Don’t clutter up park with theme park ride

Re “Balboa Park observation wheel idea wins preliminary approval” (Dec. 3): So let me get this straight. In the midst of a pandemic, where every single government agency relentlessly cautions and urges people not to get together in enclosed spaces, the Balboa Park Committee approves construction of a giant wheel where the operator “intends to offer visitors a food and beverage experience inside the ride’s 36 climate-controlled gondolas.”

For that reason alone this project should have been rejected, to say nothing of how it will spoil the view of all the surrounding buildings in the Plaza de Panama.

Instead of a beautiful picture of the facade of the San Diego Museum of Art with the fountain in the foreground, tourists get a picture of a massive steel structure obstructing the view of the facade. Very sad.

Nicholas DeCorso

Mission Hills

It is hard to imagine why the Balboa Park Committee would vote to place a 148foot wheel ride in Plaza de Panama. There are so many reasons this is a truly terrible idea: A major effort and expense went into changing the parking lot in this location to an open, lovely, pedestrian-friendly area. This gigantic structure is entirely out of place, historically and aesthetically

Why would we take a public space and turn it into a commercial enterprise benefiting a private restaurant? Eight people per gondola? In a small, enclosed space with masks off ? Will this be restricted to only people from the same household?

We can only hope that this idea will not survive further review by the City Attorney’s Office, the Historical Resources Board, the City Council and local and state health boards, and that the beauty and history of this beautiful gem will be preserved.

Melinda Hansen

Del Cerro