Latest news with #SpaceNeedle
Scottish Sun
5 days ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Major airline to launch first ever flights from the UK to one of the world's most beautiful cities
Plus, what there is to do in the city TAKE OFF Major airline to launch first ever flights from the UK to one of the world's most beautiful cities Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) AN AIRLINE is launching a new route which will mark not only its first to the UK, but one of the first to Europe as well. Alaska Airlines has announced a new non-stop route between London Heathrow and Seattle, America. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 4 Alaska Airlines is launching flights between London and Seattle next year Credit: AFP The services, launching in May 2026, will be daily and year-round. The airline will be using a 787-9 aircraft for the route, which will feature 34 enclosed suites with fully lie-flat seats in Business Class. Chief commercial officer Andrew Harrison dubbed the new route to London as "the crown jewel of our long-haul network to Europe". According to the airline, London is the largest intercontinental market from Seattle, with over 400 passengers travelling between the two cities each day. The airline will also be launching a route between Seattle and Reykjavik, in Iceland, next year. Alaska Airlines unveiled a new design for the exterior of some of their planes as well. Seattle, located in Washington State, is known for its iconic landmarks including the Space Needle and Pike Place Market. Not only is it often named one of the most walkable cities, but Travel + Leisure named it America's most beautiful city The city is home to a thriving coffee culture as well as the famous Space Needle. Inside quirky 15ft Seattle pie-shaped tiny home built in 1925 that's only 55inches wide with a bizarre backstory The iconic structure was part of a major project for the 1962 World's Fair in Seattle and towers 605ft into the air. Visitors travel to the top via a lift that takes just 43 seconds to reach the top. Once at the viewing platform, visitors can enjoy views across the city. For those scared of heights - don't worry - there is plenty more to explore in the Emerald City (nicknamed due to the amount of greenery). Houseboats are also a large part of the city's identity and date back to the 1920s, where they were occupied by fishermen and boatmakers. For a slightly more unusual thing to do, head to the Gum Wall. 4 The flights will operate daily between the two cities Credit: Getty It's exactly what it looks like - an entire wall of blue, pink, white, red, green sticky and dried chewing gum. The wall originates from 1999 when theatre patrons used to stick their chewed pieces on the wall. Foodies will enjoy Pike Place Market, where there are hundreds of places to eat, drink and generally mooch. Arguably, one of the most globally famous brands to come out of Seattle is Starbucks and whilst in the city you can head to the original store. Also located on Pike Place Market, the OG Starbucks gives you a taste of where the coffee chain all began. 4 In Seattle there are many places to explore including a Gum Wall and the original Starbucks Credit: Alamy There might be a wait, but inside you can grab a drink and some souvenirs. The city also sits on top of the Seattle Underground, which is a network of underground passageways and basements. The bizarre maze is located directly below the Pioneer Square neighbourhood, and whilst abandoned, in recent decades they have become more of a tourist attraction with guided tours. There are a few airlines that already fly direct between London Heathrow and Seattle, including British Airways, Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic. The average price for a return flight to the Emerald City from the UK is around £715. One woman also visited two US states in one holiday – with cheap flights, terrifying attractions and America's 'best kept secret'. Plus, a historic English city has been named the world's best place to visit in 2025 by New York Times.
Time Out
01-08-2025
- Time Out
A new walkability ranking just dropped—and New York didn't win
It's official: New York is no longer the walkability capital of America. A new report from FitFlop has ranked 30 U.S. cities by how easy—and enjoyable—they are to explore on foot, and the Big Apple landed in sixth place. The surprise winner? Seattle. FitFlop's first-ever Walkability Index considered five metrics—distance, walking time, elevation, step count and Walk Score—between each city's top five attractions. Despite its hills and drizzle, Seattle came out on top with short, scenic routes linking icons like the Space Needle, Pike Place Market and Chihuly Garden and Glass, all within a compact 1.4-mile loop. Right behind Seattle is Jersey City, which might raise some eyebrows, but don't underestimate it. With sweeping Hudson River views, a sky-high Walk Score (86.6), and a low-effort, high-reward circuit through Liberty State Park, the Liberty Science Center and buzzy downtown blocks, it beat out cities like Boston, D.C. and, yes, New York. Boston ranked third, thanks to its historic compactness and the red-brick Freedom Trail that connects the city's major sites. Washington, D.C., and Newark took fourth and fifth, respectively, offering flat terrain and dense clusters of attractions that are surprisingly walkable, even if they're not top of mind for most step-counters. Meanwhile, New York's sixth-place finish came down to logistics. While the city earned the second-highest Walk Score (88), its attractions are simply too spread out. It takes 129 minutes and nearly 14,000 steps to walk between icons like the Empire State Building, Central Park and the 9/11 Memorial. That's a long trek, even for New Yorkers who consider walking a sport. The rankings drop just as America's appetite for step-friendly sightseeing surges. Searches for 'walking vacation' are up 29% over the last quarter, and 'walkable cities US' rose 21%. Even searches for 'women's walking sandals' spiked 49%, suggesting that comfort is now just as important as a good view.
