Seattle: Space Needle

I liked the Space Needle more than I thought I would.

I suppose I was expecting it to be this kind of boring tourist attraction that doesn't live up to the hype; I have heard similar things about the Spanish Steps in Rome and Stonehenge (both of which I would still totally visit).

Plus, having been up on two other high up observation decks, I wasn't too impressed with either of them, though both are taller than the Space Needle.

Skydeck at Willis (Sears) Tower, Chicago: https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2013/12/chicago-skydeck.html

CN Tower, Toronto: https://sporktogo.blogspot.com/2014/06/toronto-cn-tower.html 

I think what really helped here is that they don't take themselves too seriously. 

Various features remind you that this is "space age" and you can have fun with it.

Where else are you going to find a robot barista?

Built for the Century 21 Exposition World's Fair in 1962, looking toward the future involved a design that incorporated elements of a hot air balloon and a UFO. 

It would be easy to miss the balloon and only see the UFO (more effective than the ones in Flushing Meadows, despite the Men In Black plot point), and space ended up being more of a theme.

Some of my preference may be local bias. This may be my first time in the structure, but it is very familiar.

One of the first things I noticed going up was that from the one elevator I could see the interior stairs used for the Firefighters' Climb.

It wasn't as useful as I'd hoped for getting oriented to Seattle Center, but it did provide me my best view the Post-Intelligencer globe. (Though that was from the return elevator, not the observation deck.)

Yes, by going up there you are being a "tourist."

That doesn't have to be a bad thing.

COVID: I was masked the entire time. There's just no other reasonable option.

Accessibility: This is pretty good. There are stairs in some areas, but there are always ramps and elevators as well. 

We saw many mobility devices in use and there did not seem to be any problems.

It might not be great if you have acrophobia. 

https://www.spaceneedle.com/