Page 151 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Pacific Northwest

SEA T TLE CENTER AND BELL T OWN  149

took 467 cement trucks to fill and architectural installations,
– a mission accomplished in less including intricate chandeliers,
than 12 hours. The tower is are displayed in the eight
attached to the foundation galleries, which bring to the fore
with 72 30-ft- (9-m-) long bolts. the artist’s expertise in the craft
Solidly constructed, the Space of glassblowing and his creative
Needle has weathered several use of shapes and colors. The
earthquakes and has closed complex also includes a garden
fewer than ten times in its with sculptures surrounded by
history because of high winds. trees, plants, and flowers, and a
(While the structure itself can theater that plays short videos
withstand winds up to 200 mph/ on Chihuly’s work.
322 km/h, its elevators can’t.) Seattle Center Monorail, pulling into the
During the Seattle World’s Fair, 5 Seattle Center Space Needle terminal
nearly 20,000 people a day rode
the high-speed elevators to the Monorail downtown and the foot of the
top, enduring waits of up to Map 1 C4–3 C1. Tel (206) 905-2620. Space Needle, the Monorail’s
3 hours for the 43-second ride.  Westlake Center, Seattle Center. trains carried as many as eight
Thankfully, the wait is much Open 7:30am–9pm Mon–Thu, 7:30am– million passengers during the
shorter today, and the view 11pm Fri, 8:30am–11pm Sat, 8:30am– fair’s six-month duration.
just as spectacular. Weather 9pm Sun; departs every 10 mins Today, this transit system is
permitting, visitors can enjoy (check website for details). & 7 used by 2.5 million passengers
panoramic views of the Olympic ∑ seattlemonorail.com per year, many of them locals
and Cascade mountain ranges, who ride the Monorail to festivals,
Mount Rainier, Lake Union, Elliott Built for Seattle’s second World’s concerts, and sporting events
Bay, and downtown Seattle. Fair in only 10 months, its at the Seattle Center. The fastest
In 1982, a “skyline level” was foundations buried 25 ft (7.5 m) full-sized monorail system
added 100 ft (30 m) above below street level, Seattle’s in the US, the Seattle Center
the ground. In 1999, on its Alweg monorail provided a Monorail covers the 1-mile
37th birthday, the Space Needle link between the fairgrounds (1.6-km) distance in 2 minutes,
was proclaimed the city’s official (now the Seattle Center) and at a speed of up to 60 mph
landmark by Seattle’s Landmarks downtown Seattle. At the time, (97 km/h), zipping through
Preservation Board. And, in it was described as a preview the EMP Museum, which was
2000, a $20 million revitalization of the mass transit system of built around and over the
included construction of a glass the future. Traveling between Monorail’s tracks.
pavilion, which encircles the
base of the tower.
Seattle World’s Fair
4 Chihuly Garden Officially known as the Century 21 Exposition,
and Glass Seattle’s second World’s Fair was conceived as a
way to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the
305 Harrison St. Map 1 B4. Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition held here in 1909.
Tel (206) 753-4940.  Seattle Center. Billed as “America’s Space Age World’s Fair,” the new
Open 11am–6pm daily (to 7pm Fri & exposition was dedicated to science and life in the
Sat; last entry 1 hr before closing). 21st century. Ambitious plans and a desire to design a
Closed Thanksgiving, Dec 25, for civic center that would be enjoyed by the community
special events (check website). & - for generations to come pushed the original opening
∑ chihulygardenandglass.com date back a few years, from 1959 to 1962.
Among the fair’s most ambitious buildings
Chihuly Garden and Glass and lasting legacies are the Space Needle, the
showcases the life and career of Monorail, the US Science Pavilion (now the
American glass sculpture artist Pacific Science Center), and the Washington
Dale Chihuly (b. 1941). Designed State Coliseum (now KeyArena). Designed to
by architect Owen Richards, it appear futuristic, in keeping with the Century 21
theme, the buildings now have a rather retro
opened at the foot of the Space appeal, especially the Space Needle.
Needle in 2012. The highlight is The fair drew 9,634,600 people. Today, more than
the 40-ft- (12-m-) tall glasshouse, five decades later, Seattleites and tourists continue
spread over 4,500 sq ft (418 sq m). to flock to the Seattle Center
Inside is one of Chihuly’s to enjoy a festival, cultural
largest suspended sculptures, performance, or sporting
a mesmer izing work about event; visit a museum; or
100 ft (30 m) long, in shades simply stroll the tree-lined, Seattle’s towering Space Needle under
of red, orange, and yellow. fountain-filled grounds. construction in 1961
Several of his other artworks

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