Geek Wire
01-08-2025
- Business
- Geek Wire
Starbucks pioneered mobile ordering. Now the coffee giant is ditching a pickup-only store concept.
Starbucks is ending its pickup-only store concept, including at this location in Seattle near the Space Needle. (GeekWire Photos / Taylor Soper) I stopped by one of Starbucks' mobile-focused pickup-only locations in Seattle this week after the company announced that it was sunsetting the small-format stores. My experience was quick, seamless, and convenient — and perhaps that's the problem. In a call with investors on Tuesday announcing the news, Starbucks CEO Brian Niccol described the pickup-only stores as 'overly transactional and lacking the warmth and human connection that defines our brand.' Niccol, the former Chipotle CEO who joined Starbucks last year, is leading an overhaul under a plan called 'Back to Starbucks' in a bid to boost slumping sales. The Seattle coffee giant just reported its sixth-straight quarter of declining same-store sales. Part of that strategy is to re-center stores as a place where customers spend more time — the 'third place' concept championed by former longtime Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz. Moving away from the tech-driven pickup stores is a notable shift for a company that once leaned heavily into its technology as a competitive advantage. Starbucks was early to mobile ordering, launched its own digital wallet long before Apple Pay took off, and has one of the most popular loyalty apps in the food and beverage industry, with nearly 34 million active users. Mobile orders represent nearly a third of total transactions at U.S. company-operated stores. Niccol said he thinks Starbucks can thread the needle between convenience and coziness. 'We have a strong digital offering and believe we can deliver the same level of convenience through our community coffeehouses with a superior mobile order and pay experience,' he said Tuesday. Mobile orders show up on a status screen inside Starbucks' pickup-only stores. Starbucks is still leaning into technology under Niccol's leadership, including a new 'Smart Queue' order sequencing algorithm built to help improve mobile ordering — which has been a sore spot for the company given how it creates congestion inside stores. Niccol also said the company is working on what he calls the 'coffeehouse of the future,' including a new prototype store design with 32 seats and a drive-thru, and a smaller version with 10 seats. The CEO said he hopes the changes can help reestablish 'that moment of connection between a barista and their customer, bringing back warm and welcoming coffeehouses with great seats, delivering drinks in four minutes or less in the cafe and drive-thru while bringing order to mobile order…' The move away from mobile-focused stores comes as Starbucks' techie rival Luckin — which operates cashierless, app-only stores — just opened its first U.S. locations in New York City after overtaking Starbucks in China. I was in New York City in 2019 when Starbucks first debuted the mobile order and pick-up only concept. I had a pretty similar experience back then — convenient and fast. During my quick stop at the pickup store in Seattle this week, I saw six or seven other people come through in a 5-minute span, at 5:45 p.m. on a Thursday evening. They walked in, grabbed their drink, and left — a grab-and-go, frictionless experience that Starbucks once imagined. Now, though, that friction — seats in a store, a brief chat with a barista, your name on a cup — might be the feature, not the bug.
