12. Seattle's Space Needle, 7/30-8/1

When our Seattle Space Needle adventure began, who would have thunk it would have taken 5-1/2 hours to drive to Seattle, surely not I, but indeed that was how long it took. Here are a few fun facts about the Space Needle:

•The Space Needle was built on a 120' x 120' lot formerly owned by the city of Seattle, which was sold to investors for $75,000 in 1961.
•When the Space Needle was built in 1962, it was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River.
•The Space Needle is fastened to its foundation with 72 bolts, each 30 feet in length.
•The Space Needle sways approximately 1 inch for every 10 mph of wind. It was built to withstand a wind velocity of 200 miles per hour, doubling the 1962 building code requirements. When winds around the Needle reach high speeds, 35 mph or higher, the elevators are designed to reduce their traveling speed to 5 mph for safety reasons.
•There are 25 lightning rods (24 actual rods plus the tower) on the roof of the Needle to withstand lightning strikes.


•The Space Needle was built in 1962 for a mere $4.5 million dollars, and because of the popularity of the attraction, the loan was paid off in 18 months. In 2000, the Space Needle completed a $20 million revitalization.
•On April 21, 1999, the Space Needle's 37th birthday, the City's Landmarks Preservation Board named it an official City of Seattle Landmark.
•Many celebrities have visited the Space Needle; they include Kelsey Grammer and all the cast of Cheers, Elvis Presley, Mike Myers, Demi Moore, Melanie Griffith, John Travolta, Vanna White, Michael Douglas, Tim Robbins, Claudia Schiffer, Scott Bakula, Paul Reiser, numerous professional athletes, several world-famous musicians and numerous world leaders and dignitaries.
•During the World's Fair nearly 20,000 people a day went up in the elevators. The 20,000 mark was never quite attained, however, missing by fewer than 50 one day. The Space Needle hosted over 2.3 million visitors during the Fair. The Space Needle annually hosts more than 1 million visitors, making it the #1 tourist attraction in the Northwest.
•Since its inception in 1982, the Space Needle's annual New Year's Eve celebration has grown to be the West Coast's premier New Year's Eve event.
•The Space Needle is approximately 1,320 Milky Way candy bars (605 feet) tall.

The following day Kriss and I took a ride on a Duck Boat. We were taken on a tour of the city of Seattle and saw many of the city's landmarks. Part of the tour includes riding in the duck boat on Union Lake. It was here we saw the houseboat were the famous Sleepless in Seattle movie was filmed. Seattle is a beautiful city full of rich history.