Seattle’s Space Needle is what the Eiffel Tower is to Paris — a world’s fair legacy structure, engineering marvel and an enduring symbol of the city itself. Resembling a flying saucer on a curved tripod, the Space Needle is also my first point of reference in the city I visited for a weekend getaway.
My daughter and I travelled on the Victoria Clipper, a passenger-only ferry going from Victoria’s inner harbour to Seattle’s harbour in just under three hours. Shortly after nightfall, and still in Puget Sound, we easily spotted the Needle, which is unquestionably the most significant building on Seattle’s skyline.
The Jetson-like landmark was built for the 1962 World Fair and meant to be futuristic to align with the fair’s motto “Living in the Space Age.”
We start our next day at the Seattle Center, home to more than 30 arts, culture, and tourist attractions, which includes the Needle for an overview of the city. And what better way to do that than from on high — 158 metres above ground on the Needle’s observation deck. The Space Needle was once Seattle’s tallest structure at 184 metres but lost the that title in 1985 to the 76-storey Columbia Center, which is 286 metres tall.
Weather permitting the Space Needle delivers unobstructed, indoor and outdoor, 360-degree views of the Seattle’s downtown, Puget Sound, Mount Baker, Mount Rainier, the Cascades and Olympic mountain ranges.
“The Space Needle was built as a project of innovation and optimism. If you go back and look at newspaper reports in the 1960s, there was a little uncertainty about what the future would hold,” said Space Needle public relations manager Genny Boots.
“This was an idealized version of the future.”
While I’ve certainly seen, walked under and around the Needle on past visits to Seattle, I’ve never gone inside. But this time I finally took the 43-second elevator ride up to its two observation decks, to see the results of the Needle’s first major renovation.
Called the Century Project, the multi-year renovation, mostly completed in May, 2018 (the elevators are still to be updated), will cost $100 million. In comparison, it cost $4.5 million to initially build the Space Needle.
The renovation harkens back to the Needle’s original conceptual sketches and enhances its panoramic views. When it was built, the Space Needle had only one observation deck, with limited views because of a pony wall and wire mesh. The Needle’s revolving restaurant was on a second level, but could only be accessed by people with dining reservations.
Today, there are two observation decks and a circular staircase for visitors to easily access both levels, with tilted open-air glass panels and glass benches on the upper deck and the world’s only revolving glass floor below. This floor is where you’ll find The Loupe, a seasonal cocktail lounge, in the former Sky City restaurant location. The rotating floor, which does a full rotation every 30 to 45 minutes, has 10 layers of glass, and weighs 37 tons. At its top speed, it can fully rotate in 20 minutes.
“Part of the idea of the Century Project was they were trying to return to the original design ideas from the builders that made the Space Needle. They dreamt big for 1962 and they always wanted this to be a revolving glass floor, but at the time they didn’t have the technology to make that happen,” said Boots.
With the recent renovation, a custom, robotic glass placement machine was used for installation of more than 175 tons of glass, including the exterior glass barrier wall with 48 glass panels. The glass floor movement is powered by 12 motors, which visitors can see working when they stand on it.
While most visitors didn’t seem bothered by the moving floor, it did have a slight vertigo-inducing effect on me. Still, it was fun to walk beside it (and sometimes tentatively on it) for a close-up view of the floor’s mechanics and also the reaction of visitors, many who sprawled on top taking selfies as the floor slowly moved.
A team called the “glass keepers” were busy cleaning all the Needle’s high touch areas ensuring visitors fully experienced those multimillion-dollar, enhanced views.
More than one million tourists and locals annually visit the Needle, and it’s the second top ranked tourist attraction in Seattle on Trip Advisor (Chihuly Garden and Glass is number one). Despite its slightly lower tourist rating, the Space Needle is obviously beloved by Seattle residents.
“You will encounter the Space Needle with some regularity as you live your life as a Seattleite. Whether you see it from the highway, whether you see it from your apartment, it looks down on all of us and holds a very special place for locals as a symbol of the city,” said Boots.
Adjacent to the Space Needle, created on a former parking lot 50 years after the Space Needle was built, Chihuly Garden and Glass showcases the artwork of Tacoma-born glass artist Dale Chihuly.
