Sep 11, 2009
Space Needle – a cool place to checkout
Best time to visit: Go early in the day, avoid the crowds. Make sure you have good clear weather.
Tips: Wear a comfortable pair of shoes. Put on sun screen protection as you might be waiting in line for a long time. If you are afraid of heights, I would not suggest it.
Admission fee: $16/per person if you are looking to go to the top of the Space Needle / observation deck.
From a far, the Space Needle in Seattle looks like a spaceship on a tripod stand. In fact, this landmark was used as the backdrop in Men In Black in 1997 featuring Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones. This structure also saw its 5 minutes of fame in Austin Powers, Sleepless in Seattle to The Simpsons.
The structure was built in 1962 for the World’s Fair and amazingly, it was constructed in two years, between 1961 and 1962. It is located on Seattle Center which is a fair ground and a park. Hey, there are other things to do while you are there. If you would like to get a 360′ panoramic view of Seattle and the surroundings, one can opt to pay to travel to the observation deck to do so.
If I am not mistaken, the Duck Tours start from there as I was lazing around the park, I was some tourist boarding those amphibious vehicles aka Ducks.
Things you might not know about the Seattle Space Needle.
- Height: 605 ft at the tallest point, with an observation deck at 520 feet.
- Lightning rods: There are 25 lightning rods to protect the structure from lightnings.
- Elevators: The speed of the elevators to the observation deck will slow down when it is windy.
- Restaurant: There is a restaurant in the Space Needle at 500 feet. It rotates 360 degrees in exactly fifty-seven minute.
- Earth quake resistant: Built to withstand 9.1 magnitude earthquakes.
Other things do do while in Seattle, checkout Pike Market Place.
