Sky City Restaurant

One thing on my TODO list was to have dinner at Sky City Restaurant, which is a revolving restaurant on top of the Space Needle. I heard it was expensive for the food quality, but hey, it seemed like one of those things to check out. My friend Alyssa came up to visit (she is on her way to Italy for a week) and since her birthday was a few days ago, I took her to dinner.

Space Needle


I hadn't been into the Space Needle since moving here in 1997. In 1994, I traveled to Seattle to attend a friend's wedding, and that was the last time I had gone into the Space Needle... until tonight. As it turns out, dinner at Sky City includes free access to the observation deck.

Seattle at Night


I did a quick loop as it was a bit chilly, snapping pictures. This is one of those times I need to be more handy with my camera, as the autofocus wasn't always doing a good job. Anyway, the night was clear and cool, so the view was great.

Ferry


I thought dinner was delicious - I had seared ahi tuna, and she had several appetizers: mixed green salad, au gratin potatoes, and a smaller version of the seared ahi tuna. A waiter came around with a bread basket and I chose some organic wheat while she chose the Italian ciabatta. As we ate, the seating area rotated slowly clockwise, so we got the full 360 degree view twice. While all the views were scenic, the view south towards downtown is definitely prettier, at least at night. I'm almost up for returning during daylight hours, ideally on a clear day for views that include the surrounding mountain ranges.

My dessert was strawberry ice cream and chocolate sauce, served with dry ice. Right before setting it down, the waiter poured in some hot water, so fog rolled out for about a minute. That was fun to watch!

Dinner included a complimentary pen (it isn't that fancy) and later at the gift shop I found a Seattle skyline poster that I liked. I'll frame it and hang it in my study to remind me of the Emerald City.