After arriving in Seattle and stopping at the Seattle LDS Temple, we checked in at the hotel, ate some dinner, I showered, and then we headed to the Space Needle to see what it has to offer against the night sky.
First Impression: It looks amazing. How fun would it be to bungee jump off the side of this thing?! I wonder if anyone has ever done that or if they would allow it... (I did learn there have been six parachute jumps from the Needle; two were unauthorized and the other four were part of a promotion.)
The Space Needle is 605 feet tall, but the observation deck is at 520 feet. That's where we stopped and took in the area. The SkyCity Restaurant is at 500 feet and it doesn't move, but a ring around the windows does. In 1988 Tim Firnstahl and Mick McHugh divided up their $16 million
Seattle restaurant empire with a coin toss from the Space Needle.
This photo is of Lake Union. You can't really see in this photo but the house from "Sleepless in Seattle" is on the left and there are floating homes across the lake on the right.
The Downtown Seattle Skyline. I loved how it looks at night.
I just want to show my cute family members in front of the skyline:
The Downtown Seattle Skyline meets Elliot Bay where you can catch a Ferry.
Me on the other side of the observation deck.
Austin and Dad on the other side of the observation deck.
My dad was very sensitive to the movement of the Space Needle and could feel it swaying. It was pretty windy that night and we learned that the Space Needle sways approximately 1 inch for every 10 mph of wind.
The Memorial Football Field near the base of the Space Needle. It looks so small from 520 feet up!
The Space Needle was built for the 1962 World Fair.
So this year was the Space Needle's 50th year in business.
I did find these fun fact about the Space Needle from
their website:
The Committee Hoping for Extra-Terrestrial Encounters to Save the Earth (CHEESE) claims to have plans from the 1962 World's Fair that show the Space Needle was constructed to send transmissions to advanced beings in other solar systems.
and
As an April Fool's joke a local television station aired a phony report
that the Space Needle had fallen over. Emergency phone lines were
swamped with calls. The Space Needle received more than 700 calls, even
though there was a flashing alert during the entire report telling the
audience that it was a joke. One Spokane man even jumped in his car and
began driving to Seattle because his daughter worked at the Space
Needle.
The next day we went back to the Space Needle to see what the views looked like with some sunlight shining through the clouds. It was still very pretty, but not quite as majestic as it looked at night.
Painting the Needle
Even the paint colors chosen for the Needle announced its
identity as the space age structure of the United States. “ Astronaut White”
for the legs, “Orbital Olive” for the core, “Reentry Red” for the halo and “Galaxy
Gold” for the sunburst and pagoda roof. The attention-getting effect was a
little too much for Britain’s Prince Philip, who confided in the fair hosts
that the colors reminded him of “the protective paint used on bridges.” In
1968, the color scheme was changed to gold and white.
Can you imagine? I appreciate the look of the White & Gold Space Needle much more than its former design.
We were able to see more of the details of the city during the day as opposed to the night before. I really enjoyed that. It was fun being surprised by buildings that looked so different or had a bit more to offer the eye in the daytime.
Looking South from the Space Needle is that famous Downtown Seattle Skyline:
Looking West from the Space Needle you will see the Puget Sound, the Key Arena, and the Smith Cove Waterway (as well as our favorite hotel, exactly one mile from the Space Needle, the
Homewood Suites by Hilton):
Looking North from the Space Needle includes things like Counterbalance Park, Kerry Park, Trolley Hill Park, and Queen Anne park:
It was a classic rainy Seattle day, but if you don't mind getting a little wet, still worth going to the top. (We all still enjoyed it.)
Just a couple more facts I found interesting about the Space Needle (then I will stop - I promise!):
Two of the Space Needle elevators are high speed and can travel at a
rate of 10 mph, or 800 feet per minute. Actual travel time from the
ground level to the top-house is 43 seconds. Under high wind conditions
these high-speed passenger elevators are slowed to 5 mph. The third
elevator, primarily used for freight but occasionally used to carry
passengers, only travels at 5 mph, or 400 feet per minute.
The last elevator arrived the day before the 1962 World's Fair opened. All three elevators were replaced in 1993, at a cost of $1.5 million total. The worker told us that there is an elevator on each side of the Space Needle and when there are high winds from one direction, they use the alternate elevator; this way the Space Needle is rarely ever shut down.
My dad trying to twist one of the incredibly large screws at the base of the Space Needle:
We really enjoyed visiting the Space Needle. From reading about its history and birth, I think that they did succeed in making Seattle a place to visit, simply because of the Space Needle. I would definitely go back if I was in the area and maybe next time I would check out the SkyCity Restaurant. Or... see about that bungee jumping idea ;0)
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