MYNORTHWEST NEWS

Columbia Tower to offer unprecedented view of Puget Sound area fireworks

Jun 30, 2014, 4:09 PM | Updated: 5:08 pm

Safeco Field fireworks are seen from the Sky View Observatory on the 73rd floor of the Columbia Tow...

Safeco Field fireworks are seen from the Sky View Observatory on the 73rd floor of the Columbia Tower last Friday night. (Sky View Observatory image)

(Sky View Observatory image)

Safeco Field fireworks are seen from the Sky View Observatory on the 73rd floor of the Columbia Tower last Friday night. Safeco Field fireworks are seen from the Sky View Observatory on the 73rd floor of the Columbia Tower last Friday night. Safeco Field fireworks are seen from the Sky View Observatory on the 73rd floor of the Columbia Tower last Friday night. Safeco Field fireworks are seen from the Sky View Observatory on the 73rd floor of the Columbia Tower last Friday night. Safeco Field fireworks are seen from the Sky View Observatory on the 73rd floor of the Columbia Tower last Friday night.

Why settle for one fireworks show when you can see nearly a dozen from high above Seattle?

For the first time ever, the Sky View Observatory (SVO) on the 73rd floor of the Columbia Center will be open for the Fourth of July.

“We tried to count and looked online and figured you’d be able to see everything in King County, across to Kitsap County, you’ll be able to see Vashon and Bainbridge Island,” says Tamara Wilson, spokesperson for the Sky View Observatory.

The SVO is the tallest public observatory west of the Mississippi to view fireworks from its 360 degree deck, Wilson says.

Space is limited to the first 360 people on a first-come, first-served basis. Admission is free for children under the age of five, $9 for seniors, military and children (ages 5 to 12) and $12.50 for adults.

The most popular space will likely be on the north side of the building, with a view of the Seafair fireworks on Lake Union. But Wilson says the views will be spectacular regardless of where people stand.

“If you’re on the other side of the building, you’re going to see everything from Bellevue to SeaTac to Vashon,” she says.

Of course, it’s all for naught if the weather doesn’t cooperate. But KING 5’s Jeff Renner says right now, the forecast calls for a pretty nice evening with partly cloudy skies.

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