We’re so excited to see that construction on the New York Wheel is really moving along! For those of you that may not already know (though we’d expect you’ve heard by now!), the 630-foot-tall, 500 million+ observation wheel is now slated to open in early 2018 in Staten Island and will hold 1,440 people at a time.
Some quick facts:
The wheel will have 36 pods, each holding 40 people
Rides will be 38 minutes long (and cost about $35 per person)
It will be open seven days a week, roughly 10am to midnight
The pedestal base just made it to Staten Island in November (progress!)
Riders will have views of the Statue of Liberty, Verrazano Bridge and Manhattan skyline
An adjacent shopping mall, Empire Outlets, will open in 2017, and it comes complete with retailers like Nordstrom Rack and factory stores from Nike, Banana Republic and Gap to name a few (an awesome perk for parents of growing kids)!
Curbed reports that the New York Wheel will also come complete with a 10,000-square-foot playground (woohoo!!!)! There will also be an outdoor beer garden for adults. In the meantime, check out other fun kids’ playgrounds around NYC. And hey, if you're not into the $35 fee (though you'll probably need to go for a ride at least once!), you'll still get to see the sights from the Staten Island Ferry for free.
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