Rolling its Way from One Century into Another

Last year, in 2016, Navy Pier marked its centennial, and for the occasion, launched some refurbished amenities, including a new Ferris Wheel.

For the occasion of my birthday recently, I decided to go to Navy Pier to ride the new Ferris Wheel (please see picture above), since the adult ticket prices are reduced a tad from November-March, and I could enjoy a warm ride inside the climate-controlled cars on what was a rather cool/cold day on March 16.  And it also seemed fitting to celebrate the day I was born in Chicago by going to an attraction that is a kind of Chicago icon, as it hearkens back to the Ferris Wheel at World's Columbian Exposition.

It was a nice ride, with some good views at the top.  On that day, there were clear skies in Chicago, so I got a fine view of the Lake Michigan waters all the way to the horizon, as well as the skyscrapers (please see pictures below).

I rode around three times, stopping periodically when new riders boarded cards behind me.  It was certainly an enhanced experience from the other Ferris Wheel that moved slower and had open-air cars--but the previous one was nice, too.

The Ferris Wheel car

As I reflect, I think of the many fond memories I have at Navy Pier, for at one point in my life, I would go there at least once a year.  While there are opportunities for some shopping and enjoying a variety of good food at the various restaurants there, it's also nice to be able to walk right into Navy Pier without paying admission and just walk around by the waters of Lake Michigan, which is what I like about it most.  And I think that's what makes it an enjoyable Chicago attraction for me.

Navy Pier also used to have a brick-and-mortar location of my favorite store, the Alamo Flag Company.  Every time I went to Navy Pier, I would stop there to buy something like a new flag, or a new US state pin to add to my collection.  With a good deal of dismay did I dash over there one day to discover it had been replaced without warning by a Garrett's Popcorn shop.

But still there's plenty of nice things to do there.  The Crystal Garden makes for a lovely setting to pass the time with a meal purchased in the food court.  They also once set up a temporary mini-golf course there, in addition to the outside course.

And I have enjoyed some delightful plays at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater, ranging from The Wizard of Oz to The Comedy of Errors.

And then there were those summer evenings I would go with my high school church youth group to watch the fireworks display.  On one particularly memorable summer evening, we watched a fireworks display compete with a thunderstorm that started right before the time the fireworks were set to go off.  Surprisingly, the fireworks still deflagrated despite the storm.  It was an amazing scene to watch.

I also reflected as I watched a WTTW-PBS program on Navy Pier, per the occasion of its centennial, which the brilliant Geoffrey Baer hosted, which aired back in October.  It was interesting to see how many different uses it has had over the past century, and how recently, there were so many efforts to rejuvenate it as a tourist attraction.  Personally, I never felt like it was all that bad before.  It has always been one of my favorite Chicago attractions for being a place just to amble around, with some great amenities to enjoy.  And I hope to continue enjoying it, just as the grand new Ferris Wheel shall keep on turning to give people the chance to take in the fine views.

Thanks to fellow Navy Pier visitors who took the picture above of me at the end of the pier, and the one below before a sign marking Navy Pier's centennial.