30 days of biking: 1962 Seattle World’s Fair

Today’s 50th anniversary celebration of the Seattle World’s Fair seemed like a good reason to make a bicycle pilgrimage over to Seattle.

The splendid weather for the second straight weekend prompted hordes of cyclists to take to the bike paths and roads around here.

For the first time this year, short sleeves and bare arms outnumbered yellow rain jackets and tights for cycling wear.

I crossed the I-90 bridge, then proceeded through the International District and the Puget Sound waterfront to reach the Seattle Center, the former site of the World’s Fair.

Many of the park’s main features are left over from the 1962 event.

The Space Needle — as tall as a 60-story building — was the iconic symbol of the fair and it remains a well-known Seattle landmark after all these years. It’s been featured in the movie “Sleepless in Seattle” and TV episodes of “Frasier” and “Grey’s Anatomy” among many others.

Also remaining and operating is the Seattle monorail, which runs for just 1-mile between the World Fair site and WestLake Plaza in downtown.

Another prominent feature of the World’s Fair were these arches, which are now part of the Seattle Science Center.

I spent about an hour walking around the park, trying to find novel ways to include my bicycle and the Space Needle in the same photo. The park was crowded, but not so much as during the Bumbershoot music festival in the fall. There were outdoor stage presentations all day, kiddie rides and food stalls on the grounds.

More activities are scheduled at the Seattle Center on Sunday in celebration of Earth Day (see schedule).

Parking is always a challenge for Seattle Center events, which is why arriving by bicycle is definitely the way to go.

30 Days of Biking

Total days — 21/21

Total miles — 310