Place to see: Smith Tower, Seattle, Washington, United States

About this place:

Many people visit Seattle and needlessly wait in long lines to ride to the top of the Space Needle. But there is another less-famous tower across town that also offers unparalleled views of Puget Sound, Mt. Rainier and the Olympic and Cascade Mountain ranges. Smith Tower is one of Seattle's best-kept secrets.

The construction of Smith Tower was funded by Lyman Cornelius Smith, who made his money in what is perhaps one of the most incongruous fortunes in Seattle history: in typewriters and rifles. When the 522 foot tower opened in 1914 it used newly developed construction techniques that allowed buildings to rise to previously unimagined heights.

In its time it was one of only a handful of skyscrapers in the world and was advertised as the tallest office tower outside of New York City. For more than fifty years it remained the tallest building west of Chicago. Today its 42 stories is dwarfed by many thousands of other buildings. But it is still remarkable for its beautiful white terra cotta clad exterior, its ornate lobby of onyx and marble with its 22 carved wood Native-American chieftans, and one of the last manually operated brass elevators in the country.

An observation deck on the 35th floor features the ornate Chinese Room, with furnishings, wall and ceiling decor donated by the Empress of China. An outdoor walkway provides breathtaking views that rival the Space Needle for a fraction of the ticket price and without the hour spent in line.

Smith Tower is bordered on its southern side by Yesler Way, a steep hill down which timber was slid to the old sawmills at Seattle's waterfront. Such practice was the genesis of the term "skid row" and the subsequent decline in the quality of the area cemented the definition in the American vernacular. The broader neighborhood is known as Pioneer Square and is one of the oldest parts of Seattle that had its heydey around the time of the rush for Yukon gold.