Dining atop the Space Needle

You don't go to a rotating restaurant for the food, right? People will come to enjoy the city view whether the food's good or not. So I had very low expectations a year ago, the first time I ate at the Sky City Restaurant, located atop Seattle's most iconic landmark. Soon after I moved here, my neighbor recommended that I eat lunch there if I wanted to go up to Space Needle's observation deck, because admission is included with a meal, and the price to get to the observation deck alone was a steep $19. It was good advice, and my lunch was great. But since Chris was working, he missed out, and he's the biggest Space Needle fan in the family.

So last weekend we returned for brunch to celebrate Chris's birthday, and it was fantastic. It's $49.95 per adult ($15.95 for kids), so not cheap, but then again, I wasn't hungry for the rest of the day. Also, Chris had joined the restaurant's Celebration Club, and received a certificate for a free brunch, so it ended up being merely expensive instead of ridiculous.

And anyway, the food was fantastic. The veggies in my scrambled egg were amazingly flavorful. The orange juice is fresh squeezed. The silver is replaced as you use it. Lovely!

Brunch includes a starter, a main course, and a dessert, as well as juice, coffee, and an assortment of breads. Unlike at some fancy restaurants, portions are generous, so beware. Here's our food.

Starter: Tomato bisque:

Chris and Oscar got house-made bacon, served over brioche toast:

Wild mountain huckleberry pancakes:

Kurabuta ham and cheese omelet:

Spring garden scramble:

Huckleberry cheesecake:

Blueberry cobbler with Snoqualmie gourmet vanilla bean ice cream:

In short, I would happily visit Sky City Restaurant without the view. But the view is, of course, spectacular. And since it's the Space Needle's 50th birthday, it's a great time to visit. There's some very cool memorabilia on display in the observation deck lobby, and retro tchotchkes for sale in the gift shop.

Outdoor movies

After months of rainy weather, Seattleites don't like to waste a minute of summer weather. So all summer long there are movies playing at outdoor venues all over town--today's version of drive-in movies. This past weekend, we finally checked one out--and brought an elaborate picnic of fried chicken, watermelon, bean salad, grilled green beans, and sangria, as well as blankets and chairs. The movie I chose was "It Happened at the World's Fair" because of its retro aspect. I was hoping to see old footage of the 1962 World's Fair, which took place here in Seattle!

The movie's plot was pretty amazing from a 21st-century parent's point of view. The guardian of a little girl leaves her in the care of two broke, homeless guys that he just met. Elvis, the lecherous one, takes the girl to the World's Fair, and feeds her so much junk food that she gets a stomach ache. He then immediately falls for a nurse he meets in the health clinic there.

Movie quality aside, it was cool to see the Space Needle in the movie alongside the actual Space Needle! Our venue was Lake Union Park (on the lawn in front of the Museum of History and Industry). It's a lovely setting, but there's limited parking on site, and beware of goose poo on the lawn! Also, it gets nippy after sunset, so bundle up if you go.

There's still time to catch an outdoor movie before summer ends. Here's a list of stuff playing in Seattle; there are also movies in outlying cities including Redmond, Woodinville, and Edmonds.

Fremont Outdoor Movies

Saturday-night movies, most of them preceded by afternoon festivities, Fremont Studios, 3501 Phinney Ave. N., Seattle; $5 suggested donation (www.fremontoutdoormovies.com)

Aug. 25: "The Big Lebowski" (R)

MOHAI's Movies at Lake Union Park

Movies begin 30 minutes after sunset (approximately 8:30 p.m.) Lake Union Park, 860 Terry Ave. N., Seattle (206-342-1126 or www.seattlehistory.org).

Aug. 25: "Sleepless in Seattle" (PG)

Movies at the Mural

9 p.m. Mural Amphitheatre, Seattle Center, Seattle; free (206-684-7200 or www.seattlecenter.com; cancellation information/updates, call or visit website after 2 p.m. day of show).

Aug. 25: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1" (PG-13)

Aug. 26: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2" (PG-13)

Outdoor Movies at Magnuson Park

Thursdays, admission at 7 p.m., followed by circus acts, food trucks, costume contests and film at dusk, Magnuson Park, athletic fields, 7400 Sand Point Way N.E., Seattle; $5 (www.epiceap.com/seattle-outdoor-movies).

Aug. 23: "Monty Python & the Holy Grail" (PG)

Aug. 30: "The Goonies" (PG)

West Seattle Outdoor Movies

Saturday nights, 4410 California Ave. S.W. (the courtyard by Hotwire Online Coffee House), Seattle.

Aug. 25: "Top Gun" (PG)

Tutankhamun treasures at Pacific Science Center

Even though I went to the King Tut exhibit in San Francisco a few years ago, when I heard that treasures from his tomb were making their last North American appearance here in Seattle, I felt like I needed to see them. Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaoh at the Pacific Science Center has more than 100 objects on display, most from King Tut's tomb along with other artifacts from ancient Egyptian history. Along with the throngs of others, I marveled at the craftsmanship of the jewelry and objects on display. Along with a 10-foot statue of the pharaoh found at the remains of the funerary temple of two of his high officials, the display includes the golden sandals that Tut's mummy was wearing, a toilet seat (first image below), a cat sarcophagus... Fascinating! The exhibit is on display through January 6, 2013.

The Next 50 at Seattle Center

Seattle hosted the World's Fair in 1962, so this year marks the 50th anniversary. It would be so awesome if Seattle would host a 2012 World's Fair, but instead the city is marking the anniversary of the 1962 event with a six-month celebration called "The Next Fifty." Yesterday was the opening celebration. Hoping for some cool retro nostalgia, we headed to Seattle Center -- where the Space Needle is. The Space Needle was of course constructed for the 1962 World's Fair, and the "saucer" part was recently painted orange because that's how it looked back then -- when it was the tallest building west of the Mississippi River. Seattle Center is a huge area -- home to Key Arena, Memorial Stadium, Pacific Science Center, Experience Music Project, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Seattle Repertory Theatre, SIFF Cinema, Seattle Children's Theater, the new Chihuly Garden and Glass museum (opening soon!), the International Fountain Pavilion, a Poetry Garden... and lawns for lounging and picnicking.

The weather this weekend could not have been better, warm and sunny and perfect for enjoying an day outside watching school marching bands, drill teams, and skateboarders at the skatepark, and sampling fare from the many assembled food trucks. There wasn't much in the way of 1962 artifacts, but there are some cool vintage tchotchkes for sale in the gift shop, and 1962 TV shows were playing the pavillion. ("The Beverly Hillbillies" was onscreen when I popped in.)

The Next Fifty celebration is going on until October 21 (to coincide with the 1962 World's Fair dates), so it's a great time to visit Seattle Center!