The Space Needle is where Seattle comes to a point
Published: Mar 1, 2009
Constructed for the 1962 Seattle World's Fair, the Space Needle serves several important civic purposes. The saucer-topped tower is arguably Seattle's most recogizable icon, along with coffee and rainfall. The sight of the Needle in the distance helps new residents to get their bearings. And the spectacular view from its observation deck helps to charm visitors into becoming new residents.
The indoor/outdoor "O Deck" stands 520 feet high and is reached by elevators that travel 800 feet per second. From this vantage, Seattle opens up around you like the petals of a flower, and it's a truly breathtaking sight. Ferries crisscross Puget Sound, snow glistens atop Mount Rainier and seaplanes come to spectacular water landings in Lake Union.
If you want to get the lay of the land, there's no place better. Many of the city's neighborhoods -- Capitol Hill, Downtown, Eastlake, Magnolia, South Lake Union and Queen Anne, in particular -- are clearly visible in good weather and bad. With the help of complimentary binoculars and telescopes, you can zero in on their ground-level details.
If heights aren't your thing, you can keep to the indoor portion of the O Deck, which still offers a great view and has several interactive displays that describe Seattle's neighborhoods, history and customs in rich detail. And not to be missed are the the remote-control cameras, which you can use to pan and zoom across the cityscape to your heart's content without tempting vertigo.
- by Geoff Carter, Seattle Reporter for HelloMetro
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