Here is a video of our Great Wheel ride.
If you are fascinated by shapes, excursions #5 and #6 (one trip for us) will delight you, combining the geometry of Seattle's Big Wheel with the free forms of Chihuly's Garden and Glass. You might rather combine the Wheel with something else on the waterfront, like the free Seattle Art Museum Sculpture Garden. (We found we could leave Enumclaw at 10 am and return by 3 pm, avoiding both the morning and afternoon rush hours.)
Parking is available at numerous lots (often full), but if you go on a weekday morning, there are plenty of spots available under the Alaskan Way viaduct. (BTW, here is an interesting animation of the structure during an earthquake. Don't worry about your car getting crushed, though. You'll have other concerns if the Big Shake happens while you are atop the 180-foot Big Wheel.)
Another advantage of arriving at the 11:00 opening of the Big Wheel is the short line. I wouldn't want to try it on a weekend afternoon. Admission is $11 for seniors, $13 for adults and $8.50 for children (plus taxes).
If you generally shy away from heights, you might still enjoy this ride. All the capsules are enclosed, so you never feel like you are falling. We didn't even realize when we had reached the top the first time until it stopped and swayed a little. The ride is three revolutions. The views are spectacular, looking at all the interesting lines of Seattle architecture one minute and the expanse of Elliott Bay and the Olympics the next. The structure of the wheel itself is also quite a feast for the eyes.
