The floor has it's own nicely equipped bar - serving a nice selection of appetizers and small plates throughout the day. Design cues remain, with carved wood trim all around, albeit a significantly more modern feel than before the renovation. The observation deck used to - before the 2016 renovation - be called the Chinese Room. The tower was a very early adopter of fiber-optics, helping to start the tech growth that has helped Seattle become the thriving tech center that it is today. As you rise, you'll catch glimpses of some of the tenants of this funky, art deco/mishmash styled office building - mostly high tech & electronic gaming companies. The tower uses old, manually run elevators. You pick up the tickets in their nice souvenir shop on the southeast corner of the building (2nd & Yesler). I recommend purchasing the "straight up" ticket (reserved at the Smith Tower online site) - $12 per person. There are a number of pricing options available. The fact that you're outdoors and not brain-spazzingly high - about 460' above the waterfront - adds the sounds of the city to the mix of sensations that hit you (trains, musicians playing in Pioneer Square, boat horns, etc.). Better still - the perspective of the tower (near the waterfront) puts you nearly on top of the ferry terminal & at a perfect angle to watch the ferries and other shipping arc across the Sound between you and the Olympic Mountains.
During good weather - the Olympics and Rainier are stunningly beautiful in the distance. Nonetheless, it's observation deck - with indoor and outdoor 360 degree views - is a pleasure to visit. Formerly the tallest building west of the Mississippi - a distinction it held for only a decade or so (it was actually for a short time the fourth tallest building in the world) - it now seems dwarfed by taller buildings around it, mostly built on on the upslope of Capitol Hill. Then schedule a visit to the Smith Tower - in one of Seattles rapidly renovating and bustling neighborhoods: Pioneer Square. If you can't get a desirable "launch time" for the needle, or you'd prefer to cut the expense down a bit - just walk around it and/or visit the souvenir shop at it's base (large and interesting). By all means visit the grounds of the Seattle Center - and the destinations there: Chihuly Gardens, Pacific Center, MoPop, the Space Needle, etc. It can be expensive and, more importantly, the reservations for desirable "launch times" can sell out quickly - leaving you with a less desirable/convenient reservation time. It's funky, it's retro-chic, it's uniquely Seattle. It's the iconic anchor to Seattle's skyline. People rightly want to head to the top of the Space Needle.
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