The Iconic Seattle Space Needle

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The old but iconic Space Needle in Seattle was built for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair. My grandparents went and brought home a tiny replica of the Space Needle for me. I had it all through high school and college. I would love to find it! It was a cheap, junk metal replica, painted gold, with very little detail. But one look at it and anyone would know it as the "Needle".

The Space Needle is probably the Pacific northwest's most famous landmark. During the World's Fair, 20,000 people a day used the elevators to ride up to the top. The total visits to the Needle during the Fair was 2.3 million! Highly successful, I say. The Space Needle is 605 feet tall, 138 feet wide at its widest point, and weighs 9550 tons! When it was done, it was the tallest structure west of the Mississippi River. In addition, it has 25 lightning rods, and can withstand winds of over 200 mph, and earthquakes up to 9.1 in magnitude.

At 520 feet, there is an observation deck, a gift shop, and a rotating SkyCity restaurant at 500 feet. The view is fantastic, in every direction. To the north, is the Yukon Territory, and to the south, Mexico. Just kidding! But, a great view of the Olympic and Cascade Mountains awaits those brave enough to take the elevator. Also in view are Mount Rainer, Mount Baker, Elliott Bay, and many of the surrounding islands. The tower is the equivalent of a sixty story building. And yesterday was the clearest day ever to see the Needle due to the high winds and sunny day.

The Space Needle was designed by two architects, John Graham, and Edward Carlson. Private investors came up with $75,000 to buy the land for the Space Needle. At that point, only a year remained to get the Needle built in time for the World's Fair. The foundation itself weighs 6,000 tons, with 250 tons of steel to reinforce the base. Construction had to go round the clock.

The colors of the Space Needle were Orbital Olive for the body, Astronaut White for the legs, Re-entry Red for the saucer, and Galaxy Gold for the roof. Completed in April 1962, the total cost was only $4.5 million. It has been upgraded and renovated several times. In May of 2007, the 45 millionth visitor, Greg Novoa, was given a free trip to Paris, and dinner at the Eiffel Tower.

Only three jumpers have committed suicide off the Needle. Several jumpers have used parachutes off the Needle, though it is not a sanctioned activity without prior consent. Each New Year's Eve, a big fireworks program is synchronized to music at midnight. I have yet to see it on either the Fourth of July or New Year's Eve.

The ride up the elevator is not cheap. The cost is $18 for adults, $11 for children, and $16 for seniors. Some people think Elvis lives at the top of the Needle. Personally, I think it would be more appropriate for Buddy Holly or Richie Valens to live up there. If you want to walk to the top, it is only 848 steps from the ground to the observation deck. The saucer is so evenly balanced, it uses only a 1.5 hp motor to power it. The center of gravity for the structure is only 5 feet above the ground.

In 1966 11-year-old Bill Gates, now Microsoft chairman and co-founder, won a dinner at the Space Needle restaurant offered by his pastor. Gates had to memorize chapters 5, 6 and 7 of the Gospel of Matthew, better known as the Sermon on the Mount, and he recited the sermon flawlessly.

Other famous guests include: Elvis, Kelsey Grammar, Demi Moore, John Travolta, Vanna White, Michael Douglas, Evil Knievil, Don Quixote, Sleepless in Seattle, Tim Robbins, Benjamin Franklin (when he did his famous lightning experiment), Michael Moore, and the entire cast of Cheers. Other trivia: the Space Needle is 1320 Milky Way candy bars tall. Seattle Center remains both a tourist and multi use center for tourists and residents alike. Key Arena, home to music concerts, and formerly, the Seattle Supersonics NBA team, a food court, and Seattle Science Center are also housed here. The newest addition of course is Paul Allen's Experience Music Project (EMP), and Science Fiction Hall of Fame Museum. If you have even the slightest interest in music, you must go to EMP.

I love the EMP, if nothing else for its memorabilia, and the feeling that our music will live forever. It is a must stop in Seattle. Besides Paul Allen's huge collection of Jimi, Elvis, and Northwest Music, they bring in depth programs on people like Bob Dylan, along with the History of the Guitar, and "how to" be a DJ and mix your own music. As it turns out the old Seattle Monorail ends up right at EMP. It starts downtown at Westlake Center, near Nordie's and Bon. The Seattle "Duck" Tour also starts down here at EMP. More about EMP tomorrow.

Of course, there is never enough time to do as many things as we want here. It seems every trip flies by faster than the previous trip. It is one of our favorite American cities. We have visited every year for FIFTEEN years on our Anniversary in June, as well as on numerous other occasions. It is great for eating and shopping, and mostly good weather. Cheap airfare is another good reason for us to visit. We just love this city.

Last night's dinner at Lola was just outstanding. The Hotel Andra sits above and next door to Lola. No jacket necessary even when the wind chill factor was down to 33 yesterday. We had our favorite waiter, Benjamin, also part time DJ and musician himself. We actually had his favorite dish as an appetizer, the lamb raviolis. Our main dish was their always tender and rare leg of lamb, served with Grandma Dot's spaghetti. We had to top off dinner with their newly minted dessert, the chocolate custard with homemade marshmellow on top!!!

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Photos

Space Needle
View from Belltown and the monorail

Seattle Space Needle From Afar
Just before taking off on Paul Allen's SpaceShipOne, this photo is from Capitol Hill

Seattle in a Tractor Tire
Can you believe that is the center of a huge tractor tire sculpture?