The View from Above: The Sky View Observatory in the Columbia Tower

The natural beauty of the Puget Sound and the surrounding mountains is undeniable. It's part of what makes Seattle, Seattle and there are some things that just never get old, like seeing Mt. Rainier in the morning light. We are also a hilly city, which means that there are many vantage points where you can see the city and the surrounding landscape. Kerry Park (below) is home to one of the most iconic images of Seattle, as one example.

More recently, man made vantage points have given a new look at the region. The most well known is, obviously, the Space Needle and the views from there are, indeed, spectacular. However, there are other options like the Smith Tower and, in particular, the newly remodeled Sky View Observatory in the Columbia Center to consider.

This observation deck provides the highest public observation deck on the west coast (and west of the Mississippi) and the new enhancements make it a much more tourist friendly visit than before. It now offers a full 360 degree view around Seattle and there is more information for people who want to know what they are seeing. The down side is that prices went up: Regular tickets are now $12.50 a person ($9 for students, military, and seniors).

Not feeling like spending the money, but you are in the area anyways? The Columbia Tower also has what is known as "skybucks": A Starbucks located on the skylobby level of the building (floor 40). The view is not the same, but it is the cheapest way to enjoy a view from above inside of the downtown core of buildings.

SkyCity at the The Space Needle

For first time visitors, a trip to Seattle is rarely complete without visiting the iconic Space Needle. Built as the signature piece of the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle, the Space Needle is one of the symbols of the city, along with the Pike Place Market sign and Mt. Rainier. The futuristic architecture and stunning views help cement that position as being a common experience for millions of visitors to Seattle (2.3 million visited during the fair alone). 

In addition to the observation deck, the Space Needle also has a revolving restaurant known as "SkyCity". Just for fun (and to satisfy my skybar aficionado streak), I took a group of friends up to take a look. Much to my surprise, I can honestly say that SkyCity is the best revolving restaurant I've been to and, if done right, a reasonably priced excellent addition to the Space Needle experience. 

Rotating restaurants can be miserable experiences. The rotation can be too fast. The view of the inner wall and the exterior can cause motion sickness. The food and drinks can be outrageously priced and mediocre. When they are bad, they are really bad, but the Space Needle is not one of these. The rotation is a perfect speed and the view is stunning (even better than the observation deck), but the real key is that a trip to the restaurant can actually be a good deal.

The trick is this: If you going up the Space Needle, a basic ticket is $19 online or $21 if you buy it there. This gets you up to the observation deck through the main line with a timed slot (book early for your time or be prepared to wait in line). You can save by buying admission in a package, but I'll use this as a comparison. In contrast, with a reservation for SkyCity, you proceed directly to the front of the time, you can visit the observation deck after you dine, and the only requirement is that you spend at least $35 on average per person. 

Depending on how you look at it, you are either going up the Space Needle for free or getting drinks/snacks for an extra $15. The entrees for dinner and lunch are expensive, but there is nothing that says you have to buy them. Alcoholic drinks, appetizers, and dessert all count towards the average and since it is average, it is perfectly fine if one person in your party orders a soda or even just water. If you want to drive the price down even more, Costco in Seattle often offers gift cards marked down 20% ($80 for $100 in value... although this is mainly for the locals since going to Costco on vacation is not a great use of time).

My recommendation? Schedule your reservation about 45-60 minutes before sunset. This will give you a view of the city both day and night, plus during the golden hour of sunset. Focus on appetizers and desserts and then drinks and enjoy the view!

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival: Holland or the Pacific Northwest?

Spring is always one of my top seasons for Seattle. The city feels fresh, the UW cherry trees stand in bloom, and the weather is hinting at the warmth of summer to come. On top of all of the flowers and trees in the city, we also have the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival in Mount Vernon. It is about an hour and a half to the north and offers a taste of what Holland is like around this time.

If you are planning on heading up, the time is almost right. The fields are in the process of blooming and should be at full bloom within the next couple of weens (4/12 to 4/20). Right now, there are more than enough to be surrounded by flowers and for them to be a sight to see, but in a week or two it will be overwhelming. It really is quite pretty and for $5 (including parking), this is a pretty inexpensive excursion.

For more information, click here to check out their website and here to see a map of the fields that are currently in bloom!

After the break, nine more pictures of the fields and flowers! Click just below to see the rest!

