New York Wheel on Staten Island will be world's biggest

GlobalPost

The Big Apple is getting a big Ferris Wheel. The world's biggest, to be exact.

The New York Wheel, a Ferris Wheel proposal for Staten Island, has received the green light from the Bloomberg administration, according to their announcement Thursday morning.

“The New York Wheel will be an attraction unlike any other in New York City — even unlike any other on the planet,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a prepared statement, Bloomberg Businessweek reported. “It...is sure to become one of the premier attractions in New York City and the latest exciting addition to our newly revitalized waterfront.”

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The 625-foot observation wheel, which will give tourists a distant view of Manhattan's iconic skyline, will be adjacent to an outlet mall construction project, both of which seek to capitalize on the flow of tourists who take a free ferry to the Island to see the Statue of Liberty, but hop right back on the boat without leaving the terminal, the Wall Street Journal reported.

The New York Wheel will best Singapore's 541-foot tall Flyer, Las Vegas' planned “High Roller” wheel of 550 feet, and the London Eye, which stands tall at 443 feet, according to CBS New York. The wheel will have 36 capsules which will fit 40 people each.

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