Building a Diversion

Counter added Sunday, March 25, 2007 -11:00 am Pacific Time


	*Photography*


	Wednesday, May 21, 2008 – Building a Diversion

In Santa Monica, it was big news:

The West Coast skyline is set to go dark for 17 days starting May 5 as the removal process of the Pacific Wheel Ferris wheel begins in preparation for the installation of an all-new Pacific Wheel Ferris wheel at Pacific Par on the Santa Monica Pier. The world-famous solar-powered Ferris wheel will receive a larger-than-life makeover as the superstar, nine-story attraction is replaced with a contemporary state-of-the-art Ferris wheel at the two-acre seaside amusement park.

The Los Angeles Times took note:

Maybe you've seen the new ferris wheel going up at the Santa Monica Pier this week, all sleek and shiny silver. That minimalist look will soon be history, though, as 160,000 lights get added to the $1.5-million carnival ride for its debut this Thursday next Wednesday, May 28.

A big reveal is in the works, with a lighting ceremony at 8:45 p.m., then free rides and snacks until midnight. Maria Shriver's supposed to be there to get the $65,000 raised for the Special Olympics by the eBay sale of the old wheel.

Updated, Wednesday, May 21:

Scratch the Thursday ferris wheel extravaganza - the start date has just been pushed back almost an entire week to Wed., May 28, which means a Memorial Day weekend without a ferris wheel. Sheesh.

The Times article on the eBay auction of the old wheel – winning bid: $132,400. It's off to a mixed-use development in Oklahoma City. Here's the old wheel in 2005.

The current troubled, uncompleted wheel provided a good excuse for working with angles and blue sky.










	Of course you find all sorts of interesting geometry on the pier –

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Technical Note:

Photographs after March 3, 2008, were taken with a Nikon D200 – or a Nikon D70 when noted. All previous photographs were taken with the D70. The lenses used are (1) AF-S Nikkor 18-70 mm 1:35-4.5G ED, or (2) AF Nikkor 70-300 mm telephoto, or (3) AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 55-200 mm f/4-5.6G ED. Photography here is modified for web posting using Adobe Photoshop 7.0. The earliest photography in the archives was done with a Sony Mavica digital still camera (MVC-FD-88) with built-in digital zoom.


	[Building a Diversion]


	All text and photos, unless otherwise noted, Copyright © 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 - Alan M. Pavlik