Architecture is a visual art, and the buildings speak for themselves.     Julia Morgan

Our son has lived in Seattle for 17 years and in the multitude of visits that we have made over the course of that time we have never gone up to the top of Seattle’s iconic Space Needle.  Yesterday, we finally broke the drought!

Waiting for a day that would be clear enough to make the $30/person entry fee worth the money, we headed out after the morning clouds had moved inland.  Mt. Rainier still was hiding, but we figured if we waited for her to show herself, we might not make the visit on this trip either!

For those of you who don’t know, the Space Needle was built for the 1962 World’s Fair in Seattle.  With 2.3 million visitors attending the fair, the needle was quite a draw with 22,000 guests taking the 41 second elevator ride to the top each day!  It took just a little over a year to build at a cost of $4.5 million dollars and its observation deck is 520 feet above terra firma.  As you can see by the pictures, the panoramic views from its top are spectacular!

Built to last, the tower can withstand winds up to 200 mph and earthquakes up to a magnitude of 9.1.  Its foundation reaches down 30 feet and the needle is connected to it with 72 30 foot long bolts.  The design places the center of gravity just 5 feet above ground!

One good thing about waiting so long to go to the top is that the Space Needle just underwent a $100 million renovation and debuted the changes this summer.  It now has “The Loupe” which is a revolving glass floor that allows you to peer down at the structure itself and the buzz of activity surrounding its base.  The outdoor deck has 11 foot tall glass panels that lean out just a bit to allow the visitor a sense of floating above the city.  All-in-all, a pretty cool experience and one I heartily suggest not waiting 17 years to do!

Can you find our little red Kia?

Can you find the little red Kia in the parking lot?

P A N O R A M I C  V I E W S !

Hello, from the top!