Touring while Local: Chihuly Garden and Glass

Dale Chihuly is widely known as being a master of squiggly glass sculptures. While today he is not directly involved in the production of the glass that he is known for (He considers himself more of a "director"), the Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit at the Seattle Center contains the bulk of his corpus of work. If you are a fan of Chihuly, this is your place.*

The price to get in is $19, which is a buck more than going up the Space Needle. There are combo passes available that make it slightly cheaper to do both ($33 for both. If you are coming all the way to Seattle and doing the tourist sites, how could you not do the Space Needle?). King County residents get in for the low, low price of $15 per person (and they didn't even check our IDs to confirm it). Once inside, there is about an hour plus of things to see, perhaps a little more if you become absorbed into the artwork.

I can definitely see how much of this was groundbreaking and experimental when it was first coming out and becoming popular. There are plenty of vivid colors and shapes that come together to create the scenes and the larger sculptures are impressive from a technical standpoint: There are hundreds of pieces suspended from a metal "skeleton" and each time it is moved to a new location, the exact shape and composition of the sculpture changes. On the other hand, it does feel a little like his work is pretty mainstream now and the video at the end of him "directing" feels a little ludicrous: 15 minutes of someone telling a team of minions "No, move it three inches to the left" is supposed to be mind altering art? At times the museum comes off as a little too pretentious. As if anything done by Chihuly is automatically the highest example of art that you have ever had the honor of witnessing.

Being from Seattle, I think that there is a bit of Chihuly burnout. We have had his stuff all over Seattle and the region for years, but for many people this may be their first time seeing it. It IS impressive and many people who visit Seattle visit the museum rate it very highly. In fact, right now this is the number one attraction in Seattle on TripAdvisor.

*If you like glass in general and would like to see a broader collection, you may also consider the Museum of Glass in Tacoma. While there, there is also the new LeMay Car Museum and the Tacoma Museum of Art. 

Touring while Local: Argosy Locks Cruise

Seattle is a city permeated with water. There is the Puget Sound to the west, Lake Union in the middle, and Lake Washington to the East, all of which are connected by cuts and canals. Before highways, planes, and trains the water was the way to get around the Puget Sound. At one time, Seattle was a hub for a mosquito fleet that could take you anywhere around the Sound. While those days are gone, Seattle's maritime tradition and natural beauty remain an asset to the city.

Getting on to the water is a great way to see Seattle from a different angle. I've written about the half-hour excursion to Bainbridge Island several times before (here, here, here, and here), but another popular way to get on the water in Seattle is provided by Argosy Cruises. As part of my effort to tour while local, I tried out their Lake Union and Ballard Locks Cruise.

The tour starts out on the waterfront. This is the main dock for Argosy cruises and most cruises leave from here. However, this particular one starts out with a short bus ride from the waterfront to Lake Union. Once there, you board near Kenmore Air just across from the Museum of History and Industry. In the photo above, you can also see the Virginia V which is one of the last remaining mosquito fleet steamers.

The tour takes you from Lake Union, by the houseboat from Sleepless in Seattle, under the Fremont bridge, past the Alaskan fishing boats, through the Ballard Locks, and finally out into the Sound to come back to the waterfront. All the while, staff gives the story of that things that are sailing past you.

Once past fisherman's wharf, it is off to the Ballard Locks. The Locks, a piece of infrastructure, are actually one of the top tourist destinations for the city (number 15 on TripAdvisor) and the cruise is a unique way to experience it. In order to leave the lake and go into the Puget Sound, the boat must go through the Locks. Completed in 1917, the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks as they are officially know allow boats to traverse the 20+ foot sea level difference between the lake and the Sound.

Once outside of the Ballard Locks, you are on the Puget Sound where you will round Magnolia and head into Elliot Bay to the waterfront. On a clear day, the sound will give beautiful views of the Olympic Mountains, Mt. Rainier, and the city itself. Mt. Rainier in particular seems to loom larger than usual from right around the tip of Magnolia. Coming closer, you'll get excellent views of the Space Needle and the cityscape when you draw near to the docks and the end of the tour.

This particular tour goes for $41. If you are visiting and looking to save some money, Washington State ferries provide another way to get on the water. At $8 per person on foot round trip (there is no fare headed west for foot passengers), it doesn't show off the city to the same degree but does lend itself to afternoon trips to Bainbridge Island. A middle option that still offers a guided tour with less cost and time commitment is the harbor cruise that Argosy offers for $24 a person. It is their most popular tour and you still get the views of the mountain, sound, and city. Either way, seeing the city from the water is sure to give a unique perspective on the city and be a fun afternoon.