Toronto part two - the CN Tower

Toronto

Part two - CN Tower

The CN Tower, the tallest building in the world

Wednesday June 23rd 1999

Toronto is extremely proud of the CN Tower, at 1815 feet 5 inches (553.33 metres) the tallest building in the world, and understandably so. I'm not quite sure what the point of uilding such a tall structure is, except perhaps the achievement itself, but it is undeniably extraordinary. Since I suffer from vertigo, I found New York dizzying enough, but the CN Tower is even more extreme, so much so that I felt it deserved a page to itself. It is Toronto's prime tourist attraction, and has recently undergone a C$26 million renovation (presumably ensuring that it's still safe). It offers "multimedia experiences" (a phrase I am rapidly learning to loathe), which we ignored, in addition to the "basic" lift ride (58 seconds at 15 miles an hour). There are actually three separate viewing areas served by two different sets of lifts. The first lift takes you to the Look Out, where plate glass windows give you a panoramic view of Toronto. I particularly liked the views onto Lake Ontario and Toronto City Centre Airport, which is actually located on Toronto Island, and can only be reached (at least as far as I could see) by boat. Unfortunately, we're flying from Toronto's other airport, Pearson international, which more prosaically is located on the edge of town.

Toronto Island as seen from the CN Tower. Nore the airport on the far right of the picture.

The Waterfront with Toronto Island. The yachts, which can just be made out in this picture, give some idea of scale.

Downtown Toronto from the Look Out at the CN Tower. The circular building is the Roy Thomson Hall, a concert venue

One floor down from the Look Out is the Glass Floor which, if you're like me and are not too comfortable with great heights, is a terrifying prospect. I was made even more uncomfortable by the presence of a large group of loud kids, with the boys taking great pleasure in trying their damnedest to prove that the glass floor was not actually so safe by jumping up and down on it! This was none too reassuring, and it was only after much trepidation and failed attempts that I managed finally to walk across the floor. With a sheer drop of 1,122 feet (342 metres), it is more than a little disconcerting to see nothing under your feet. The picture below does not even begin to tell the story ...

View through the Glass Floor, looking straight down 1,122 feet.

As if that was not bad enough, to top it all the CN Tower is home to the world's highest man-made observatory, at a dizzying height of 1,465 feet (447 metres) a full 33 floors above the Look Out. I heard one guy, from Cleveland, Ohio, complaining because the observatory did not rotate, but I think he was definitely in the minority. There were also inevitably some stupid questions. At one point in the lift, the guide explained that the CN Tower was the tallest building in the world. One lady asked if it was "taller than the building in Moscow", in reply to which the guide repeated that the CN was the tallest building in the world. Then another guy piped up "Is it taller than the World Trade Center in New York?"

Fergus looking distinctly uneasy in the observatory ...

... and trying to recover afterwards by the usual means.