Fri, 23:15: Birth Week Observation Deck #1! Space Needle
Structure height: 605 ft / 184 m
Observation deck height: 518 ft / 158 m
Observation deck height above sea level: 666 ft / 203 m
So fun to see it from a new perspective: Karen’s architectural accessibility consulting firm, Studio Pacifica, consulted on the major renovation here in 2018, the major showcase detail of which was the ADA lift. The lift itself was incredibly cool, transforming from a section of the curved staircase down to the outdoor observation deck. A couple of downsides were that it’s camouflaged as stairs when not in use, making it difficult to spot; and it took a while to find staff on hand who could even come and get it working, as none of the operational buttons even worked without a staff key turned in a keyhole.
Karen truly took it all in stride and openly had a great time tonight (as did I!), but it did make me think a lot about how people with accessibility needs have to deal with a lot of bullshit the rest of us don’t even think about. https://t.co/TclBc964uv