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CN Tower Review
Read our Toronto sights reviews. Or post your own.
CN Tower 
- Address: 301 Front St. W, Harbourfront, Toronto, Ontario | Map It
- Phone: 416/868-6937; 416/362-5411 restaurant
- www.cntower.ca
- Category: Observatories/Planetariums
- Location: Harbourfront
Fodor's Review:
The tallest freestanding tower in the world is 1,815 feet and 5 inches high -- and yes, it's listed in the Guinness Book of World Records. The CN Tower is tall for a reason: prior to the opening of this telecommunications tower in 1976, so many tall buildings had been built over the previous decades that lower radio and TV transmission towers were having trouble broadcasting. The C$63 million building weighs 130,000 tons and contains enough concrete to build a curb along Highway 401 from Toronto to Kingston, some 262 km (162 mi) to the east. It's worth a visit if the weather is clear, despite the steep fee. Six glass-front elevators zoom up the outside of the tower. The elevators travel at 20 feet per second and the ride takes less than a minute -- a rate of ascent similar to that of a jet-plane takeoff. Each elevator has one floor-to-ceiling glass wall -- three opaque walls make the trip easier on anyone prone to vertigo.
There are four observation decks to choose from. The Glass Floor Level, which is exactly what it sounds like, is about 1,122 feet above the ground. It's like walking on a cloud. This could well be the most photographed indoor location in the city -- lie on the transparent floor and have your picture taken from above like countless before you. Don't worry -- the glass floor can support 85,000 pounds. Above is the Look Out Level, at 1,136 feet; one floor more, at 1,150 feet, is the excellent 360 Revolving Restaurant. (If you're here to dine at the restaurant, your elevator fee is waived.) At an elevation of 1,465 feet, the Sky Pod is the world's highest public observation gallery. All the levels provide spectacular panoramic views of Toronto, Lake Ontario, and the Toronto Islands. On really clear days you may see Lake Simcoe to the north and the mist rising from Niagara Falls to the south.
On the ground level, the Marketplace at the Tower has 12,500 square feet of shopping space with quality Canadian sports and travel items and souvenirs, along with a shop selling Inuit art. There's also the Fresh Market Cafe, with seating for 300; the Maple Leaf Cinema, which screens the 20-minute documentary The Height of Excellence, about the building of the Tower; and the Themed Arcade, with the latest in virtual-game experiences and the new Himalamazon motion picture ride based loosely on the Himalayan and Amazon regions. Peak visiting hours are 11 to 4; you may wish to work around them, particularly on weekends.
- Cost: First 2 observation levels C$21.49, Sky Pod C$25.99, combined packages start at C$31.99
- Open: Sun.-Thurs. 9 AM-10 PM, Fri. and Sat. 9 AM-10:30 PM
- Metro: Union
Member Reviews & Ratings:
It's a Long Way Down
Posted by toedtoes from California on 2/15/08
You can't go to Toronto and not visit the CN Tower at least once. The tower is very elegant with its towering height. Once inside, you head up the glass elevator and watch the ground fall quickly away from you. By the time you realize how fast you're actually climbing, you've reached the Glass Floor Level. You walk to the observation deck with metal mesh all around and feel the wind (it wasn't windy when you were on the ground) pushing against you. The views are gorgeous. Then you catch your breath, hike up your courage and stand on the glass floor. Don't walk away without doing it - no matter how scared you are. It's a magnificent feeling to know you DID IT! Next, you take a second elevator (no glass wall this time) to the skypod. There, you walk around the outside edge of the circular floor looking out over the city and beyond. A glass wall from floor to ceiling all the way around provides you an unobstructed view.
It may sound touristy, but it's one attraction you should do at least once in your life.
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