In 1959, Edward E. Carlson penciled sketched his idea for the architectural spire that would celebrate the coming1962 Seattle World's Fair on a placemat in a coffeehouse. That sketch was the little acorn that became: the Space Needle.

Calling itself 'Seattles first stop', The Space Needle serves as Seattle's defining iconographic feature. It has loomed thus since everything happened at the World's Fair, 35 year's ago. Needle literature boasts that just 43 seconds in the podlike glass elevator will raise you up from ground level to 520 feet above panoramic Seattle. The view is 360 degrees, the restaurant spins, the sunburst and pagoda roof looks like a beautiful, vintage ash tray... oh, the magic!

The Needle received a bright make-over to coincide with the opening of the Experience Music Project.

For more info, check out http://www.spaceneedle.com/ or visit http://www.austinpowers.com/EVIL/EVILINDEX.HTML.