Viewing NYC Articles Categorized Under Rides

[WATCH] "The Top" - 1910s Coney Island Roller Coaster That Moved Round and Round Underneath the Carts

2025-12-30T12:00:00-05:00

The Scenic Spiral Wheel was a unique roller coaster installed in Coney Island's Luna Park back in 1917.

It was a 45 ton, 70 foot diameter steel wheel that was tipped towards its heavier side where it rested on its bottom edge. Roller coaster track spiraled around its outer rim from its top to its bottom. As the four car train circled the rim of the wheel, its weight changed the wheel's tilt so that the entire rig gyrated around like a top running low on spin. The train slowly spiraled down and covered 3200 feet of track in two and one half minutes. A second train with a separate admission climbed up to the top of the wheel, then descended through a long tunnel.

Apparently, the ride was not as exciting to ride as it was to watch, so it was shut down in 1921 after only 4 years.

The post [WATCH] "The Top" - 1910s Coney Island Roller Coaster That Moved Round and Round Underneath the Carts appeared first on Viewing NYC

[VIDEO] "The Top" - 1910s Coney Island Roller Coaster That Moved Round and Round Underneath the Carts

2023-03-24T12:00:00-04:00

The Scenic Spiral Wheel was a unique roller coaster installed in Coney Island's Luna Park back in 1917.

It was a 45 ton, 70 foot diameter steel wheel that was tipped towards its heavier side where it rested on its bottom edge. Roller coaster track spiraled around its outer rim from its top to its bottom. As the four car train circled the rim of the wheel, its weight changed the wheel's tilt so that the entire rig gyrated around like a top running low on spin. The train slowly spiraled down and covered 3200 feet of track in two and one half minutes. A second train with a separate admission climbed up to the top of the wheel, then descended through a long tunnel.

Apparently, the ride was not as exciting to ride as it was to watch, so it was shut down in 1921 after only 4 years.

The post [VIDEO] "The Top" - 1910s Coney Island Roller Coaster That Moved Round and Round Underneath the Carts appeared first on Viewing NYC

Have You Taken a Ride on the "Underwater" SeaGlass Carousel in Battery Park?

2017-10-05T11:30:00-04:00

Opened in 2015, the SeaGlass Carousel is a cool attraction in Manhattan's Battery Park, yet many locals don't know it's even there. Open seven days a week from 10am to 10pm, the carousel has a unique "underwater" feel, allowing you to sit upon 12 different types of fish instead of horses and barn animals.

Each of the 30 massive fiberglass fish was custom designed and fabricated for SeaGlass by Show Canada. Internally illuminated with color-changing LED light fixtures and outfitted with integrated audio systems, each fish is designed to recall the bioluminescence found deep in the ocean. The show’s underwater atmosphere is created through LED color-changing lighting combined with “water effect” light projectors hung from a custom-designed helical light ring.

Check it out in this short video fro our friends at Time Out New York.

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Thursday, April 20th, 2017, Good Morning!

2017-04-20T10:30:00-04:00

Good morning! Wishing you a happy Thursday, April 20th, 2017 from all of us at Viewing NYC!

Here's what the weather looks like in the City right now.

The post Thursday, April 20th, 2017, Good Morning! appeared first on Viewing NYC

"The Top" - a Cool 1910s Roller Coaster in Coney Island That Moved Round and Round Underneath the Carts

2016-09-02T07:15:49-04:00

The Scenic Spiral Wheel was a unique roller coaster installed in Coney Island's Luna Park back in 1917.

It was a 45 ton, 70 foot diameter steel wheel that was tipped towards its heavier side where it rested on its bottom edge. Roller coaster track spiraled around its outer rim from its top to its bottom. As the four car train circled the rim of the wheel, its weight changed the wheel's tilt so that the entire rig gyrated around like a top running low on spin. The train slowly spiraled down and covered 3200 feet of track in two and one half minutes. A second train with a separate admission climbed up to the top of the wheel, then descended through a long tunnel.

Apparently, the ride was not as exiting to ride as it was to watch, so it was shut down in 1921 after only 4 years.

The post "The Top" - a Cool 1910s Roller Coaster in Coney Island That Moved Round and Round Underneath the Carts appeared first on Viewing NYC

Staten Island's Carousel for All Children Opens For 2016 Summer Season

2016-05-08T06:34:03-04:00

Willowbrook Parks's Carousel for All Children opened for the 2016 season yesterday with a celebration that included nature inspired crafts and activities, a petting zoo, sing-a-long with Caroline, and even puppet shows.

The carousel was designed and built between 1997 and 1999 in Mansfield, Ohio by Carousel Works, the only company in North America that creates wooden carousels. According to the artisans, the carousel in Willowbrook Park is the largest and fanciest one they’ve created.

Rides on the carousel cost $2 and are available this month Friday through Sunday, 11am - 5:45pm. Checkout the carousel page for more summer hours.

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Ride Coney Island's Wonder Wheel for Free This New Year's Day

2015-12-14T11:30:43-05:00

Deno's Wonder Wheel is a famous attraction in Coney Island that has been family owned for three generations. The Vourderis family of Brooklyn has been keeping the wheel running for nearly 100 years, through storms and blizzards, hurricanes and, even worse, the 80's.

However, the Wonder Wheel has never been open on New Years Day… until now.

New Yorkers could have an opportunity to take a spin on Coney Island's Wonder Wheel on New Year's Day for the first time in the 95-year-old ride's history. The owners of Deno's Wonder Wheel Amusement Park say they plan to open the ride on the first day of 2016 as long as the weather cooperates.

And… it will be completely FREE to ride all New Year's Day, as well as New Year's Eve from 9pm to 11pm.

The post Ride Coney Island's Wonder Wheel for Free This New Year's Day appeared first on Viewing NYC

Deno's Wonder Wheel in Coney Island

2015-08-08T08:14:10-04:00

During their stewardship of the Wheel, the family had restored it from a state of near ruin in the 1980s to make it one of Coney Island’s most famous rides and have continued a spotless safety record with no major accidents or injuries to passengers stretching back to 1920.

Check out this interesting article on AMNY that talks about the storied history and mechanics of the wheel, and the Vourderis family's efforts to keep it running.

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