During his lunch break, Jonathan Daybear determined to stroll over to Pittsburgh’s Roberto Clemente Bridge to take within the view from atop the 60-foot Ferris wheel arrange for Oktoberfest.
“I didn’t think it was going to be such a gorgeous view,” stated Daybear, 45, of Lawrenceville, who works as a senior graphic designer for the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust.
It was a cool expertise, he stated, and low cost, too. Tickets to trip the Ferris wheel are $5.
“I think it brings levity and joy and just fun,” Daybear stated. “I think we all could use some more joy in our lives.”
He stated having a Ferris wheel on a bridge is “random” and that he appreciated the distinctive expertise.
“I’m glad it’s here,” he stated.
He stated a everlasting Ferris wheel within the metropolis could be a great improvement if it included an space with eating places, outlets or leisure — one thing “lively” because the Ferris wheel was invented in Pittsburgh.
“I think more experiences like this in Pittsburgh, from my perspective, would be welcome because it’s fun.”
Reporting dwell from the Ferris wheel????
Here’s a video of the trip @TribLIVE pic.twitter.com/yyPEtldxnV
— Megan Swift (@mgswift7) October 3, 2024
George Ferris, the wheel’s inventor, had shut ties to Pittsburgh, dwelling within the North Side and contributing to town’s bridges. When constructing the primary Ferris wheel for the World’s Columbian Exposition, also called the Chicago World’s Fair, he used private credit score to place orders with Pittsburgh metal mills and shaped a joint inventory firm to appeal to traders.
Daybear stated the final time he rode a Ferris wheel was a few years in the past, whereas visiting Montreal.
For Clara Troutman and Ada Watters, Thursday was their first time driving a big Ferris wheel.
“At the start, it was a little nerve-wracking, but once you get to go in and continue, it was fun,” stated Clara, 10, of Fox Chapel.
She stated she had beforehand ridden a smaller Ferris wheel at Kennywood.
Ada, 10, of Aspinwall and Clara stated they noticed quite a lot of sights on the high of the wheel, together with scuba divers on a ship and PNC Park. They rated the expertise a 9.5 out of 10.
“It was really fun,” Ada stated.
The Ferris wheel is open from noon to 10 p.m. daily throughout Oktoberfest, which runs Oct. 3 to 13. Two riders are allowed per seat, and riders have to be a minimum of 42 inches tall.
Megan Swift is a TribDwell reporter overlaying trending information in Western Pennsylvania. A Murrysville native, she joined the Trib full time in 2023 after serving as editor-in-chief of The Daily Collegian at Penn State. She beforehand labored as a Jim Borden Scholarship intern on the Trib for 3 summers. She may be reached at [email protected].
