SEATTLE — Sixty years ago, on Aug. 21, 1964, a young Beatles fan from North Dakota was staying at Seattle’s Edgewater Inn when she got to experience nearly every classic rock fan's dream: hanging out with The Beatles.
This week Nancy King, 76, revisited the place she called her "mecca," getting "back to where [she] once belonged."
"Oh, it’s good to be back!” said King, stepping out of her rental car.
She said her mind was instantly flooded with memories.
"They had the police boats just to make sure the teenagers weren’t trying to scale the wall to get in here," said King. "It was just packed."
On their first North American tour, The Beatles played the Seattle Center's Coliseum, and in the hours before their show, a photographer snapped a photo of them fishing out of their hospitality suite at the Edgewater.
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The photo went on to become world famous and particularly memorable for The Beatles' biggest fans.
But not many people are familiar with what happened after their Seattle show. King, who was 16 at the time, said she befriended a columnist who was also staying at the hotel.
"I was walking around the hotel, and I heard all of these men talking in British accents," she said.
She introduced herself.
"His name was George Harrison, but he was no relation to the Beatle, George. He was a columnist for the Liverpool Echo, and he was traveling with them on tour, so we just struck up a conversation, and he was very kind," said King.
King's mother had driven her and her sister to Seattle from Grand Forks, N.D., and King said she thought Harrison was impressed that her mother had driven halfway across the continent.
King, a confident teenager, had been chatting with the columnist in the lobby, when “the phone rang, and it was Brian Epstein, The Beatles manager. And he was calling to report on the performance.”
King sat patiently while they spoke.
"It was just starting to wrap up, and he said, I've got a 16-year-old girl here, and I was wondering if she could come down and meet the boys," she recalled.
King said she didn't have any idea that Harrison would do that.
"By this time, I had been so happy just to see them leave the hotel," King said. "To me that was as good as it was going to get."
But, she said, it got better. King was invited to come to The Beatles' suite.
“Brian [Epstein] opened the door, and Paul [McCartney] was standing right behind him," said King. "So he was the first Beatle that I saw."
McCartney was King's favorite Beatle.
“I remember saying to him that my favorite song was ‘Do You Wanna Know a Secret?’ and he said, 'Oh it has nice words,'" said King.
This week, when King revisited the Edgewater's Beatles' Suite, she let the memories come rushing back to her.
"George and Paul were over sort of in that area talking for several minutes," she said, pointing toward the window. "Then, they brought me over, introduced me to John. Pretty soon, Ringo came out and he was rubbing his hair with a towel," said King.
"There was a bar area right here... I remember distinctly Paul offering me a cigarette, and I really wish I would have taken it now, to just have as a souvenir," she said, laughing.
Each bandmate autographed King's copy of A Hard Day’s Night.
"It says, 'Lots of love from George Harrison, 'Love from Paul McCartney xxx,' 'John Lennon xxx,' and 'Ringo Starr,'" said King.
King kept the hotel pen they used to sign the autographs, which says The Edgewater Inn on it.
Memorabilia from The Beatles' Seattle stop during 1964 world tour
That same trip, she eventually saw The Beatles' show in Vancouver, B.C., where she had been able to snag tickets.
Days later, after arriving home, she posed proudly for a photo for her hometown newspaper in Grand Forks. Over the course of the next six decades, she told her treasured story to everyone who asked.
"Their music totally lives on. It will for years," said King.
Beatles fan and vinyl collector Mike Robles of Lynnwood said he believes The Beatles "revolutionized" the music industry.
In the years following King's encounter, the Fab Four would go on to make music that was constantly shape-shifting.
"Always hard to pick a favorite Beatles record," said Robles.
Their music was a lot like The Beatles' suite itself: constantly evolving.
"They were constantly changing their sound," said Robles.
As for King, she said her experience meeting The Beatles changed her perspective completely.
"I think it made me realize you don't just let things happen. You've got to make your dreams come true," said King.
In 1964, it cost just $72 per night to stay in Room 272, known as The Beatles suite. Nowadays, starting rates are at $1,200 a night.
King also wrote a book about her experience at the Edgewater, called “Stay Calm and Meet The Beatles.” It’s available on Amazon.
In addition, King is hoping to connect with others who might have been there during those days.
"I would just love to hear from people that also shared the experience of The Beatles being here in Seattle," King said. "Whether they went to the concert or if they were outside the hotel. It would really be fun, because it was just such, such a special time."
Email reporter Maddie White at mwhite@king5.com to connect with King.