Picture This! Pacific Wheel’s Stylish Map Upgrades

Published on September 3, 2024

Riding the Ferris Wheel at Pacific Park just got even more enjoyable. Now, along with the incredible view of the Pacific coastline, you’ll get fun map installations showing exactly what you’re looking at.

A View With a Story

Imagine sitting at the very top of the Pacific Wheel with the city and the coast stretched out below you. Then you wonder, “What is that island over there? Where is the Hollywood sign? What is that amazing building?”

We’ve created a fun way to answer these questions. Inside each gondola, we’ve installed a map so that tourists and guests can get information on what they’re looking at once they’re at the top of the Ferris wheel.

Not Just Any Old Map

To create something unique and reflect Los Angeles’ colorful creativity, we collaborated with renowned graphic artist Chepe Daniel Báez. Chepe’s gorgeous illustrative ‘maps’ show all the landmarks and points of interest surrounding Pacific Park, including Point Dune, Pepperdine university, Malibu, Will Rogers State Beach, Pacific Palisades, Getty Museum, the Hollywood sign, the original Muscle Beach, Venice, Marina Del Rey, the Pacific Coast Highway and of course the Santa Monica Pier!

The Pacific Park team came up with the idea for the gondola maps in 2018, but it wasn’t until 2023 the project was put into action. Then, the process for completing the project was meticulous. Chepe made multiple drafts of the drawings and visited Pacific Park several times. The team would would print out the drafts, ride the Pacific Wheel, and discuss changes that could be made to enhance the experience. Once the images were completed, large-format print specialists Verve Printing transferred them to durable ‘wraps’ and installed them inside the rim of the gondolas.

Chepe said of the project: “I had a ton of fun drawing a part of the city that I love walking through and exploring, always with the perfect weather.” The artist is based in Mexico City, and spent time in Los Angeles for the gondola map project. He is also a member of Ramito de Violetas, a music industry-focused design studio. In 2017, the Latin American Design Festival in Lima, Peru, recognized Chepe as a Latin American Young Talent.