Seattle, WA Sometime from 1982 to 1984

This photo of the Space Needle was taken on a family driving trip to Seattle sometime in 1982, 1983, or 1984.

I didn't make any notes at the time I shot the photo, so until 2008 I didn't know where I had been standing; I had a dim memory of it but I wasn't absolutely certain. By examining aerial photos and using the same techniques that I'd used to identify some movie filming locations, I discovered that I'd taken this picture in a parking lot on 3rd Ave between Broad and Clay Streets. Now I know where to go to shoot a then-and-now photo on a return visit!

Space Needle Photo

As of 2008, aerial photos show that the chimney and roof seen on the right are still there. That sign on the left that might read Sterling's Sooper Saver is no longer there and the building seen in the aerial photos doesn't look like what I imagine a "Sooper Saver" might be. Between us and the guy pumping gas at Center Mini Mart is Denny Way, which runs left to right but can't be seen in this photo. That Texaco station at the Mini Mart is still a gas station but I don't know what brand.