Travel/Globetrotters/Skyscraper
Skyscraper: A Travel Goal
The skyscrapers in my life
Skyscrapers play an important role in my life as a traveler. I consider them as my winning moments. It feels like being on top is being on top of the world. It feels like the only thing that comes in between me and the whole city is the glass window. It feels like I have been to every corner of the city in just a blink of an eye.
My first skyscraper
CN Tower in Toronto Canada was my first. Three decades later, I have a vague memory of that moment, of my emotions being up there. Maybe because I went to Canada not knowing its existence. What do I knew about Canada at that time? I only knew the existence of Niagara Falls.
What more, I didn’t have a camera. The only photo I have inside the CN Tower doesn’t give any hint that I went there.
I traveled with three relatives. We know that in group traveling we are just a part of the herd. Follow the leader.
The same with the Empire State Building. After a few days in Toronto, we went to New York City. Did I know anything about the Empire State Building? The iconic Empire State Building? Nothing, none, nada.
Even as simple as it was part of movies like Superman, King Kong and Sleepless in Seattle, I didn’t know. Partly because three decades ago, the only country I knew and was interested in was Hongkong.
After the trip, that’s where all my regrets started coming in. Maybe if I did some research or provided myself with some knowledge about those skyscrapers, my perspectives and emotions would be different. Maybe I would have been on cloud nine. Maybe I would have been full of excitement. All I got were delayed reactions and regrets.
With that, I promised myself that the next one will be a different one. I will come all prepared.
And so, Willis Tower in Chicago happened.
I considered half of my Chicago travel as solo travel. Though I stayed with my Aunt, I was on my own on weekdays. I did some research on where to go, how to go there, what bus and train to take, and what bus and train stations to go to.
Willis Tower was a part of my where to go. I told my Aunt about it. She said she wanted to go there too. Hence, we went on a Saturday.
Going to a popular tourist destination on a Saturday is a big mistake. A lesson learned. What a waste of time to fall in line for hours. It was still a.m. when we started to fall in line. Sunset came, and we were still there.
We spend an ample amount of time savoring every angle, every view from the glass windows. Honestly, it is one of my most memorable moments. It’s like a pride of mine to say to everyone who has asked me where I’ve been in Chicago.
Willis Tower became a turning point in my traveling goals, instead of collecting souvenirs why not skyscrapers?
Well, enough of North America.
The real deal is in Asia. My pride as well, for I have been in the 5th tallest building in the world on my first ever solo travel.
Lotte World Tower will always have a special place in my heart. It was part of my accomplishment as a first-timer: being in Seoul, South Korea and traveling alone.
I went there through the subway whose exit was right in the tower. There’s no way I could have seen the whole structure of the building if I hadn’t joined a city tour the day before.
I can’t remember how much the ticket cost then but I know it is much cheaper than Willis Tower.
The observation deck is called Seoul Sky and the elevator is called Sky Shuttle.
A short trivia:
With 123 floors and 555 meters in height, LOTTE WORLD TOWER is the world’s 6th tallest building. The future-oriented vertical metropolis in which globalism, Korea’s traditional beauty, human technology, cutting-edge technology, and nature exists in harmony. (www.lwt.co.kr)]
The massive foundation consists of steel reinforcement that is much thicker than those used for Burj Khalifa. (www.lottepnd.com)
Lotte World Tower is one of Korea’s architectural crown jewels. The tower symbolizes the meeting of the modern with the traditional, natural and cutting-edge technology, and the accomplishments of man. ( english.visitseoul.net)
The double decker elevator of the tower called the Sky Shuttle is considered the fastest in the world. People on the first floor can go way up to the observation deck on the 121st floor in a single minute. (business insider.com)
To think that in that single minute, the elevator provided one-of-a-kind entertainment. The walls and ceilings are made with an OLED Digital Signage display that gave us riders a 4D-like experience. Videos were played inside the elevator and in the hallway.
In that short period, I didn’t know which one to prioritize. My excitement, my motion sickness, taking a photo, or watching a video. I needed to be as fast as the elevator to decide.
It was only later on I realized that the video is all about some of the landmarks of the city.
I took my time looking at the city from one window to another. This is the beauty of being alone. I can view the city as much as I can, as long as I want. The only setback was I hadn’t mastered yet the art of selfies. I needed to be resourceful in finding someone to take a photo of me.
As they say, if you ask, you will received. And so I did.
The one that got away
Last month, I went to Taipei, Taiwan. Though the ticket price for Taipei 101 is quite expensive, I have readied myself for that kind of expense.
But while we were on the Maokong Gondola, we had seen the whole profile of Taipei 101 from above and afar. We had seen the city’s landscape from above as well.
My three traveling buddies had agreed in unison that there is no other view better than what we had. Taipei 101 is just a waste of money.
Nevertheless, we still went there and took photos of the building. We appreciated the skyscraper outside looking up and not inside in the observation deck looking down.
Though I know and every one of you knows that it is still different to be up there. I missed a different level of emotions while being in the 10th tallest building in the world: happiness and fulfillment.
Well…maybe next time.
However, in that next time, my goal is to be in the Shibuya Sky Tower in Tokyo, Japan. If possible, have Tokyo Skytree too like Kim Baker.
Claire Elizabeth Levesque inspired me to share my Willis Tower memories.
