A View From The Top

     This past weekend I was blessed with one of those rare Saturdays off from work, so we decided to take the kids to Seattle and finally get to the top of the Space Needle.  We have been wanting to go since we moved here, but the cost for the elevator ride is so outrageously expensive ($16 for adults; $9 for kids) that we have never been able to justify the cost. . . . until now.  A couple months ago we received a voucher for 4 free elevator rides from Quadrant Homes (the ones building our house) as a way of saying "thanks for doing business with us", and this past Saturday we were finally able to use them.

     With traffic in Seattle seemingly always horrific, we decided to take the train rather than drive.  We drove to Tukwila (near Sea-Tac Airport) and hopped on the recently opened Link light rail to downtown Seattle.  The Link currently runs from downtown Seattle to Tukwila with the extension to the airport scheduled to open in December.   With the cost being reasonable (a lot cheaper than parking downtown) I think I have found a new way to get to Seattle for Mariners games next year.  After a 30 minute ride, we got off at Westlake Center, which is the current end of the line, we crossed the street to the Monorail station and after a 2 minute ride, we were at the foot of the Space Needle. 

When we left home that morning, the weather was typical of early fall in Western Washington (cloudy, chance of rain).  With the anticipation of less than perfect weather, and thinking that it might be windy at the top, I had instructed the kids to bring a jacket and to dress a little warmer.  However, by the time we actually got to the Seattle Center, the sun had broken out and it was a really nice day with little to no wind and the sun making it very pleasant.  We stood in line to get our tickets, and then we stood in line while they searched our bags, and then we stood in line some more waiting for the elevator.  The observation deck on the Space Needle is 520 feet high and gives you a fantastic view, not only of Seattle and Puget Sound, but on really clear days you can see Mt. Rainier, and the Cascade & Olympic Mountain ranges.  There was a little haze over the mountains but, otherwise the view did not disappoint.

     We spent probably a little over an hour on the "O Deck" and then decided it was time to head home.  It had been over 25 years since I had last been to the top of the Space Needle, and a fun time was had by all.