Down Town Toronto & CN Tower

My cousin was an excellent tour guide as she took us on a tour of Down Town Toronto. We took the train and I have to admit it was my very first time on a subway network this huge. I was nervous and intimidated due to the instructions given to enter the train as quickly as possible within the few seconds before the doors close. 

It was fortunately a warm and sunny day so we walked and made our way toward the CN Tower. It was crazy and I loved it! The hustle and bustle of the town life, seeing people laugh and talk as they went about their way and buses almost everywhere.

There were so many food trucks parked on the sides of the streets with so many varieties to choose from. I really did love how food was so easy to find in Toronto. We got to the center and joined the lines to purchase our tickets to enter. The line was fairly long and I did enjoy the sun for the time I had to stand and wait. To this day I still have my ticket as a reminder of the memories. 

Here's a little history on the CN Tower taken from their website: "Defining the Toronto skyline at 553.33m (1,815ft5in), the CN Tower is Canada’s most recognizable and celebrated icon. The CN Tower is an internationally renowned architectural triumph, an engineering Wonder of the Modern World, world-class entertainment and dining destination and a must see for anyone visiting Toronto. Each year, over 1.5 million people visit Canada’s National Tower to take in the breathtaking views and enjoy all the CN Tower has to offer.

After 40 months of construction, the CN Tower was opened to the public on June 26, 1976 and it was well on its way to becoming the country’s most celebrated landmark. It is the centre of telecommunications for Toronto serving over 16 Canadian television and FM radio stations, the workplace of over 500 people throughout the year, and an internationally renowned tourism destination. The CN Tower was built by Canadian National who wanted to demonstrate the strength of Canadian industry by building a tower taller than any other in the world. Building the CN Tower was a vast and ambitious project that involved 1,537 workers who worked 24 hours a day, five days a week for 40 months to completion. "

We used an elevator to get to the top that moved at a speed of 22 kilometers an hour and we ascended 114 building stories. It was equally exciting as frightening to be going up so high but it was a marvelous site when we got to the top. You could've seen everything and for miles. 

There also was the glass floor to walk on. I must admit I was afraid to walk on the glass with a tiny bit of fear in my mind. Here are some facts on the glass floor taken from the CN Tower's website: "The Glass Floor has been specifically designed for you to have fun on it, so walk or crawl across it, sit on it or even jump on it. Don't worry it won't break.  The Glass Floor was the world's first when it opened on June 26, 1994. The floor is 23.8 square metres (256 sq. ft) of solid glass that is five times stronger than the required weight bearing standard for commercial floors. It can actually withstand the weight of 35 moose." 

After a few minutes of wracking my brain I took a deep breath, looked at the the glass and slowly put one foot on the floor followed by the other foot. I looked down and instantly felt scared again but I encouraged myself to be brave. I told myself that I was fortunate to be here and to have this moment so take the moment and triumph. 

I stood there and stared at the ground. I looked at all the cars going by and the people walking. Excitement started to build up within me again and I decided to sit on the glass and enjoy the view.

I felt pretty proud of myself but my mind began to linger on my relatives back home and the health of my grandmother. I knew that the cancer was at stage 4 and she was in excruciating pain while I was far away in another country. I didn't know if to feel guilty, fortunate or downhearted.