Many people who long to travel during the pandemic have been anxiously waiting for the moment when they can pack their bags and travel to their favorite cities across the globe. And those who long to visit Seattle again are no different.
Seattle’s well-known nickname – the Emerald City – might be a little bit abstract, as the city has nothing to do with emeralds, or other kinds of jewelry.
So, here’s the reason why Seattle is called the Emerald City: Surrounded by several national parks and national forests, Seattle are literally filled with greenery all year round, even in winter due to all the evergreen trees in the area. It stands to reason why Seattle’s well-known nickname is the Emerald City.
But in reality, despite its nickname not being related to jewelry, one of Seattle’s famous landmarks has related the city’s nickname to real emeralds.
The Space Needle, one of the most recognizable landmarks in the world, has successfully symbolized the city’s innovative and forward-thinking spirit. Make no mistake, it is Seattle’s icon. It also stands to reason why Seattle is an Emerald city, with many tech giants’ headquarters located in Seattle.
Built for the 1962 World’s Fair, the Century 21 exposition of “The Age of Space”, the tower’s futuristic design was inspired by the idea that the fair needed a structure to symbolize people’s Space Age aspirations. It was officially opened to the public on April 21, 1962. And ever since, it has been the most stunning and amazing landmark of the Emerald City, literally.
Located at Seattle Center, the Space Needle stands at 605 feet (or 184 meters) tall.
An observation tower, the Space Needle offers visitors Seattle’s only 360-degree indoor and outdoor panoramic views of downtown Seattle, Mount Rainier, Puget Sound, Seattle Tacoma International Airport, Olympic Mountain ranges, and many other wonderful mountains and locations.
The Space Needle embarked on a multi-year revitalisation, mainly focused on the preservation of the 57-year-old icon. The first phase of that project, which was completed in 2018, include breathtaking glass viewing experiences, as an upper level outdoor observation deck was opened.
Come rain or shine, the tower is open to the public for Seattleites and visitors who are loving their day trip to enjoy the panoramic view of the divine city.
On April 21, 1999, 37 years after its initial opening, the Space Needle celebrated its 37th birthday. On that day, the City’s Landmarks Preservation Board officially named it an official City of Seattle Landmark, making it the best thing to represent the innovative and fascinating city. It marks an important point in the history of the Emerald City. Meantime, it also represent American aspirations towards technological prowess.
Needless to say, not only is Space Needle an icon of Seattle, but it is also an icon of the Pacific Northwest.
“The Century Project”, which was a renovation project and was aimed at revealing the tower’s internal structure, was enunciated by its CEO. From September 2017 to late summer in 2018, the Space Needle remained open to the public while the renovation work was underway.
It opened to the public with a brand new look in summer 2018, when guests first enjoyed a completely different glass viewing experience: Multi-level and floor-to-ceiling glass viewing experience.
The upper observation level is connected by the Oculus Stairs to The Loupe Lounge, the world’s first and only restaurant with rotating glass floor.
Since its opening, the Space Needle has been the host of every year’s New Year’s Eve show.
On 2019’s New Year’s Eve, the fireworks show was canceled due to strong gusts. And basically, the Space Needle only produced a simple light show, which was later criticised for being mundane and simply not a celebratory show.
Having learned a lesson, Space Needle’s New Year’s Eve show’s editors and producers decided to do something different for 2020’s New Year’s Eve show. Taking into account the seriousness of the pandemic, they made an entirely different light show for last year’s show: A virtual light show, with the Space Needle being lit in a magenta colour.
After the Space Needle released a video featuring a sneak peek of the show, which was held in the end of a completely different 2020, many newspaper companies, including the Seattle Times, began to introduce to the public the surreal, yet realistic show on their websites.
KING 5 broadcasted the show live on its TV and Internet channels.
Even though the NYE show was the first time without fireworks, it still attracted thousands of people who enjoyed the 10-minute light show on TV or the Internet.
Many were all smiles, and hailed the stunning “The Dream” show as a success, saying it was a perfect end to a remarkably difficult year that was 2020. With that impressive background music and never-before-seen light show, many of those who enjoyed the show either online or on TV also expressed their hope that the Space Needle would produce a similar show for this year’s New Year Eve’s show.
In reality, it was the first ever light show produced by the Space Needle.
Having received the public’s negative comments about 2019’s simple show, the editors and producers started to become dedicated to producing a never-before-seen light show, while also hoped to give Seattleites and visitors a better experience.
2020 only featured the public’s perilous fight against the pandemic, and that fight has been considered a harrowing ordeal. Every country and city across the globe basically had their hands full dealing with the pandemic, and Seattle was no better off. But, that perfect show gave people around the world a perfect end to 2020, a year which will be etched on our minds.
That show was also considered to be a representation of Seattleites’ innovative and forward-thinking aspirations, which stands to reason why Space Needle is literally an icon of the innovative city.
Truly a symbol of not only Seattle, but also the Pacific Northwest, the Space Needle stands out from other buildings in Seattle. Not only because of its height, but also because of its appearance. Meaning-wise, the Space Needle has a really shape needle on top, making it more noticeable. Recently, lights were seen pulsating there to honour those fighting tooth and nail to cure COVID-19 sufferers.
The Space Needle will, of course, continue to be an iconic landmark of Seattle – The Emerald City.
Comments