Monday, October 31, 2016

Seattle Icon


A trip to Seattle would not be complete without a visit to the Space Needle.  It was very crowded, but the view from the observation tower was worth the trip, even though it was raining.

The Space Needle is an observation tower in SeattleWashington, a landmark of the Pacific Northwest, and an icon of Seattle. It was built in the Seattle Center for the 1962 World's Fair, which drew over 2.3 million visitors, when nearly 20,000 people a day used its elevators.
Once the tallest structure west of the Mississippi River; it is 605 ft (184 m) high, 138 ft (42 m) wide, and weighs 9,550 tons. It is built to withstand winds of up to 200 miles per hour (89 m/s) and earthquakes of up to 9.1 magnitude, as strong as the 1700 Cascadia earthquake. It also has 25 lightning rods.
It has an observation deck at 520 ft (160 m) and the rotating SkyCity restaurant at 500 ft (150 m). The downtown Seattleskyline, as well as the Olympic and Cascade MountainsMount RainierMount BakerElliott Bay and surrounding islands can be viewed from the top of the Needle. Photographs of the Seattle skyline often show the Space Needle prominently, above skyscrapers and Mount Rainier.
Visitors can reach the top of the Space Needle by elevators that travel at 10 miles per hour (4.5 m/s). The trip takes 41 seconds. On windy days, the elevators slow to 5 miles per hour (2.2 m/s). On April 19, 1999, the city's Landmarks Preservation Board designated it a historic landmark.

10 comments:

  1. Yes, it is an eyecatcher!

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  2. Nice image Kate. I visited there in the late 80s and went up to the observation deck and it was raining too. Nice memory, thanks for sharing.

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  3. Seattle's skyline wouldn't be the same without it.

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  4. Iconic for sure. Nice shot; sorry it was raining for you, but that's Seattle!

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  5. It's been so long ago, I can't remember the view from up there. It has to be great!

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  6. Fine picture of the Space Needle. Like your perspective.

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  7. You would have to be very lucky to visit Seattle when it wasn't raining!
    I've never been up to the Space Needle but I bet the view from up there was nice.

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  8. I was there for a conference in 1980. I did not, repeat did not, go up the Needle. I've been needled enough in my life. And I hate heights. Small stepladders? OK. Maybe!

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  9. I'd love to see the view from up there!

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  10. When we visited Seattle a few years ago our friends treated us to lunch in the restaurant and it was a beautiful day so we had great views of the area.

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