Ride the Monorail to a Saucer in the Sky
You arrive at Seattle Center on the Monorail from Downtown, step off, and there it is: a tripod of white legs carrying a red-orange disk, painted in Orbital Olive, Astronaut White, Re-entry Red and Galaxy Gold. The Space Needle was built for the 1962 World's Fair, which drew more than 2.3 million visitors, and it has been a designated Seattle landmark since 1999. Its shape is a compromise between two ideas: businessman Edward E. Carlson's sketch, on a napkin, of a giant balloon tethered to the ground, and architect John Graham Jr.'s flying saucer, which houses the restaurant and observation deck. Victor Steinbrueck introduced the hourglass profile and the tripod legs, said to resemble the isthmus Seattle sits on. It stands at 400 Broad Street in Lower Queen Anne, and it is the image most people see first when they think of Seattle.
What You See from the Top
Elevators lift you to the observation deck in 41 seconds, and the view opens in every direction: the downtown skyline, the Olympic and Cascade Mountains, Mount Rainier, Mount Baker, Elliott Bay and the islands of Puget Sound. The deck is ringed with floor-to-ceiling glass and "Skyriser" glass benches, and it holds The Loupe, billed as the world's first and only revolving glass floor, where you look straight down at the city moving beneath you. You can eat and drink up here too, with locally influenced menus and a brunch served roughly 500 feet above the city.
Time Your Visit for Sunset
The best moment to be on the deck is sunset, when the mountains and sky light up in color. The tower is open year-round, though hours shift with the season, so check the posted schedule before you go. Give yourself time to circle the deck more than once and to linger at the glass floor. If you want to see more of Seattle for less, the CityPASS bundles admission to five attractions, including up to two visits to the Space Needle within 24 hours plus the Seattle Aquarium, and lets you choose among the Museum of Pop Culture, the Pacific Science Center, Chihuly Garden & Glass, the Woodland Park Zoo, the Museum of Flight and an Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour. For a less crowded alternative view, the Columbia Center's observatory sits higher still.
Everything Around the Base
Seattle Center is a park in its own right, and the Space Needle shares its grounds with several museums: the Pacific Science Center, with its IMAX theater; the Museum of Pop Culture, designed to resemble Jimi Hendrix's smashed guitar; and Chihuly Garden & Glass. Don't overlook the Kobe Bell and the mural beside it, or the International Fountain. Up on Queen Anne Hill, Kerry Park frames the most photographed view of Seattle.
Start with the Monorail
The fitting way to reach a retro-futurist tower is the Monorail linking Seattle Center to Downtown, and from there the rest of the city is within reach. Check the seasonal hours, pick a clear evening, and plan to be on the deck as the light goes gold.