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We've been waiting years for the Staten Island Ferris wheel, but in just a few days, there will be a giant Ferris wheel smack dab in the middle of Times Square.
Starting Monday, a 110-foot-tall Ferris wheel will open to the public for rides that'll "showcase the crossroads of the world as never seen before," according to its website. "Experience sensory overload by billions of pixels as you soar 110 feet through a canyon of spectacular billboards."
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The wheel, which will be situated west of Duffy Square on Broadway between West 47 and 48 streets, will be open for 12-minute rides between noon and midnight every day between August 23 and September 12, giving New Yorkers and tourists only about two weeks to try it out.
Vito Bruno, of AMPM Entertainment Concepts in Brooklyn, is financially backing the Ferris Wheel — he approached the Times Square Alliance several months ago and was met with enthusiasm.
"This is the time for bold ideas to celebrate our great city!" says Tom Harris, the president of the Times Square Alliance. "A Ferris Wheel in Times Square will bring New York City an incredible new way to enjoy Times Square from a completely new vantage point as we navigate these times and reflect on all we have been through this past year. Come see Times Square like you have never seen it before."
On Thursday, trailers carrying the wheel's parts parked in Times Square to begin its construction.
Bruno told The New York Post that the wheel will be "the number one selfie spot in the world" and that "Times Square will get hundreds of millions of positive impressions."
It's been a while since Times Square had a Ferris Wheel. Toys R Us, which had attracted families for years with its 65-foot Ferris wheel, closed in 2015. And back in 1946, a Ferris wheel was erected in Times Square to aid the March of Dimes.
A brief history of Times Square Ferris Wheels: 1946, 2001-15, 2021 (rendering). pic.twitter.com/s1wGysFYpN
— Stanford Friedman (@BroadwayCrit) August 20, 2021
It just makes sense to have a Ferris wheel at the crossroads of the world, ya know? We love to see it, even if it's just for a limited time.
So grab your tickets at timessquarewheel.nyc. They're $20 for adults, $15 for kids and $35 for those who want to skip the line.
Who will be the first to ride on the wheel? Bruno told W42st.com that it could be Mayor Bill de Blasio:
"I’m curious to see who will get the first ride. I hear that the mayor’s going to be coming down," he said. "He may want the first ride. Some celebrities may want the first ride. We’ll see who gets here first."
The Ferris Wheel in Times Square opens on Monday, August 23.