The Space Needle

On our second morning in Seattle, my wife and I decided to walk a few blocks from our hotel to see the city's most iconic landmark: the Space Needle.

This 605 ft tall observation tower was built for the 1962 World's Fair and was at the time the tallest structure west of the Mississippi!

Once we got there, we decided that it would be a shame if we had come all the way to Seattle without going up to the top, so we decided to go ahead and buy tickets.

After buying our tickets we got inside the glass elevator and zipped up above the Seattle Skyline while the elevator operator pointed out various landmarks across the city.

The viewing deck at the top was a lot like that of the Lotus Tower in Sri Lanka, which is about double the height.

The unbroken 360-degree views across the city are incredible, and even though the day wasn't exactly clear, we could see all the way across Elliot Bay to Bainbridge Island.

After making a few circuits around the top of the tower to look out at the view, Pinky and I stepped back inside to visit the Tip Top Cafe.

We ordered coffee and one of the cafe's famous apple pies to share while we looked out at the view.

The Tip Top Cafe is one of two restaurants inside the Space Needle. The other, one floor below, is a restaurant and bar that opens up in the evening on a rotating glass floor.

I've never been especially afraid of heights, but the moving glass floor made me feel really dizzy. I don't think I would like to sit and have a drink there! To get back to the elevator, you had to walk down one flight of stairs to the glass-floored restaurant. It's really freaky walking over what feels like nothing.

Even though we hadn't originally intended to go up the Space Needle, I'm glad that we did.