Spinning at a height of over 667 feet the space needle was once the tallest building of Seattle and the tallest structure to the west of the Mississippi River. Built in 1962 for the world fair, it stands at 607′ height, withstands winds of about 200 miles per hour and earthquakes of about 9.1 magnitude, all equipped with 25 lightning rods! Super sleek and nimble-footed the Space Needle looks out into the Pacific Ocean and provides sweeping views of the Seattle skyline.
Arriving at the base of the tower and tucking away our ride at an appropriate parking stall we walked up to admire the structural ingenuity and the engineering feat that the tower represents. Envisioned by architect John Grahams the tower was conceptualised as a flying saucer tethered to the ground. The column profiles of the tower lend to it it’s very enviable hour-glass figure balancing the saucer with high dexterity.
Getting in line and atop the tower in precisely 41 seconds, the circular viewing deck opens up for a lovely view of the city. All romantics will inevitably remember the Sleepless in Seattle moments, and the tower as the setting does a great job of enlivening romance in the atmosphere. Beauty inspired love, almost always, and beautiful architecture whether in steel, brick, glass or concrete, like all beautiful things inspires love.
Dodging selfie-sticks and poky elbows, I made my way to the protective rail letting the wind in my hair. The cascade range of snow-covered peaks of Washington state are visible from the viewing deck. Mount Rainier a gorgeous snow covered peak stared out at a distance, on a clear day, like that day, its the farthest that one can see from the tower. There are sunny days even in gloomy Seattle I thought, being lucky enough to check into the city when the sun was clearly in a mood to stay!
Unlike the Shanghai tower, the Space Needle hosts no bungee jumping expeditions, instead for the adventure junkies the climb to the top is an option as the 848-stair climb to the top is thrown open. Though thoroughly tempted, for once I took the lift! It would be a worthy climb to the top though if one has an inclination to it.
As families shuttered away capturing the moment and a distant horn of the cruise ship sounded I watched the sun-set far across the horizon. Watching the daily phenomena of sun-rise or sun-set is heart-warming, when a moment pauses and thoughts are set in motion. The sun-set from the Space Needle is a glorious sight indeed as all of the city is orchestrated into a melange of fall colours, a premonition to the ending of day, just another day!
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