Looks like something out of the Jetsons, it towers over 600 feet and can be seen from anywhere in Seattle. Built for the 1962 World's Fair still is a major attraction. Ascend up the glass elevator in seconds and have magnificant views of the city. There are two observatories, one outside and one inside. At the top you will see the skyline of the city including Safeco Field, the Olympic Mountains and Mt. Rainere, Puget Sound and the waterfront district, the lake area incuding Lake Victoria and Union and look straight down and see the Seattle Center.
You can eat lunch and dinner at the top and the admission is free. At the bottom of the needle is a gift shop ranging from T-shirts to fine art.

The needle is in the middle of the Seattle Center so there is lots to do. Stop in the Sicne Fiction Museum, or watch the eruption of Mt. St. Helen at the I-Max, The Center House has shops and restaurants and on the grounds are amusements like a county fair. Ready to go downtown, take the monorails for on $2.00.

You can spend as little time or a day in this area. It is great place for families because of the diversity of attractions. The cost is $16.00 for just the Space Needle but there are all kinds of packages you can purchase. Check the web-site and decide what would best fit your trip.

The Space Needle was meant to be the focal point of the 1962 International Exhibition. Inspired by the radio tower in Stuttgart, Germany, visionary Eddy Carlson decided that the Seattle tower should feature a restaurant in the sky, but there would even be difficulties securing land on the Exhibition site. Finally, as time flew by, site permission was granted and the fair would have its restaurant and an observation deck. The process sounds simple now, but the architecture and the construction methods were untried and this would be the tallest structure west of the Mississippi. Once completed, however, it became one of the exhibition’s main attraction as well as its trademark; 2.3 million people would ascend the tower that year…20,000 per day.

The tower is 650 feet with an observation deck at 520 feet. The nautilus pavilion at its feet was in the original design but wouldn’t be finished until 2000. For an admission fee (2007 - $15), an glass-walled elevator will whisk you to the top at 10 mph. Once there, you can opt to stay inside or go to the outer deck. There are any number of aids, both static and dynamic, to help you identify, or zoom in on, the sites before you. You can be forgiven if you feel there is a slight sway, but remember, at age 45, this tower has withstood a fairly severe earthquake.

It is what it is: a spot high in the sky from which you have a view of downtown Seattle, Lake Union, and north to the Olympic Mountains. Try to see it on a clear day. Fastest way to the Seattle Centre is still on the monorail from the Westlake Shopping Center, corner of Pine and 5th.

The Space Needle is like the Empire State Building of Seattle. Breathtaking views, a bevy of tourists, an obligatory Starbucks on the top floor, and even lines in the quaint restrooms. Definitely a must-see, if only for the view!

The World’s Fair of 1962 put Seattle on the map for some, and it left the Space Needle as a 607-foot high memento. It may seem a bit dated in appearance to some, especially in contrast to Frank Gehry’s flashy Experience Music Project nearby. The Space Needle is the exclamation point of Seattle Center, and though its look was initially futuristic, its current retro look is still very agreeable. Architect Victor Steinbrueck designed the Space Needle with the office of John Graham and Company.

I have been here three times and never get tired of the breathtaking views from the top. The queue to buy tickets can be long, but that may depend on the weather and the day. Look for discount coupons in tourist brochures, as the full price is a bit steep. Oh well, it is a Seattle icon and wouldn’t you feel like a fool if you went all the way to Seattle and did not go up the Space Needle?

You will pass through a security checkpoint before you reach the elevators. The gift shop is new and improved, and the line to the elevators conveniently passes by it so your kids can gawk at the enticing merchandise in the store (when you leave the elevators on the way out, you will have to walk through the shop to reach the exit, so the layout is a clever marketing ploy). The elevator will fill up, so try to get a spot at the front so you can look out the glass windows while you are riding up (or down). The elevator operator will give you a quick speech while your ears are popping.

Once you have reached the full-circle observation deck (this level is 520 feet high), venture to the outdoor platform for some fresh air. You are all caged in while standing outside, but you can stick your camera through the gaps for some amazing views of Seattle and beyond. If you look (nearly) straight below, you will see the rest of Seattle Center, like the EMP, the arches of the Pacific Science Center, Key Arena, the International Fountain, amusement park rides, and plenty more if you look hard enough. The scenery is truly spectacular on a clear day, but if it is rainy you may just want to stay inside and look at the display photos pointing out all the landmarks. The downtown skyscrapers are south, Capitol Hill and Lake Washington are east, Queen Anne and Lake Union are north, and shimmering Elliott Bay and Puget Sound are west. There are free telescopes with which you can see the mountains on a clear day, which is not a given in Seattle.

If you buy a special day-and-night ticket, you can ascend the Space Needle twice on the same day, capturing the city during dramatically different lighting conditions. If you are dining at the revolving SkyCity at the Needle restaurant, your elevator ride is free.

There are those places that we travel to that have a landmark or sight that is unavoidable. A sight that if you don't see it you will have to have a long explanation for all the people that ask, "Did you see ____?" Its not worth the story or the deceitful feeling of just saying, "Sure I saw _____, it was great." So we go and often disappointingly see _____.

In Seattle the _____ is of course the famed Space Needle. It is a structure that is interesting to look at (and noticeable from so many different parts of the city) for sure, but the price of admission to see the view from the top is not quite worth it.

13 dollars per adult and 6 dollars per youth. Now that could be about 28 dollars for an average family to ride an elevator to the top of a structure that is not even that tall anymore. Atleast when I paid my 10 bucks to go to the top of the Empire State Building, I could see over most of the buildings and I had, along with millions of other tourists, found a great view.

Of course people will ask if you saw it, and I think people should see it. It is a landmark that will always be instantly associated with Seattle. Along with rain and Starbucks the Space Needle forms a holy trinity. Still, seeing it from the ground and saving 13 dollars is wise. There are plenty of great reasons to be around it in the Seattle Center too: the awesome Experience Music Project, the fun Pacific Science Center, the Key Arena, and more.

As for the views from the top? Well, you could visit the Queen Anne neigborhood in Seattle that is located atop the highly elevated hill. From Queen Anne you can see over the Space Needle and on clear days can see Mt. Rainier. Plus Queen Anne is a cute little neighborhood. Or in Volunteer Park, which is located in the Capitol Hill neighborhood, there is an observation tower near the water resevoir that allows for excellent views of the city. Plus, Volunteer Park is a quaint park that is also home to the Asian Art Museum and an Arboretum. Or, in downtown there are plenty of taller buildings to see from. The Washington Mutual building is free and offers some of the best views of the city.

So the point is, I suppose, that sometimes the landmarks of a city get so popular that the price of admission to the landmark outweighs the specialness. There are plenty of free ways to see the beautiful city of Seattle. If a friend keeps pestering you about not seeing ____, then just say, "____ you!" and rest assured in knowing that you saved money and saw a killer view. It’s no coincidence that the film "Sleepless in Seattle" ends at the Empire State Building.