One of the best birthday presents I ever received came from my son Alexander, when he was five years old. I remember it every time I drive past Navy Pier on Chicago's Lake Shore Drive. I particularly recalled it last night when we drove home from Chicago Shakespeare Rep. Before I tell you what that present was, let me tell you why I am thankful to George Ferris.
In Virginia Beach, Virginia, there once was a small amusement park right on the oceanfront, called Seaside. By today's mega-amusement park standards, it was pretty simple. But by the standards of a 6-year-old in the early 1960's, it was fabulous. All the rides were tailored for my age group! Even the bumper cars were not forbidding. Our visits to the beach very frequently ended with time spent at Seaside. (It was demolished long ago to make way for hotels on the oceanfront, alas.)
I had two favorite rides. One was the carousel, with wonderful carved wooden horses and original band organ. We never left without riding it at least once. My other favorite ride was the Ferris wheel. This sat perpendicular to the oceanfront, so that as you rode up and around and down you looked straight out over the Atlantic. In retrospect, I don't think it was very tall or very fancy at all, but it had managed to survive hurricanes and those seats did swing deliciously jiggly as we went around. I loved it when the wheel's operator would stop the wheel to let folks on or off and my seat would be at the top of the wheel. We swung gently back and forth SO high, looking far away out to sea. Oh my, how I loved that experience!
With that background in mind, you can understand why I am a sucker for Ferris wheel rides. (I dote on carousels, too, but that's another post...) I ride them whenever the opportunity presents itself. Of course, one doesn't come across Ferris wheels too frequently. Most of my experiences since Seaside have been at county and state fairs. I saw a few in India, but those looked far too rickety for my taste and I had to pass them by. I have ridden on the Ferris wheel in Paris twice, once in 2000 when it sat at the edge of the Place de la Concorde, in line with the Champs Elysees, and once in 2013 at the end of the Tour de France, when the wheel sat close to the Louvre and overlooked the race. Pretty impressive view over the City of Light, and a recommended treat, by the way. I haven't yet ridden the London Eye, but next time I'm there, I will.
For a long time, my favorite time on a Ferris wheel came when my children, my sister, and I were at the Lake County Fair, north of Chicago. My sister took my daughter and older son to look at the pigs and sheep and so forth, but my youngest son was tired of walking and we had just spied the Ferris wheel. There were only a handful of folks riding it, because we were at the fair on a weekday. Once we bought our tickets and the operator settled us into our seats, we were off on what proved to be a magical adventure. How many times do people usually go around on a typical Ferris wheel ride? Three? Four? Well, Alexander and I hit the jackpot. We ended up being the only people on the wheel, and the operator asked me as we passed him once if we would like to ride a long time. Oh boy! Of course I said yes (Alexander was always agreeable!), and we kept going. He and I made a game out of counting our revolutions. Our final total? We circled around for 25 full trips. Truly. Twenty-five times. It was amazing. My sister and other children had returned from the pigs and sheep and just stood there watching our final turns. Alexander and I were pretty darn happy with our day at the fair.
Just a couple of years later I received that special birthday present. My husband and children bustled me into our car, telling me we were going to celebrate my birthday. Sounded good to me! We drove south on Lake Shore Drive, which is always entertaining, and drew closer to downtown Chicago. Suddenly we were turning toward Navy Pier. Those of you who know me, know that I am not a fan of Navy Pier. I can't understand why people spend time there. I only go when we attend a performance at Chicago Shakespeare Rep. So I was feeling a little puzzled about this birthday celebration. We parked the car and climbed out and up to the top of the 'outdoor entertainment' area at the pier. What do you think occupies that spot? A giant Ferris wheel, in glorious splendor, which overlooks the entire Chicago lakeshore and downtown Chicago. My spirits rose. My husband told me that Alexander had arranged for him to bring all of us to the Ferris wheel and take a ride to celebrate my birthday! Alexander just beamed with happiness, and I would have done cartwheels if nature had permitted that activity! The Chicago wheel was fairly new and I hadn't managed to put together a field trip to ride it. What a great surprise! The gondola cars for this wheel are completely enclosed, so we could turn around and look at everything to our heart's content. The ride moves very slowly, too, so that even though we only completed one revolution (not 25!), we had plenty of time to see and enjoy everything around us. It was a magical afternoon, all because of that magical little boy's understanding of what his mother would love to do.
The first Ferris wheel was part of the Columbian Exposition of 1893 in Chicago, by the way. How fitting that a massive wheel now adorns the lakefront. Alexander and I will go for a ride again when we can take my little grand twins for their first Ferris wheel experience. And perhaps I need to check out the Ferris wheels at the Kane County and Lake County fairs next summer, too! You never know what adventures could lie ahead.
No comments:
Post a Comment