Giant Ferris Wheel On Mars?

I’m not a thrill seeker.  Never much liked amusement park rides or elevators for that matter.  I do like the floor walking escalator at Chicago O’Hare (ORD) for short – what does ORD mean anyway?  Three years ago, I took the architectural boat tour of Chicago and remember gliding past the giant Ferris wheel at Navy Pier and thinking one would have to be absolutely mad to ride the thing.  Two years ago we went to Navy Pier and my daughters in fact did ride the 150 foot wheel and got a birdseye view of the city.  I only got a view of birds in the sky, actually giant supersonic F-16 fighter birds that left a trail of sonic booms that frightened unsuspecting tourists who must have thought Navy Pier was under attack.  In any case, I was not thrilled by the airshow.

This morning, I heard that New York City plans to build the world’s largest Ferris wheel on Staten Island.  At 625 feet, it will dwarf Chicago’s wheel.  And get this, it can hold 1,400 people.  Good grief.  Imagine getting stuck on a wheel 600 feet off the ground, hanging upside down with 1,400 screaming riders.  No thank you.  I would have to be in a drug induced catatonic state and strapped in with a canister of supplemental oxygen to go on the thing.  The view would be outstanding of course, but I’m ok with the slow moving view from the Staten Island Ferry.  I’m no thrill seeker.

P.S.  Idea for the future – put one of those things on Mars where we know there is intelligent life and evidence of water, and where there is water there is a waterfront.  Imagine riding it at night and seeing Mars’ two moons and for those prone to vertigo like me, four moons.