Happy Birthday Tower!

Today is the 30th birthday of our venerable CN Tower. Older, wiser and still the tallest free standing structure in the world. But not for long. In 2008 Dubai will complete the construction of the “new” tallest structure in the world. But we Torontonians don’t care. We’ve had the title for 30 years and now that we are mature urban dwellers we don’t need it any more. We are more then happy for Dubai.

But today we celebrate! Tall and elegant the CN Tower has stood watch over us for 3 decades. Millions have visited its observation pod (the thick thing two thirds of the way up) and stood on a glass floor with nothing between them and death but a 2 inch piece of glass. But not to worry (other than vertigo sufferers) because the glass can hold 14 large hippos. I was not there the day they took 14 large hippos up to the observation tower and put them on the glass floor but I still believe.

And talking of weight …. the tower weighs the equivalent of 23,000 large elephants. Now, I have never seen or lifted 23,000 large elephants and so I am no further ahead in my understanding of its weight. And some more mind numbing statistics:
The top sways three feet in the wind
There are 2,570 steps in the stairwell
No you don’t have to walk up … you can take one of the elevators that whisks you up at 1,200 feet per minute
Lighting strikes it 200 times a year

Oh, I almost forgot; it is 1,815 feet and 5 inches tall.

So come and celebrate our famous birthday. If you can’t come in person visit www.cntower.ca