After pandemic shutdown, SkyStar Wheel set to soar at Golden Gate Park
Attraction had been closed due to pandemic
The SkyStar Wheel is set to spin again.
The 150-foot-tall observation wheel, which has been shut down for more than three months because of a surge in COVID-19 cases, is set to reopen at noon today in the Music Concourse of Golden Gate Park in San Francisco.
Tuesday’s reopening announcement comes after health officials moved the city from the purple tier to the less restrictive red one, which allows for the return of a number of public activities.
“We look forward to reconnecting with Bay Area families and individuals by offering a wonderful, safe and memorable aerial experience while adhering to public health protocols for wearing masks, social distancing and more,” SkyView managing partner Todd Schneider said in a new release Tuesday.
There’s also a special SkyView summer promotion for San Francisco public school graduating seniors. Beginning June 2 and running through Sept. 6, those students just need to show their SFUSD identification card at the on-site ticket booth and then they can ride for free.
“The pandemic has been especially hard on kids who are missing out on celebrating their milestones and achievements the way they’ve envisioned,” said San Francisco Recreation and Park General Manager Phil Ginsburg. “The SkyStar
Wheel allows them to rise above the fray and find inspiration in the exhilarating view.”
SkyStar is providing the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department with 500 free tickets each month for families enrolled in the City’s Community, a program providing support for distance learning for San Francisco’s highest-needs children and youth.
The 15-story-tall SkyStar Observation Wheel is made up of 36 enclosed, but reportedly “well-ventilated” gondolas, delivering views stretching from downtown
San Francisco to the Pacific Ocean. COVID-19 precautions in effect include “thorough sanitizing of all gondolas between each use; only family and friends will share a gondola; social distancing in queues; on-site hand-washing; and temperature testing for staff and riders,” according to the news release.
The SkyStar Wheel was installed in March 2020 as part of celebrations surrounding Golden Gate Park’s 150th anniversary, but the opening date was delayed amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It eventually opened Oct. 21, delivering over 65,000 rides during 39 days before closing again Nov. 29 due to the surge in coronavirus cases.
The SkyStar is located in the Music Concourse plaza near the de Young Museum, the California Academy of Sciences, and the Japanese Tea Garden. It is open noon10 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m.-10 p.m. weekends.
Public parking is available from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Music Concourse Garage.
Tickets are $12-$18 and are available online at sky starwheel.com.
OAKLAND >> A 66-year-old man was fatally shot in East Oakland on Tuesday night, authorities said.
Responding to a Shot Spotter alert, officers found the man down outside in the 2100 block of International Boulevard just after 11 p.m.
Authorities did not immediately identify the man but said he was an Oakland resident.
The killing is the 25th homicide investigated by police in the first nine weeks of 2021. At this time last year, police had investigated six homicides. The 109 homicides investigated in 2020 were the most in the city since 2012.
Police have not determined a motive for the shooting. They said the man had been shot at least once. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police and Crime Stoppers of Oakland are offering up to $10,000 in reward money for information leading to the arrest of the killer. Anyone with information may call police at 410-2383821 or 5120-238-07950 or Crime Stoppers at 510-7778572.