We were .000230 percent of the visitors to the iconic Space Needle this year; translated, that means we were three (Steve, Patty (my sister) and me) of the 1.3 million visitors this year. With wind conditions of 9 miles per hour and no earthquake or tremors, we were way, way below the threshold of 200 miles per hour and the 9.0 earthquake magnitude that the Needle can withstand. So, we were whisked up to the observation deck at 10 miles per hour, which took 41 seconds. In other words, we had the perfect sunny day to enjoy a visit and the views.
As we all know, the Space Needle was built for the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair. It took less than a year to build and was completed in April 1962 at a cost of $4.5 million. The last elevator car was installed the day before the Fair opened; that was cutting it close! What you may not know is that it was privately financed and built. Also, on April 19, 1999, Seattle’s City Landmarks Preservation Board designated the Space Needle a historic landmark.
There have been two renovations, one in 2000 at a cost of $21 million and the most recent begun in 2017 at a cost of $100 million. New see-through glass floors were installed and the observation deck’s wire enclosures were replaced with glass. The revolving restaurant has not yet reopened.
Looking straight down is downright scary, but, there were lots of people willing to venture out to the end of the glass, including Steve. Me, I just went to the end, sneaked peeks and took pictures.
I have always had a fascination with and been drawn to the Space Needle, having enjoyed numerous lunches and dinners at the revolving restaurant and even arranged a cocktail party for a visiting group of people. I have Space Needle Christmas ornaments, Space Needles replicas and now I have a Space Needle picture frame. I was once given a gift of Space Needle shaped pasta (at least I didn’t buy it myself!). I have no excuses; I like the Space Needle.
Leaving Seattle Center and the Space Needle, we drove to Pike Place Market, not to go to the Market but to have lunch at Place Pigalle, a well-hidden restaurant within the Market. Following lunch it was a visit to Metzgers Maps, one of my favorite stores.
Looking across Elliott Bay in the above picture, behind the big ship on the other side is where we had our West Seattle condominium. When we lived there, we could take the water taxi, which was just a few blocks down the street. It dropped us off at the pier just below the Pike Place Market; that was convenient and made it easy to enjoy downtown Seattle. Now, driving in Seattle has come close to impossible with lanes being designated as bike and “bus only” lanes while traffic has increased. Parking downtown, when available, is expensive. We paid $34.33 for an hour and a half of parking and felt fortunate to have found a space!