Food & Drink
A World of Difference
Our fearless editorial director reflects on the 1962 World's Fair and the lasting optimism it brough
In 2006, when we produced an anniversary issue celebrating this magazine’s 40-year evolution from Pacific Search, to Pacific Northwest, to Seattle Home and Garden to the Seattle mag you’re reading today, we invited local notables to write about the key events and people responsible for shaping our city over the last 40 years. A common…
15 Ways to Stay Fit (While Staying Inside)
A stir-crazy urban athlete’s guide to indoor sports in Seattle.
If the cold, wet weather and shorter days are putting a damper on your outdoor workout, head inside and try something new. Here are a few cool ways to feel the burn—without catching a chill. Climb the walls Perhaps it’s no surprise that the world’s first indoor climbing gym opened its doors in rainy Seattle…
Downtown’s Hot New Design House
Marta Kappl's combined clothing boutique and designer incubator is giving local fashion a place to g
Couture designer and recent Bay Area transplant Marta Kappl has enjoyed her share of success in the fashion world, tallying up clients such as Keanu Reeves and Carlos Santana over her more than 20-year independent career. Now, the German native is leading others down the path to success at her new House of Fashion (Downtown,…
Moth and Crow’s Supple New Handbags
We might cry over spilled milk, but we shed happy tears of joy over spilled paint, thanks to Moth and Crow’s new Marsupial Fold-Over Shopper handbag. Crafted by Capitol Hillster Dawn Smithson, the supple bag has welt pockets (à la its mammalian namesake) and, thanks to detachable straps, can be sported in four different ways,…
North Bend
Nestled in the foothills 30 minutes east of Seattle, this charming town is adding to its downtown di
Cruising along Interstate 90, many travelers never bother to search beyond North Bend’s massive outlet mall and fast-food corridor. But those who do go deeper have long enjoyed iconic outdoor destinations such as Mount Si, arguably the most popular day hike in the state, and locally beloved diners such as Twede’s Café (137 W North…
Locals’ Seattle Center Memories
Our city’s civic gathering place has played host to many memorable and poignant moments. Here are a
Marie McCaffrey Executive director, HistoryLink.org I was 11 in 1962 and went to the fair at least twice. You can see the proof in these pictures (above). One is in the world’s fair photo booth. I clearly remember the smell and the taste of the Belgian waffle, which made such an indelible impression on everyone….
Cool Souvenirs from the World’s Fair
Sure, they’re kitschy now, but back in 1962, these items were hot property.
1. Champagne glasses (with Space Needle stems) used on opening night of the fair 2. A ticket book, with individual tickets for fair exhibits 3. An official Space Needle beanie, whose top shakes like a maraca 4. A commemorative egg timer on a piece of wood (of course!) 5. Porcelain salt and pepper shakers 6….
Vintage World’s Fair Cocktails to Make at Home
Cocktail expert A.J. Rathbun offers recipes for three retro drinks once served atop the Space Needle
In 1962, stylish guests dined and drank at The Eye of the Needle (now called SkyCity), while slowly revolving 500 feet above Seattle. While the days of a $6.75 three-course dinner are long gone, you don’t need a time machine to sample the drinks from the Needle’s menu. Seattle magazine’s cocktail expert A.J. Rathbun offers…
Seattle Center by the Numbers
A few fun (and somewhat random) statistics related our city's core cultural campus.
1,000,000: number of dollars the City of Fife offered Seattle to move the Space Needle to its downtown 600,000: number of dollars the City of Seattle paid for the monorail in 1965 500,000: total number of Belgian waffles sold during the six months of the fair. Stacked, they would have been higher than 70 Space…
Back to the Future: Why Seattle’s World’s Fair Mattered
Our own Knute Berger—who is the official writer of the Space Needle—looks back on the 1962 Seattle W
In the winter of 1962, my Cub Scout den had taken a field trip to the top of the Smith Tower, then one of the tallest buildings west of the Mississippi. We went to the observation deck, where we had an unobstructed view across downtown to a strange spire that was rising near Queen Anne…
An Art Collection Emphasizing Emerging Artists
Kicking off our new series about local art collectors, Seattle mag's arts editor Brangien Davis shar
“I don’t dream big.” Having grown up with art-loving parents on teachers’ budgets, Davis takes a practical approach to buying art, seeking out emerging artists who aren’t yet represented by particular galleries. She often buys work directly from artists at open studio tours and art walks. On a couple of rare occasions she has spent…
Recommended Reading on Seattle’s 1962 World’s Fair
In case your inner Seattle Center nerd still isn't satisfied, go here for more history and memorabil
BOOKS The as-yet-unnamed Knute Berger history of the Space Needleby Knute BergerTo be released in spring of 2012 Seattle magazine’s own editor-at-large is also the writer in residence at the Space Needle. He penned this history of the Needle in his office on the Observation Deck. The Future Remembered: The 1962 Seattle World’s Fair And…
Space Needle Trivia!
Five things you didn’t know about Seattle’s Space Age icon.
The Space Needle Is Well Rooted (see above photo) The Space Needle has a 30-foot-deep foundation made with 2,800 yards of concrete and 250 tons of reinforcing steel. The above-ground portion of the Needle weighs an impressive 3,700 tons, but the foundation is even mightier, weighing in at 5,850 tons. Thanks to this massive hidden…