%3Amax_bytes(150000)%3Astrip_icc()%2FTAL-seattle-washington-WALKABLECITY0725-3e0cdfacc5b348f387258e668460bde9.jpg&w=3840&q=100)
Travel + Leisure
30-07-2025
- Travel + Leisure
This U.S. City Was Just Named the Most Walkable—and You Can See Its Top Sites in 30 Minutes
There's nothing worse than visiting a new city and feeling like you didn't really get to see much of it. It can be easy to miss things when you're zipping from one travel recommendation to the next. That's probably one reason why 'walking vacations' are getting more popular: Google search data shows there's been a 29 percent increase in search for the term this year. And really, what's not to love? You're seeing a ton, getting some exercise in, and saving money on taxis. Now, new study revealed that there is one city that's a cut above the rest, making it perfect for casual strollers and step-count obsessives alike. The analysis from FitFlops named Seattle the most walkable city. The report used a matrix that analyzed the distance, walking time, elevation gain, and step count between the top five attractions in 30 U.S. cities. Using that information and factoring in the city's Walk Score, FitFlop created an index. In that index, Seattle was named as the most walkable. 'Visitors can wander between the ethereal glass sculptures at Chihuly Garden and Glass, ascend the iconic Space Needle, and explore the lively stalls of Pike Place Market—all within a 1.4-mile radius,' the study states. 'A short stroll leads to the Museum of Pop Culture, a Frank Gehry-designed marvel celebrating music, sci-fi, and pop culture. Cap it off with a scenic jaunt to the Washington State Ferries terminal for a breezy ride across Puget Sound.' In just 32 minutes, you can see all five top attractions and get about 3,360 steps in while you're at it. The Pacific Northwest city has been growing in popularity as a destination in recent years, with great access to outdoor adventure, a fantastic Chinatown, and experiences like sailing around in a hot tub boat. To really get the best of what Seattle has to offer, you will have to travel outside of the 1.4-mile radius. But in that area there's even more to do than the activities above. There's the Museum of History & Industry, several great parks, a model boat pond, and so much more. Plus when you get hungry, you can head to the very popular Queen Anne Beerhall to catch a basketball game and enjoy a smashburger, or pop in for some ceviche at Sal Y Limón. And don't worry, once you are ready to finally lay day after a long day of being out and about Travel + Leisure has the inside scoop on the best hotels in Seattle too.
Gizmodo
28-07-2025
- Gizmodo
The Best 360 Camera Maker Is Making an ‘Immersive' Drone and DJI Should Be Very Worried
DIY flyers have been slapping 360 cameras onto drones for years now. But what if said 360 camera did more than film sideways, slantways, longways, and backways? Insta360, maker of some of the most popular 360 cameras, has declared it's now making a drone that promises 'immersive' flights thanks to a camera apparatus with two fisheye lenses. If the stars align, this new drone will make its debut next month. These new drones will sit under the canopy of the 'Antigravity' brand. It's not as if these drones will hit suborbital flights. Instead, they're meant to pack a full 360 camera. Insta360 says this will allow for 'immersive' flights, which suggests users will be able to use a kind of AR goggles—like the DJI Goggles—to interact with the 360 camera. We can already imagine if your drone flight offered the same degree of view as if you were standing in front of the glass at the top of the Seattle Space Needle. The typical 360 camera works by filming a sphere centered on itself—with the two lenses filming 180 degrees each. With this variety of cameras, it doesn't matter how you orient the lenses to grab a shot. That could prove a benefit to filmmakers looking to capture footage on a banking or twisting drone mid-flight. The footage is often cut into a regular 2D aspect ratio you'll watch on YouTube, though modern AR devices like the Apple Vision Pro can also play back 360-degree footage in an immersive way thanks to head tracking. The Antigravity drone may simply offer that capability in real time. The drone itself will weigh in at below 250g, or 0.55 pounds. That's about the weight of a DJI Mini 3S, which I've found is light and packs up well enough to take out into the field. The first Antigravity drone is designed to 'replace the technical complexity inherent in both drone flying and 360-degree videography,' according to Insta360. That implies Insta360 is planning on some kind of immersive motion controls akin to a DJI motion controller. Insta360's press release still leaves a heap of unanswered questions buzzing in our heads. We don't know if this 360-camera drone will be as capable as the company's latest X5, though it should be able to shoot in 8K resolution. Insta360, the company most known for its 360 camera gear and its action cameras that compete with companies like GoPro, is planning for a coup of the largest drone maker in the world—DJI. That China-based company has been caught up in international sanctions that keep it from selling all its flying cameras in the U.S. In the last few months, DJI has reported that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has been banning imports of its drones. DJI hasn't been hit with any official ban, though that could change just before Christmas this year. Last year, Congress passed the Countering CCP Drones Act that required the government to review DJI drones for any national security risks. If it doesn't happen before the end of the year, we may have a full-on ban of what's still the most popular drone brand. While competitors like HoverAir have faced less scrutiny, Insta360 would still have a little more room to make something that really stands out. The last groundbreaking drones from DJI were lightweight, portable designs like the ultra-small DJI Neo and the DJI Flip that folds up to look like a unicycle. Since the soft ban on U.S. imports, DJI has reportedly sold very similar drones to its own DJI Mini 4 under a different brand name, SkyRover. Despite DJI's regulatory woes, the entire drone industry could use a bit of a wake-up slap. Insta360 has a track record for experimenting with established tech, like the Go 3S with its magnetically attached lens pod, which offered a whole new use case for the typical GoPro-like camera. We'll just have to see if Insta360 can avoid the same scrutiny as its fellow China-based dronemaker once we take to the skies in August.
