leah's » Seattle, WA

quote:

Artist Edward E. Carlson sketched his vision for the Space Needle, one of the world’s most recognizable landmarks, on a coffee house placemat, fitting for a city known for its love of coffee.  Racing to finish in time for the 1962 World’s Fair, the then-named Space Cage was erected in a record-breaking 13 months.  A 41-second elevator ride rockets you 520 feet to the Observation Deck, where you’ll view Puget Sound and Mt. Rainier.  And no, you’re not imagining it, the tower is meant to sway one inch for every 10 mph of wind.  There are description stations all around the 360-degree landing to help you identify Elliott Bay, the Olympic Mountains and even Safeco Field.  Pricey dining is available in the revolving SkyCity Restaurant, which resides 500 feet above ground.  The SpaceBase gift shop flaunts much better-than-average tchotchkes to take home.  And although local casualties Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain didn’t actually die from heroin overdoses, that the structure is called a needle makes it an eerie icon to the counterculture, and to Seattle’s noted heroin problem.  Those marching to the full-fledged rock n’ roll shrine of the Experience Music Project, also in the Seattle Center, make the Space Needle a stop on their pilgrimage.

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