CN Tower

Whenever you go somewhere new you should always go up the tallest building and go on a boat ride (I’m pretty sure that is an unwritten rule/law).

Having ploughed my way through the longest airport security line in the whole history of airports and security, jumped in a taxi to the hotel and checked in, I thought I had better go up one of the tallest buildings in the world before it went dark. I set off on the short walk to CN tower and found myself at the back of another very long queue. Why these people weren’t at work I don’t know.

After probably 45 minutes or so of waiting I had my ticket and caught the elevator to the highest point I’ve ever been inside a building. The elevator goes at 15mph and takes 58 seconds to get to the observation deck at 1,136 ft. It made my legs go funny. There was another observation pod even higher (1,465 ft) but fortunately there was another long queue so I didn’t bother with that! But it doesn’t stop there, the actual tower itself stretches all the way up to 1,815 ft which I think is pretty much 3 times the height of the Space Needle. But size isn’t everything. The views from the Space Needle are so much more super awesome – on a clear day anyway. I’m not saying that Toronto isn’t nice but it’s quite flat all around the outskirts of the city – which I suppose is to be expected considering half of it borders Lake Ontario!

The other benefit the Space Needle has is that you can take proper photo’s. Up the CN Tower you’re either blocked behind glass windows or lots of netting type stuff. Which I suppose makes sense when you’re that high up but it doesn’t help me take fabulous photo’s which is somewhat selfish of the architects.

Some additional interesting facts about the tower … it opened to the public in June 1976 and was the tallest tower in the world for over three decades. On a clear day you can see over 100 miles (including as far as Niagara Falls). Lightening strikes the tower an average of 75 times a year.

Any finally, it was the highest the little boy in front of me in the queue to come back down in the elevator had ever wee’d at! Fact.

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