CN Tower Glass Elevators Coming Soon
The chaps at the CN Tower have announced that a week from today, April 9, they'll begin running new glass floor elevators to propel visitors to the top of the tower. (No word on whether the elevators will continue to rise from there)
They also claim these are the world's highest and North America's first use of such elevators and will give riders a 5+ square foot view of the ground they'd be plummeting to if it weren't for the mere 2.5 inches of glass holding them up.
I've always been a tad nervous taking that elevator, so my ride up during the launch of their new LED system will likely be my last experience heading up the tower.
But for those looking for a bit of thrill, this is no doubt part of the effort to attract more visitors, despite the fairly outrageous prices that they continue to charge for tickets.
Is this enough to get you to visit the Tower again? For those of you that haven't checked out the CN Tower before, is this a good enough reason to cough up the cash?
Photo by blogTO Flickr pool'er .cynn
Comments (20)
I certainly hope that the glass floor feature isn't put in all the passenger elevators. Visitors should have a choice so as to not have to face their fears.
Wow... Just thinking about looking down makes me shiver and feel dizzy! I can't even look down from a 12th floor apartment balcony!
David, aren't visitors already facing their fears by ascending the world's (former) tallest freestanding structure?
I love running up and jumping on the glass floor. I freaked out so many of my relatives when we take them there. Yea i'm an asshole.
The way they have worded the announcement seems to be saying that you only get the glass elevator when you buy the most expensive "all access" ticket. Am I reading that right?
Maaaaan the CN tower is a ripoff.. I love it so much though.
What will they see when they look down? Advertising? Grey concrete? Spinning vertigo inducing black and white spiral? Target with a chalk outline?
The CN Tower is the certainly the biggest.... gouger:
Sears Tower: $13.50
Rialto (Melbourne): $13.60
Space Needle: $16.50
Empire State Building: $20
Rockefeller Ctr: $21.50
Eiffel Tower: $19.50
London Eye: $28.50
CN Tower: $30
(all of the above are in Cdn dollars, including taxes)
@Adam at 10:38 am
There's something psychological about a solid and opaque floor that one finds reassuring. I was once on the lighting gantry at CFTO in their new studio in 1972 or 73.
Being able to see the studio floor through the flooring is very overwhelming.
It helps to remember that the floor and wall of the indoor observation deck serve as a psycholgical cocoon and shield us from the fear of heights.
. . ."the studio floor through the flooring" is obviously wrong to say. I'm sorry it came out that way.
What I meant was "see the studio floor through the gantry platform". . .
is 2.5 inch thickness glass,
really strong enough ?
..I'd say they should make it at least 4 or 5..
i mean.. i'm no engineer or anything,
but why risk it.
James, CityNews claims that "it can hold the weight of 14 hippos. But since they'd never be able to fit in the cage, there's plenty of room for everyone else."
$5 to the first person that gets 14 hippos in there.
Glass is stronger than concrete, so quite frankly I'd rather stand on a glass floor all that way up than a concrete floor.
I just went up the other day based on a 2 for 1 pass, did the 'total package' thing and I'd say it was worth it. Maybe not every night for dinner, but I haven't been since I was too young to be able to pinpoint my age, and had missed out on the open deck and skypod back then.
The vertigo of the glass floor is pretty intense, the idea of it rocketing away from you while you're trapped in a little box sounds like a very well-engineered panic/projectile-vomit-inducing device.
"Glass is stronger than concrete"
What? I want a link to back that one up :) Maybe it's just a psychological thing, but I'll take a slab of concrete under my feet over 2.5" of glass any day.
I'd want to do it, but would be scared out of my wits the entire time and I'd probably 'glance' down just as I was getting off.
Adam: Apparently it's true:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tensile_strength#Typical_tensile_strengths
"m":
I would pay extra for the spinning vertigo inducing black and white spiral!
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