The Monument Of An Entire City

In my eyes there is no monument that defines and characterizes Toronto like the CN Tower. If others would refer to the Tower as a monument is debateable, but the emotions it conjures in me each time I see it to this day leave no question in my mind that the Tower is, indeed, a monument: identifiably Toronto and magnificent.

The photo I have included shows the CN Tower taken from the outdoor ‘quad’ at Ryerson University. My past and my future in a single shot.

Unfortunately, thanks to the Metropolis monstrosity, only the top part of the CN Tower can now be seen from the quad. Modern ‘conveniences’ overpowering the iconic once again.

Since it was opened to the public in 1976, more than two million visitors each year have come to Toronto to ascend the 553.33 metre building and look down upon the maze of people, cars and places in Ontario’s capital city.

In my childhood, I was among those who flocked to Toronto to master the Tower. The trek to this city was considered a full-blown vacation, which no doubt seems silly now that Toronto could be considered my home away from home. It was though, that my parents, younger brothers and myself made the trip for a weekend and boarded an elevator that took us to the top of Toronto’s monument. Or, at least, as close to the top as our stomachs could handle.

It has truly never lost the appeal it must have had for me when I was a child seeing the CN Tower for the first time. A sense of pure amazement washes over me at every sight of the structure, coupled with that just-been-hugged comfort. It’s like I’m part of a delicious secret that only Torontonians know. So many come from around the world to discover our Tower for a brief period of time. It is ours daily.

To this day, when I travel the Gardiner Expressway, making my way back to Toronto’s downtown core, I pass the CN Tower and cannot help but stare. A great feeling of belonging rushes over me, as if seeing the CN Tower is like seeing a dependable friend who will never flinch, never fail you.

Named as one of the Seven Modern Wonders of the World, the CN Tower deserves this place of distinction, as it’s the world’s tallest freestanding structure. It was overlooked in the recent naming of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

This doesn’t make it any less wondrous to myself, though. Judging by the flocks that continue to visit the CN Tower, it isn’t any less wondrous to them either.