So this next review is about my experience in the CN tower, when I visited Toronto Canada. I had visited a number of big attraction sights in Toronto, but this was one of the one’s that a enjoyed extremely. It was fun, exciting, bold and out of this world, it was a plus that I wasn’t afraid of heights, so for anyone who does suffer from vertigo, it might be a challenge to visit this place. I had been to Toronto once before, however I was only 8 and thus didn’t have the chance to visit the CNN tower only views it from outside. I promised myself that I would come back one day to visit this attraction, only took me over a decade to come back, but it was highly worth the wait.

Information and the CN Tower:
The CN tower started its construction in 1975, once the construction was complete it stood at a mammoth 1,815.4 ft) tall, making it the tallest free standing building in the world, until in 2007, when the still under construction Burj Dubai exceeded its record.
The construction and planning of the tower took many years to do; it created over 15,000 jobs in construction, sanitation, and cleanup, helping to create a net profit for the economy. It was seen as Toronto’s big building, something all the world could come and admire, to overlook, and somewhere were tourists could come and enjoy the views of the breathtaking Niagara Falls, which isn’t too far from their. The original plan was not to include a sky deck, but rater make it a simple tower, however architects and city officials felt creating a observation deck would make the building more appealing, and it could also become away of generating revenue to help cover the cost’s of the original construction, which took all but three years to complete.
With over two million tourists and locals visiting the tower every year, this iconic tower has become one that many cities have tried to emulate such as Dubai, Las Vegas, and even London, it you think of the Millennium eye concept.
You would be right in asking why the tower has a huge antenna at the top, after the observation deck. The answer is simple, the area around were the building is located needed a television signal within the area, for both television and radio signals, and thus even today it is used for this purpose. However, no am airway signals are picked up by this antenna, only pm signals, which are transmitted from the main antenna.

There are two visitor areas: the main deck level (formerly known as Skypod) located at 346 meters (1,135 ft), and the higher Sky Pod (formerly known as "Space Deck") at 446.5 meters (1,465 ft).
Building statistics:

Height
Antenna/Spire 553.33 m (1,815.4 ft)
Roof 457.2 m (1,500.0 ft)
Top floor 446.5 m (1,464.9 ft)
Technical details
Floor count 147 (equivalent)
Elevator count 6

Ok, so enough about the history of the CN tower, and more information about my experience whilst I was in the Tower. I will explain what I personally did, however I will also provide some other relevant information, which I feel could be useful for people who might visit the tower in the near distant future.

Now there are many different packages you could by for your tour, and I guess it depends on the individual on what package they want, however I wanted to do the whole shebang, I wanted to experience all that could be experienced, and thus I opted for the Total Tower Experience, which set me back $32.99 Canadian Dollars. With this price you get to do the following; Look Out + Glass Floor + Skypod + Movie + Motion Theatre Ride (Must be 107 centimetres (42 inches) to ride)
Includes Express Elevation.

It’s the best package that you could go for, because it allows you to experience everything the tower has to offer, this price is exclusive for both children and adults, but it’s not a bad price. It will allow you the access to the express elevator that takes you to the observation deck, you get to experience the look out area, the experience of the Glass Floor, the actual Skypod experience, and you get to see and movie, and have a chance to experience a motion theatre ride, which is amazing. All these will be explained in detail.

Other packages include; (All in Canadian Dollars)

Observation Sky Pod Experience
Look Out + Glass Floor + Skypod
Adult (13-64) $26.99
Senior (65+) $24.99
Children (4-12) $20.99

Observation Experience
Look Out + Glass Floor
Adult (13-64) $21.99
Senior (65+) $19.99
Children (4-12) $14.99

Attractions Experience
Look Out + Glass Floor + Motion Theatre Ride or Movie
Adult (13-64) $26.99
Senior (65+) $24.99
Children (4-12) $20.99
Ok so you can either buy your ticket when you get their, or you can pre book online, which I found to be more convenient as it saves you having to queue up. The 'Concourse' level is the main level were all the tourists’ start their journey, the area is filled with lots of commercial zones, offering maps to Toronto, pictures, t-shirts and so much more. It’s a place to spend a little bit of extra cash, perhaps pick up a few gifts for people back home.

You find yourself making your way from the concourse to one of the six central elevators that take you to the observation deck, this is when you really start to get the feel of vertigo, I mean I’m not scared of heights, but the sheer psychological factor of me being thousand of feet up can be daunting, especially when your going into a lift, all these crazy thoughts start to hit the back of your mind, what it the evaluator gets stuck half way up, or what if the elevator has a fault, and we go crashing all the way down. Sorry if this is putting you off, but until you are there you wont no. Anyway, as we made our way into the elevator, the tour guide makes his way inside the elevator alongside us. The elevator doors close and we begin out climb the first thing the guide tells you is maybe you should start chewing some gum, the sheer height can like most places block your ears and this can be very annoying, so I did just that. As the decent begins, we are given a brief explanation about the history of the tower, how it was built, and the way the elevators were built, how long it too, how much it cost and so on.

Travelling at 15mph in less than a minute, we climb 142 stories and reach the first observation tower, its amazing just how quick we get their, I expected it to take a few minutes, but under one minute really does tell you how quick it is. The elevator doors open and the journey begins, the first observation deck consists of a glass floor, which many people have refused to cross. I had done a bit of research and I wanted to try the glass floor, which they have said is the biggest fear factor moment.

