Some cities are famous for their skyline and thanks to the Space Needle, Seattle has a silhouette which will be familiar to fans of sitcom Frasier, which charted the trials of life of straight-laced psychiatrist Frasier Crane and his family

As it was ‘future mom’s first visit to Seattle, dad and I started our tour of the city with its most iconic sight. We wandered over from our Airbnb apartment in Belltown, a pleasant stroll through this quaint neighbourhood, stopping off for a quick pastry and drink at La Parisienne

The Space Needle is part of the Seattle Centre complex. Built for the 1962 World Fair, it still dominates the northern end of Seattle. Housing a few museums, sports arenas, a little fairground, it’s still a tourist draw though dad and I try to imagine what it must have been like with the thrill of the World Fair. Back then, technologies like the Monorail and the stylish curved legs of the Space Needle must have seemed like some futuristic sci fi inventions

It was a lovely sunny day when we visited and after a short and slightly confusing wait, we got our tickets and were whisked up to the top. After watching Men in Black 2 when it was revealed that the top of the Space Needle was an alien flying saucer, I was a little disappointed not to find any spaceship flying controls at the top. Hehe

It was great to have a 360 degree view of this most beautiful of cities. With water and islands to one side and mountains in the distance, the city feels like it’s been placed in a little bowl of natural perfection

Though it is a bit touristy, it’s worth the walk/Monorail journey to visit