THE BALLOON MAN

Rose Festival: New Vertigo ride a tall order at CityFair carnival along Portland's waterfront

Prepare to be dazzled! The new Vertigo swing ride at the Rose Festival's CityFair carnival rises 100 feet above Tom McCall Waterfront Park.
May 27, 2011
By Grant Butler, The Oregonian
If you drive over the Morrison Bridge during this year's Portland Rose Festival, there's no way you can miss the big, new attraction at the CityFair carnival. It's a swing ride that towers 100 feet above Tom McCall Waterfront Park, and its name tells you that dizzying heights are in the cards: Vertigo.
"It's the tallest ride we've ever had at Waterfront Park by far," says Jeff Curtis, the Rose Festival's chief executive officer. "You won't be able to miss it, even from the other side of the river on the freeway."
The ride has 12 swing seats that hold 24 people and lasts between two and three minutes, taking riders from the base to the top, with the swings spinning at a moderate speed, offering panoramic views of both the festival grounds and the city. It's an experience that Curtis says will be nothing short of mind-blowing.
He should know. Last year, he rode a smaller version of the ride at an amusement park trade show in Florida, and right away he thought it would be the perfect addition to the Rose Festivalread the rest of the story at:http://www.oregonlive.com/rosefest/index.ssf/2011/05/rose_festival_new_vertigo_ride.html