Old sights - new visions

A lone ship moves away from the land into the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean. A few slivers of light escape the ubiquitous clouds and slip out unnoticed. The streets wear a deserted look typical of weekends in all cities. A few prominent buildings mark the direction of the view around Seattle’s tallest building, the Space Needle.

Like the Eiffel Tower (though not as tall), the Space Needle was built for the 1962 World’s Fair and stands 604 feet tall. It took 407 days to complete and now takes 41 seconds for the elevator to reach the viewing deck at 520 feet. We walk around the circular deck and observed the 360 degree view. We peer through the telescopes placed helpfully at various points and zoom in through cameras that we could control. Other tourists, armed with cameras and a ready smile step aside as we proceed to take our amateur photographs, deeply engrossed in capturing the view for posterity. The flash helps to fill in artificial light when the sun does not oblige. The grime of downtown buildings, graffiti, matchbox cars, calm waters, ice-capped mountains, boats in the bay, all present themselves in the careless collage made by man and god.

Space Needle-related trivia fills the inside walls of the observation deck, interrupted in parts by the shops selling hot coffee and cheap souvenirs. A pictorial of the worlds other architectural achievements is listed with sketches and photos to reinforce the facts. I happily point out the ones I have been to – Eiffel Tower (Paris), CN Tower (Toronto), Washington Monument (Washington DC) and Opera House (Sydney). I have not been to the Petronas Tower in Malaysia. But ironically, the most beautiful of all the structures chronicled here is the Taj Mahal, one of the world’s seven wonders, located within India – the one that I have not yet visited. I wonder why?

Are we immune to the beauty at hand? Is it human nature to always wish for something new, a unique experience, a novel view? Do we need an exotic vacation to revive senses that are jaded by everyday scenes? Or can we find something to appreciate in our daily lives? Is it possible to see the mundane with bright eyes? This was my second view of the Space Needle, the first was almost 14 years ago. The sight was the same, I was the same but my thoughts were not. Perhaps the novelty of experience comes from a fresh perspective, an original insight into an ordinary day.