Look, we're not here to be killjoys. A Ferris wheel is harmless fun, and if tourists want to shell out for a slow-motion ride with a view they could get for free from any nearby hilltop, that's their prerogative. The free market at work, baby.

The real question is whether this signals anything meaningful for the Wharf's future. Fisherman's Wharf has been stuck in an identity crisis for years — part historic waterfront, part souvenir shop purgatory, part cautionary tale about what happens when a neighborhood caters exclusively to out-of-towners. Adding a carnival attraction doesn't exactly scream "urban revitalization."

That said, there's a case to be made that any private investment bringing foot traffic and revenue to the waterfront without costing taxpayers a dime is a net positive. San Francisco desperately needs economic activity that doesn't come with a nine-figure public subsidy attached. If SkyStar is operating on private dollars, generating sales tax revenue, and creating jobs — even seasonal ones — that's more than you can say for half the city's publicly funded "economic development" projects.

The bar is low, folks. In a city where we've spent billions on a transit center that took decades to finish and a waterfront arena that required endless political negotiation, a company just... showing up and building something people voluntarily pay to enjoy is almost refreshing.

So spin away, SkyStar. Just don't ask us for a bailout when the fog rolls in and nobody wants to ride a Ferris wheel in 52-degree wind chill.