We don’t generally do all the obvious touristy things…however an exceptions was made for The Calgary Tower. Built in l967 it is the highest 360° observation deck in the world. The bright red space needle is visible from anywhere in Calgary. During our stay it has been my constant companion. I know exactly where I am by just looking up.
One can either buy a ticket to the observation deck or make reservations for lunch or dinner at Sky 360 and dine on a revolving floor. You will have a front row seat next to a one inch thick glass wall that is all that separates you from a sheer drop and free fall of 191 meters (628 foot). Your waiter will give you tickets to the observation deck above at the end of your meal.
We step into the elevator, watch the meter count off the height to the top, when it reached 510 feet the doors opened, my ears popped, then my eyes popped…the panoramic view was everything they promised and then some. The seating area makes a full revolution every 45 minutes. We claimed our table, glasses of Prosecco were delivered and the sky show began.
Terry, who is a private pilot of small aircraft and helicopters has a fear of heights when he is on the edge of buildings, however, sitting slightly away from the sight line of the shear drop, he was as comfortable as sitting at a ground level table and as excited as I was to be up here on a day where you could literally see at least one hundred miles….all the way to the Rocky Mountains.
Lunch was surprisingly good…crab cakes, deconstructed cobb salad and chef’s special warm sandwich of veal, cheese & peppers.
I must have taken 100 photographs from our table and the observation deck above. There is an area with a plexi-glass floor where you can stand and look down….only the very bravest walked out and looked down….what a view!
Here’s the link: http://www.calgarytower.com/