Seattle 2015: Space Needle

Ah, a classic Seattle landmark-- the Space Needle. It's the futuristic-looking tower in the title sequence of Grey's Anatomy, as well as some other films or TV series supposedly set in the city of Seattle. If you're a Windows interface user (like I am), you may even recognize it from one of the default wallpaper choices. It should come as no surprise though since Microsoft founder Bill Gates was actually born in Seattle, WA.

From overhead shots of the city, you'd think that Space Needle is extremely tall. In reality, it is just 600 feet tall. Despite its David-esque stature versus many Goliaths around the globe, it's actually already one of the tallest structures in Seattle, which makes it a worthy observation deck on its own.

Our original plan was to go at night, but it did not come to fruition because as soon as we arrived at the Space Needle, tickets within the day were already sold out. We thought that maybe they were already nabbed by other tourists who also just finished their Alaskan cruise on that same day, and were also hoping to explore what was technically the final port of call. Fortunately, we could already purchase tickets for the following day. After moving our Space Needle plans to the morning of the next day, we decided to explore the rest of the Seattle Center.

We took a peek at the Experience Music Project (EMP) Museum, which apparently just changed its name to the Museum of Pop Culture or MoPOP. The museum was created by another genius behind Microsoft, Mr. Paul Allen. From the outside, it was unmistakably a work of famous architect Frank Gehry, whose signature style involves fluid lines and curves.

We didn't get to explore the exhibits inside the museum, because it was already about to close when we got there (seriously, why do museums close early???). But I did get a taste of the music, games, media, and other aspects of pop culture that are showcased in the EMP or MoPOP, and I can definitely say that the change in the name was nothing short of appropriate-- and that it would have been awesome to actually go inside.

Seattle Center is actually a nice place to be with family and friends. It's a fairly big complex that not only has the Space Needle and the EMP Museum, but also the Chihuly Garden and Glass. We also did not enter the museum anymore, but we could see from its glass walls that it is a beautiful exhibit of various flora made with glass.

As the sun began to retract its light, we decided it was time to leave the center and head to the other end of the city-- all by foot. We'll be seeing the Space Needle again the next day.

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After a breakfast of a failed made-it-myself waffle and some homemade yogurt and granola at the Ace Hotel, we headed straight to our first destination for August 10: the Space Needle.

In all honesty, the view from the top is not overly spectacular. But what's the point of visiting a skyscraper if not to see the view that it towers over? The observation deck provides a panoramic view of the Seattle skyline, with Mt. Rainier on one side. You can also see the remarkable top view of the EMP Museum and a building that purposefully had its roof painted with a few arachnids.

Thankfully, the clouds over Seattle weren't in their usual gloomy mood. If that was the case, the view would have been filled with fog (or worst case, they wouldn't let anyone get to the top!).

Besides individual passes, you can also avail of packages that allow entry to Seattle's top tourist attractions-- just like those I mentioned. If you have plenty of time to kill, I would highly suggest maximizing your stay! I still think it would have been better to spend two nights here, instead of arriving in the morning and leaving the next day at noon. Nevertheless, I definitely enjoyed Seattle.

I hope you guys did too, even if it's just through my (extremely overdue) posts!