Space Needle Elevator Operator Derien Mattingly's Guide to Seattle

“It depends on the time of year,” Mattingly says. “During the summer, typically right when we open and right before we close. Summer hours are 8am to midnight, so if you're an early bird or night owl, those are really good times.” Bonus: tickets for those time slots are also cheaper. “Otherwise you just gotta be patient,” Mattingly adds. “We have a lot of other cool things to do in the area, so you can buy a ticket an hour or two in advance; go check out the Chihuly Garden, the Pacific Science Center, or the Children's Museum [which is right next door]; and then come back to us so you don't stand in line the whole time.”

For a view few others see, Mattingly recommends standing on the observation deck’s risers, leaning back against the glass, and looking up. “You can see the flag flying and the top of the Needle itself. That's a lot of fun, especially when we have the specialty flags up, like the Pride flag or the 12th Man flag ... You don't realize how large these flags are on top of a building, but it’s the size of a minivan.”

The water tower in Volunteer Park is one of Mattingly’s favorite Seattle spots. “It takes just a little hike to get up there, if you're not used to the stairs, but it's a really cool hidden view.” She also recommends the Pinball Museum in the International District. “I like getting the day-band 'cause you can go in and out all day. So I'll go and play and then we'll get some food—there’s great Asian food of every kind [in the area]—and then you go back and play some more.”

“I enjoy West Seattle,” Mattingly says. “It's rather walkable, there's not a lot of big hills, and you can go down to the water, have some good chowder and fish and chips and all that jazz, and then have a bonfire on the beach. I actually recently told [a Space Needle visitor] where to get firewood. They were like, 'We're kind of running out of time and money. What can we do?' I'm like, 'Do you have $5? Buy a bundle of wood and go to Alki.'”

“I like taking them to Pike Place Market,” Mattingly says. “What a lot of people don't realize is the market is four levels. I've asked people and they’re like ‘Yeah, we walked through the market.’ And I’m like, ‘Oh, how long did it take you then?’ ‘About 20 minutes.’ No, you didn't. You missed the guts. You gotta go down the stairs.”

“There's this really cool magic shop, and there's another little place down in the bottom corner that sells random stuff from rummage sales and storage units that have been abandoned. I found a book from the ‘20s [for] 50 cents.”

“It doesn't rain all the time,” Mattingly insists. “It just kind of drizzles on you sometimes, and if you walk fast enough, you stay dry—you can always tell people that don't live here because they're the ones with umbrellas.” “If it says 90 percent chance of rain,” she adds, “that's literally maybe 10 minutes in the middle of the day and then it won't rain for the rest of the day, so it really doesn't impede exploration.”

Leavenworth is Mattingly‘s personal pick for a day getaway. “It gets really busy during the tourist season, but it's one of the only places I've found that we can go and actually be in the water and not be cold. We go down to the KOA and there's this awesome little tubing company that has a shuttle that takes you down to the company. The float is awesome, and then they'll pick you up and bring you back to the KOA. It’s cheap and easy, and then you go get a bratwurst and beer. It's great.”