I'M ON TOP OF THE WORLD

Ghosts of Toronto's Past | Rebecca Barrett

---

Considering all the incredible architecture and public art that exists everywhere in Toronto, the CN Tower is, by comparison, a huge eyesore. Made out of industrial concrete, it looms above the city like a wartime bunker. But, being the most widely recognizable symbol for Toronto, it’s a popular destination for tourists. Locals, on the other hand, wouldn’t be caught dead there – I don’t know anyone from Toronto whose idea of a fun time or a good night is heading on over to the CN Tower for ridiculously expensive drinks. There are expensive bars with huge covers all over the city but, for whatever reason, the CN Tower just doesn’t have the same allure for locals.

I’ve been thinking about the role of the CN Tower in Toronto. It seems strange that the most iconic symbol of a city is something that appeals to tourists but that locals tend to at worst abhor, and at best ignore. Thus, I want to dedicate this column to the CN Tower and, more interestingly, the view from the top.

The westward facing view of Toronto from the top of the CN Tower. Source. 

This definitely isn’t a unique phenomenon to Toronto. There are tall buildings serving as tourist destinations in cities all over the world – Seattle’s Space Needle, New York’s Empire State Building, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, Berlin’s TV Tower, Hong Kong’s International Commerce Center, Paris’ Eiffel Tower, the list goes on and on. But there are distinctions to be made within this list. Some of these tall buildings are, first and foremost, historical – like the Eiffel Tower or the Arc du Triomphe. It makes intuitive sense for these to be tourist destinations more than local attractions because they represent the history of a city. For example, Napoleonic buffs around the world would naturally be drawn to the Arc du Triomphe because it played a role in Napoleonic France.

Comparing The CN Tower to other tall buildings that also serve as tourist destinations around the world. Top (L to R): The Eiffel Tower (Source), Burj Khalifa (Source), The Space Needle (Source), The Empire State Building (Source). Bottom (L to R): The CN Tower (Source), Eureka Tower (Source), International Commerce Center (Source), TV Tower (Source).

But let’s consider the trickier cases – the cases of buildings that don’t serve any real historical value (at least not to the majority of tourists that visit them). This is where I believe the CN Tower fits in. While the CN Tower does have a history, which I’m sure appeals to some people, it is not necessarily symbolic purely because of that history. Rather, it seems to be symbolic to Toronto simply because it is tall.

Thus, the question becomes: why are tourists so attracted to climbing to the top of tall buildings? Why is it a cliché to eat lunch or get drinks beside a rooftop view of Toronto, or Berlin, or Dubai? Even more unclear: why are the observation decks of tall buildings so often considered romantic? In An Affair to Remember, when planning to reunite with her lover Carry Grant in six months’ time on the top of the Empire State Building, Deborah Kerr says “it’s the nearest thing to heaven we have in New York.” Maybe she’s right, but if that’s the case, then why do the locals of any one city tend not to want to partake in such a romantic and heavenly experience too?

Carry Grant and Deborah Kerr in An Affair to Remember. The Empire State Building is behind Kerr! Source.

The only possible answer I can come up with is that there is something appealing in the bird's-eye view that tall buildings offer. The CN Tower offers a different perspective, a wider perspective, where one can seemingly observe everything about Toronto at once. When a city is so infinitely complex and mysterious that no amount of vacation time seems like enough, maybe taking in the view from an observation deck allows tourists to feel like they are experiencing more of the city than they really are. From the top of the CN Tower’s observation deck, you can see streets, buildings, lights, parks – seemingly everything the city has to offer in one instantaneous glimpse. This is certainly more immediate exposure to the city than would be possible from simply trekking around on the ground. In fact, this could also explain why locals aren’t typically interested in climbing to the top of tall buildings in their own city just for the sake of a bird's-eye view – they already have a more detailed and nuanced experience of the city, and don’t feel like they need the extra orientation. In other words: they already know their way around. (That, and the fact that the CN Tower is located in a rather unappealing and boring section of the downtown core.)

A southward facing bird's-eye view of downtown Toronto, including the CN Tower, City Hall, and the Eaton Centre. Source.

Bird's-eye views can be cathartic and humbling. They can put our everyday worries in perspective and remind us that there is so much more to the world, and to our city, than what we experience from our home on the ground. The CN Tower is a source of wonder for many people, not because of its architecture or historical significance, but purely because it reminds us how small we all really are.

Time-lapse of the CN Tower lit up at night during Pride Week -- sometimes it's pretty. Source.