Wednesday, Aug. 03, 2011
The World's Tallest Ferris Wheel
Constructed between 2005 and 2008, the Singapore Flyer dwarfs every other observation wheel in the world. At a height of 541 ft. (164 m), it is 16 ft. (5 m) taller than the Star of Nanchang in China and 98 ft. (30 m) taller than the London Eye. A ride in one of its 28 air-conditioned capsules, which can comfortably hold 28 people, will run you $25 — a fee that should guarantee the popular ride will eventually make back its $200 million price tag. Yet despite its popularity, tourists beware: the wheel has broken down four times since it opened, once stranding 173 passengers for six hours without air-conditioning in the overwhelmingly humid country.