What a fun experience! When we heard that Santa Claus was at the Space Needle, perched on top in his glass sleigh, we knew we had to take Selah and pay him a visit. With this being Selah’s first Christmas, we are super excited to do all the “firsts” with her. We weren’t sure how she would react to him because you always see the pictures of screaming kids with Santa, but when we brought Selah to him, she couldn’t stop staring. She kept looking at his thin gold framed glasses and his long white beard; oh, to know what she was thinking at that moment! She didn’t cry, but she was cautious, observant, and in the end even sat in his lap.
The Space Needle recently underwent a massive, multi-million dollar remodel where they added some huge upgrades, like The Loupe — a glass floor on the rotating deck — and a completely updated multi-level observation deck with 360-degree views of the city! The glass rotating floor is the first and only of its kind in the world! What a treat it is to have in our city. There are three elevators in the tower but two glass elevators you can take up, one facing the Puget Sound and the other facing Lake Union. The views going up are incredible, and the ride includes a short history lesson of the Space Needle.
Built in 1962 for the World’s Fair, the idea for the Space Needle was drawn on a napkin in a hotel cafe by Edward E. Carlson. It seems like some of the best ideas have been drawn on a napkin in some cafe or bar. During the expo, 2.65 million visitors went up the Space Needle, including celebrities like Elvis Presley, Walt Disney, Billy Graham, and many more. Now it is THE symbol of Seattle and will always be associated with its skyline. So if you have never been to the Needle or haven’t been since the remodel, we highly recommend you go, it is totally worth it.
Logistics:
The Space Needle has a new cafe on the top floor that has some delicious food. We had the crab and lobster roll and a Seattle dog, which were both great. The food was very reasonably priced and everything was made to order, it’s certainly one of the best meals with a view in town.
-Parking was really easy and convenient, and valet service was offered right at the base of the Needle at a very reasonable price.
-The pictures with Santa are taken by a professional photographer and are included in the price of admission. We recommend that you get up on the list for Santa pics as soon as you get up there and then enjoy the rest of the observation deck and the Loupe, the world’s first and only rotating glass floor. You don’t have to wait in line for the pictures, they will simply send you a text message when it is your turn.
We highly recommend coming out for a visit, it’s a really fun experience and definitely a memorable one.
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