coloured lights illuminate the structure. This is prettiness with a purpose: the colour of the lights indicates the weather forecast for the following day. If they’re blue, for example, expect rain.

I'm more of a tower person myself.

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Emily came over tonight for dinner, which was a beef Madras curry.