“This was the next big step for all of Seattle Center, and part of its reinvigoration was giving Dale Chihuly a blank canvas,” said Mary Catherine Frantz, public relations manager of Chihuly Garden and Glass, which opened in 2012.
“We’re the only long-term exhibit of just Dale Chihuly’s work in the world. He’s in more than 200 different museum collections worldwide but this was the first time he was able to tell his own story through his art in Seattle,” she said.
Walking through the eight galleries, the glass house designed by Chihuly and a garden full of original glass work, one can’t help but be amazed by the now 82-year-old artist, who has yet to retire.
If you plan on visiting the Space Needle and Chihuly Garden and Glass be sure to buy a combination ticket for a 10 per cent discount.
Also, adjacent to the Space Needle is the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP), that for nearly 25 years has featured rock’n roll, science fiction, fantasy and other pop culture exhibits and interactive experiences. Its most recent long-term exhibit, which opened March 15, is called MASSIVE: The Power of Pop Culture, which showcases more than 80 film and pop culture artifacts, ranging from the iconic gingham dress Judy Garland wore in the Wizard of Oz to the Zombie jacket Michael Jackson donned in his Thriller video.
After visiting all three sites, we hopped on the one-stop monorail, built for the 1962 World’s Fair at the Seattle Center, and travelled the short distance to Westlake Center Shopping Mall. From there, we walked to the famous Pike Place Market, which opened in 1907. This is another must-stop destination for Seattle visitors to check out the many food, flower and artisan vendors. This is also where you’ll see Seattle’s famous flying fish, when fish market vendors toss and hopefully catch them after a sale.
And since our weekend visit coincided with the peak cherry blossom season, we left Seattle’s downtown and headed to one of Seattle’s best places to view them at the University of Washington Quad. From mid-March through early April, the 29 Yoshino cherry trees, that are nearly 90 years old, attract hordes of visitors intent on getting that perfect picture-defining Spring in Seattle moment.
IF YOU GO
Where to stay
Music is key to The W Hotel, in downtown Seattle, where a disc jockey, in front of an oversized album display, spins music on Fridays and Saturdays in the Living Room/lounge, featuring a three-storey high, circular fireplace and funky furnishings. The hotel even has a suite with a full recording studio. You don’t have to be a musician to appreciate the hotel, since visitors will value being within walking distance of Pike Place Market, the Seattle Art Museum and other attractions.
If you take the Victoria Clipper, you don’t have to go far to reach the Edgewater Hotel, located on the waterfront close to Pier 69, where the Clipper docks. The hotel is located on Pier 67, directly over Elliott Bay. The Edgewater is so close to the water that the Beatles, who stayed there during their 1964 world tour, fished out of their hotel room. The hotel lobby, with its stone-faced fireplace, massive antler chandelier and comfy seating is a nice spot to take in those waterfront views, as is the hotel’s award winning Six Seven Restaurant.
Where to eat
Chihuly’s in-house restaurant, The Bar, is worth visiting if only to see Chihuly’s many collections throughout the modern venue. Our table top featured his fishing lure collection (others tables had shaving brushes, New Years’ Eve noise makers, alarm clocks, and dog figurine collections to name just a few.) The cocktails were particularly creative, with four signature ones that needed the green light by Chihuly’s glass making studio, based on his collections. I went for the Fishing Lure cocktail, naturally, a tropical green tea infused vodka, passion fruit puree with mint.
Autumn Seattle, is a cozy restaurant in Seattle’s Phinney Ridge neighbourhood, with a focus on seasonal fare and handmade pasta dishes. My tonnarelli pasta with prawns was delicious and simply plated. I also ordered a cauliflower starter with almond, herbs and dukkah, a Middle Eastern nut, seed and spice blend. It was a feast for the eyes as well as the palate.
Rockcreek Seafood and Spirits, in Seattle’s Fremont neighbourhood, is not where you go if you want your typical fish and chips. Instead, it offers thoughtfully prepared seafood, like a barbecued Spanish octopus, a whole Grecian branzino with guajillo mole and, my favourite, the Neah Bay rockfish and shell stew, with clams, mussels and prawns in a roasted tomato broth.
Kim Pemberton was hosted by Visit Seattle, which did not review or approve this story. Follow her on Instagram at kimstravelogue.
