30th MAY : TORONTO ZOO & CN TOWER

Today we decided to head to TORONTO to finish the remaining visit to attractions.

• ONTARIO SCIENCE CENTRE
• TORONTO ZOO
• CN TOWER

These were the attractions pending.

When we reached Toronto, we started to ONTARIO SCIENCE CENTRE.

At the entrance for parking the guard informed us that there was a power failure and it is not expected when it might return. So we changed our plan and skipped the visit to ONTARIO SCIENCE CENTRE.

So our next visit was to the TORONTO ZOO

The Toronto Zoo is a zoo located in the north eastern part of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It opened in 1974 as the Metropolitan Toronto Zoo and is owned by the City of Toronto; the word 'Metropolitan' was dropped from its name when the cities of the Municipality of Metropolitan Toronto were merged to form the present-day City of Toronto. The zoo is located near the Rouge River. It is one of the day use areas of Rouge Park, one of Canada's largest urban natural environment parks,and is open every day except Christmas day.

Encompassing 287 hectares (710 acres), the Toronto Zoo is the third largest in the world.It is divided into six zoogeographic regions: Indo-Malaya, Africa, the Americas, Australasia, Eurasia and the Canadian Domain. Animals are displayed indoors in tropical pavilions and outdoors in naturalistic environments, with viewing at many levels. It also has a Kids Zoo, Waterside Theatre and a Splash Island. The zoo is home to over 5,000 animals representing over 460 distinct species.

The zoo is accessible from Highway 401 (2 km away), or by TTC routes 85A or 85B (from Don Mills) or route 86A (from Kennedy station).

I couldnt spend much time in this vast area covered animal kingdom. I don't know if its the weather or me tiring, i began feeling ill and had to cut short the tour. Just to feel contented that we put so much for the city pass ticket and parking, I wanted Ravi to continue exploring the zoo while I go and rest in the car.

Very Obvious, Ravi said NO.

So we took the ZOO MOBILE and went one big round and covered the area whatever the zoomobile covered.

With a bit of disappointment, and feeling bad for spoiling his day, we left the zoo and headed for a good lunch.

The lunch did not make me any better but I didnt want to waste another tour ticket.

So making it our last and final stop in TORONTO, we headed to the CN TOWER.

We went to the CN TOWER, showed our city pass and went up to the Observation Deck. I took a look the Glass Floor which was kinda a scary but exciting as well.

Canada's Wonder of the World

• Defining the Toronto skyline, the CN Tower is Canada's most recognizable and celebrated icon.
• At a height of 553.33m (1,815 ft., 5 inches), it is Canada’s National Tower, the World's Tallest Building, an important telecommunications hub, and the centre of tourism in Toronto.
• Each year, approximately 2 million people visit the CN Tower to take in the breath-taking view and enjoy all the attractions it has to offer.
• The CN Tower was built in 1976 by Canadian National (CN) who wanted to demonstrate the strength of Canadian industry by building a tower taller than any other in the world. In 1995, the CN Tower became a public company and ownership of the Tower was transferred to Canada Lands (CLC) Company, a federal Crown corporation responsible for real estate development.
• Although the CN Tower inspires a sense of pride and inspiration for Canadians and a sense of awe for tourists, its origins are firmly rooted in practicality. The construction boom in Toronto in the 1960's transformed the skyline characterized by relatively low buildings into one dotted with skyscrapers. These new buildings caused serious communication problems. With its microwave receptors at 338 m (1,109 ft.) and 553.33m (1,815 ft., 5 inches) antenna, the CN Tower swiftly solved the communication problems with room to spare. As a result people living in the Toronto area now enjoy some of the clearest reception in North America.
• The CN Tower is situated on Front Street which is located in the heart of the Entertainment District. The CN Tower is easily accessible from Union Station as well as many major streets and highways. For a broader sense of the CN Tower's location, it is located on the north shore of Lake Ontario.

The View

While visiting the CN Tower, we not only enjoy the amazing view, but the many great attractions available.

With 4 lookout levels the view of Toronto just gets better the higher you go.

Located at a height of 342 m (1,122 ft) you will find the Glass Floor and Outdoor Observation Deck.

At 346 m (1,136 ft.) is Horizons Café and the Indoor Observation Deck. Horizons Café offers casual dining for those looking to enjoy a light meal at the top of the world.

360, award winning fine dining restaurant is located at 351 m (1,150 ft.) and offers us a complete 360 degree view of the city.

The floor in the 360 Restaurant rotates once every 72 minutes allowing us a complete and unobstructed view of the city below. Along with the view 360 also offers an internationally recognized wine cellar of nearly 500 choice labels. We enjoyed the artwork located throughout 360, all is provided by the Art Gallery of Ontario and is available for purchase at the gallery.

Think you're high enough now??? Think again.

Sky Pod, the World's Highest Public Observation Deck is located at a dizzying 447 m (1,465 ft.).

we have to pay a special fee of $ 9.00 to go up to this point.

The view of the entire TORONTO was just fasinating.

Looking down at the train tracks and running trains really resembled like toy "choo choo trains"!!

The Fun

CN Tower measures up for thrills! Located at the base we found our arcade, motion theatre ride and The Height of Excellence.

We chose the motion ride and it was excellent.

It is the near future and in this motion ridefilm 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. We experienced the thrill of this motion theatre ride, complete with special effects – the wind and water as we joined 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.

* Height restrictions apply – must be 107 centimetres (42 inches)

So though the first part of the day was dull and moody, by the end of the day, it turned out to be so exciting and marvellous. Like any other day of our trip , this day ended memorable!!!

Having finishing this tour, and it was almost dusk, we started back to WELLAND, as it'll take about an hour to get back to the hotel.

So the adventures in TORONTO came to an end in our trip.....

©2008 SarathaRavi