An observation wheel that towers 180 feet above the Potomac River will open today at National Harbor. While it makes a fine tourist attraction, it remains to be seen if a $15 ride that offers a distant view of the Washington Monument and Capitol dome will draw people from D.C. to the Maryland development.

The shiny and new Capital Wheel features 42 climate-controlled gondolas that can hold up to eight people.They’re comfortable and clean, with tinted windows and an emergency button that somehow made this acrophobic feel pretty OK. A nighttime ride revealed just how dark D.C.’s skyline is, but the Washington Monument was still visible — if you knew where to look. Here’s betting many a tourist who takes an evening ride confuses the illuminated Masonic National Memorial in Alexandria for the D.C. obelisk.

A 12 to 15 minute ride runs $15, and the wheel will run seven days a week. Like an amusement park, riders can purchase a photo of themselves with the wheel after they disembark. Well, not with the actual wheel, but an image of the wheel projected on a green screen. There’s a bar operated by Wolfgang Puck Catering adjacent to the attraction.

While the appeal of the wheel is clear, it likely won’t be enough to convince Washingtonians — especially those without a car — to head to National Harbor. Instead of taking a ride on the Metro and two buses, this reporter rented a car. (Parking is abundant but not free.) Another reporter said her uberX ride cost $26. A trip on a water taxi may seem fun, but it’s not affordable and doesn’t run frequently enough to serve as a reasonable mode of transportation.

The view from the top of the wheel was enjoyable. But it would be more so if people from D.C. could look at their home while knowing there was a better way to get there.