I usually don’t write about city life, but when you’re in Toronto, standing atop one of the world’s tallest structures, it deserves a mention.
The City of Toronto, known for the Blue Jays, and Maple Leafs, has many iconic locations. The most famous of these is of course the CN Tower. It is not only an iconic symbol of Toronto, but also an iconic Canadian symbol, representing the country on stamps, postcards and coins.
The idea for the CN Tower was first conceived in 1968 by the Canadian National Railway (CN). They wanted to build a large television and radio communication system for the city of Toronto. At this point, most communications were done through point-to-point links, which required line-of-site. CN hoped to rent space on the tower, which was visible from almost every point in the city.
Construction began in the winter of 1973, led by the Canada Cement Company. In only three years, the 1,500 workers managed to complete this ambitious project in 1976.
From 1976 until 2007, the CN Tower was the world’s largest freestanding structure. Today, the CN Tower is a major tourist destination. There is both a restaurant and a viewing platform at the top of the tower. There is a very hefty $50 price tag to take the elevator to the top of the tower, which is pretty exorbitant if all you’re going to do is snap a few pictures.
I must admit though, that the view from the top is spectacular, especially if you’re lucky like I was, and don’t have any obstructing clouds. The cars driving past below look like miniature toys, and the people look like little dots on the sidewalk. To the north, east, and west, the city’s lights stretch out as far as the eye can see. Then to the south, Lake Ontario looks like a black abyss which provides a steep contrast to the shimmering lights, and fiery sunset.