The 2 and a half inch thickened glass, which can withstand 14 large hippos, is approximately 256 square feet long, with a view 1,122' straight down to the Toronto City. This for me was one of the most death defying heart thumping moments of my life, thus far. Your looking over a thousand feet below you, and the only thing holding you from gravity is a 2 and a half inch thick glass. At this moment I turned on my camcorder and started filming, suddenly my camera flick to the other side of the deck, were I see 3 small children jumping up and down on the glass. I was in a state of shock I felt comfortable with people standing on the deck, but I wasn’t prepared for children jumping up and down, up and down, up and down as if nothing could happen. However, I soon forgot about it and decided to do the unthinkable, I laid face first flat on the glass with my face facing downward, and it was the best feeling of my life. It was as if I was flying, I was in mid gravity, I felt like superman, but without the cape.

Along this floor is also a outdoor observation deck, which once again takes some courage to look out of. It has some of the most breathtaking views I have ever seen, it really gives you the whole picture of Toronto, everything from the beautiful county parks, to the Niagara Falls and the local baseball stadium. We went on a particularly windy day, and we could feel the breeze just gushing through us, it’s like being on a rollercoaster, a thousand feet in the air. The sudden feeling of vertigo just abandons you. You soon see the busy city, with its thousands of cars, the busy congestion traffic, the car and bus horns, it soon gives you a feeling that I am glad I am all the way up here, it’s peaceful and quiet.

Once you have finished with the first leg of your tour, you soon find yourself climbing a small flight of stairs which eventually take you to the second floor of the observation deck, which is unlike the first floor, this floor doesn’t have the clear floor or the outside observation deck, but rather a more calmer way of seeing the sights. You are in the comfort, and it once again gives you the chance to view the city from a great height. You soon see yourself glazed towards the Niagara Falls; the tourist boat that takes you to the falls can be seen from the top making its way closer and closer to the waterfall. The experience of visiting the observation tower is like nothing I have done before, I have been to the Seers Tower in Chicago, and I can honestly say this eclipsed it with an ease. This tour and the observation deck was far more exciting, far more heart tromping, jaw breaking and death defying.

On the second floor you also have another first; the world’s first 360 degree rotating restaurant is also located on this section of the tour. The name pretty much says it the entire restaurant rotates once every 71.39 minutes, giving its customers a breathtaking experience, whilst eating their food, many building have tried to copy this concept, but having been in this restaurant I can honestly say it’s amazing. The 360 experience allows you to enjoy some of the finest cuisine in Toronto, whilst also sitting down, and taking an in depth looks at the city. The 360 restaurant has a vast menu, which is also actually very reasonable in terms of price, quality and quantity. Some of the dishes the restaurant had to offer whilst I visited the attraction were;

360 Caesar Salad
Hearts of romaine, pancetta, vinaigrette and Parmesan cheese $14

Brian Fanning’s Smoked Atlantic Salmon
Extra virgin olive oil, caper berries and 360 pumpernickel bread $21

Bruschetta Three Ways $17
Black and green olive “Olivada”
Artichoke tapenade, basil pesto
Roasted eggplant, capers, rosemary oil

Slow Roasted, Aged,
Canadian AAA Prime Rib of Beef
Baked potato, summer vegetables and natural jus
10oz $ 43 16oz $55

Crispy Eggplant “Parmesan”
with Buffalo Mozzarella
Piquillo peppers, beefsteak tomatoes, grilled asparagus, cherry tomato jus $35

The menu can go on and on forever, however these were some of the most popular dishes, or so I was told by the local waiter their. The food is brilliant, I opted for the Prime Rib of Beef, which set me back about $55 for 10oz, but I and a friend shared, so it was cheaper. It was cooked with perfection, it wasn’t to raw, whilst at the same time it has some of the juice and taste of the beef, accompanied with some sage, black pepper, small baby potatoes and a rich gravy source, it simply was heaven at 1000 ft.
The service in the restaurant was amazing to, for the price you pay you get one hell of a five start service, the staff are exceptionally polite, warming and welcoming, they help you decide what you want, they even tell you when its time for the restaurant to rotate, so at least your ready for the experience.

Along with the 360 rotating you have the Far Coast Café, which offers tea, coffee, pastries, sandwiches and so on. It’s also a nice warming place, but I recommend that if you have the time you should check out the rotating restaurant, it’s a far more pleasant and exciting experience.

The journey doesn’t end their, you can take another elevator, which will climb another 33 stories to the top of the Tower. You reach The World's highest man-made observatory, The Skypod. This is were you get an even more heart thumping vertigo experience, it’s another 33 feet up and 1,465 feet till to the bottom. The pod is relatively small, probably fitting less than 5 people, but it once again gives you the chance to see the exciting views the CN tower has to offer. For me this was the pinnacle of jaw dropping, I mean you can be on a plane and be so high up which amazing, or you is can be In the worlds tallest building, but the CN tower, had the height factor and far more importantly the location factor. It’s located right next to all the main attractions of Toronto. It’s the best place to see a Birdseye view of Niagara Falls; if you look closely you can even see the mist coming from the waterfall.
That’s not all, the attraction also offers a video film, which adds a bit of drama and excitement into the tour, it’s called Himalamazon.
It is the near future and in this motion theatre ride mankind faces environmental disaster through years of over- harvesting the forests. But scientists have developed a “Super-Tree” that quickly generates desperately needed wood and life-giving oxygen. Super-Trees are grown in a simulated "super world" called "Himalamazon", where a uniquely developed combination of the attributes of the Himalayas and the Amazon has been created. Experience the thrill of this motion theatre ride, complete with special effects – feel the wind and water as you join one of these Super-Trees on it's journey from seed to harvest ... it is a spectacular ride as a Super-Tree careens down ravines and through caves to the harvesting plant.
Overall a great attraction, which is worth every penny, it’s got a breathtaking view, a quality restaurant service and it’s just an all round great way of seeing the city from a great height. If you have not had the chance to visit this attraction, the next time you are in those necks of the woods I would recommend visiting it.