Supervisor Aaron Peskin, who was not a fan of putting the SkyStar Observation Wheel in Golden Gate Park, is now a fan of putting it in his own district in time for November’s APEC Summit.
It seems a distant memory that the giant Ferris wheel in Golden Gate Park, technically called the SkyStar Observation Wheel, was originally intended as part of the Golden Gate Park’s 150th anniversary in 2020. COVID came along and ruined all that, so now the ferris wheel may stay there until 2025. And this did not please Supervisor Aaaron Peskin, who called for an investigation into its finances, and tried to thwart its multi-year extension.
But now Peskin has either had a change of heart, or sees a benefit to having it in his district. The Chronicle reports that Peskin wants the Ferris wheel moved to Fisherman’s Wharf in time for November's Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Leaders's Summit (APEC). And of course, Fisherman’s Wharf is in Peskin’s own District 3.
“The project seems to be going swimmingly,” Peskin told the Chronicle. “We are trying to get it out of the park, where it never belonged, and to the wharf, where it is a perfect fit.”
Peskin is proposing the Ferris wheel be put at the Jefferson and Taylor streets triangle parking lot.
But how realistic is this idea? Fisherman’s Wharf groups are all for it, but Port of San Francisco spokesperson Boris Delepine only acknowledged that the idea is “still in the exploration stage.” (The parking lot belongs to the Port of San Francisco.)
And Ferris wheel owner SkyView Partners is also, thus far, silent on the matter. But SF Rec and Parks sounds more than receptive about moving the attraction out of Golden Gate Park.
“The mayor and other stakeholders, including Rec and Park, are envisioning an additional grand location for the sky wheel, like on the waterfront,” Rec and Park Commission president Kat Anderson told the Chronicle. “If it moves, it will attract visitors and provide a fresh view of our beautiful city.”
There is also the unresolved matter of who would pay for the move. (SkyView Partners? A city department?) But we will acknowledge that riding a 150-foot-tall Ferris wheel, at the shores of the San Francisco Bay, would certainly provide a stunning view.
Image: @RecParkSF via Twitter
