It dominates the skyline like few other buildings in the world, standing head and shoulders above the rest of what has become one of the meccas for skyscrapers. Toronto would look unnatural without the CN Tower, and though it isn’t the city’s official logo – that honor belongs to the “new” city hall building – it is its most marketable icon.

On this trip, my second to Toronto in as many years, I decide to make the CN Tower one of my focal points. With the incredible generosity of Destination Toronto, I have a Toronto VIP Pass that covers the exciting journey up to the lower of the building’s two observation decks, and gives me a wonderful opportunity to learn about the tower itself and the city it calls home.

As Toronto grew in the second half of the twentieth century, the downtown core was built denser – and higher – with a significant number of skyscrapers. These had the side effect of blocking broadcast signals, so it was decided in 1968 that the city needed a new radio and tv tower. By 1972, the plan had finalized, with Canadian National (CN), the Canadian railway company, aiming to construct the world’s tallest building to showcase both the company and the country.

Plans originally called for a tripod design and a single observation deck, but as the process evolved, it transitioned into the single-tower hexagonal design of today (the three support legs are still visibly part of it, but not as conspicuous as they would have been) with a second, smaller, deck above the first. It was believed – rightly – that tourists would be interested in ascending the world’s tallest structure, so having these decks to hold them and offer different experiences would be key.

Construction was relatively quick, beginning on February 6, 1973, and topping out just over two years later, in April 1975. Adding the other touches (interiors, elevators, etc…) would take another year, and the CN Tower opened to the public on June 26, 1976. The total cost was $63 million (Canadian).

At its completion, the CN Tower was the tallest free-standing structure in the world, a distinction it would hold until 2007, when it was passed by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Today, it sits in 10th place, but remains the tallest in the Western Hemisphere at 553.3 meters (1815 feet).

As far as towers and observation decks go, I’ve had rather mixed experiences. I was incredibly disappointed by the Space Needle in Seattle (you can click here to ready why) and loved my time at the Hancock Tower in Chicago (click to read about that). The CN Tower offers a really wonderful visitor experience, but to get the most of it, you’ll have to download the CN Tower ViewFinder app.

My visit begins with a timed entry to the tower. It’s a weekday morning, and it seems fairly empty when I check in, although that is just a facade as most visitors seem to be teens on group tours, who enter via another line. (I love that teens see things like this, but hate their behavior when they do so, so it’s a mixed bag.) The line for the elevators is short, and soon I – and a dozen or more teens – am being whisked up to the lower observation deck via one of the CN Tower’s nine elevators.

The door opens and I enter the main observation deck, a fully 360 degree circle of glass offering breathtaking views over the entire city of Toronto from its height of 356 meters (1168 feet). Here there are options for eating and drinking (and tables to use while doing so), a few benches to sit and admire the view, and some restrooms. What there isn’t, however, is signage telling what you’re looking at. That is where the app comes in.

I pull up the ViewFinder app, and orient it to match the view I’m currently looking at, in this case the view north into downtown Toronto. I have multiple options inside of the app to select, and toggle between screens labeling tourist sights, cities, and architectural icons. Doing this at every new view over the course of the floor allows me to really see what is around me; otherwise I’d have just oohed and awwed, but not learned a thing.

If one divides the view into four quadrants, you have the city on one side (north-ish), Lake Ontario opposite (south-ish), and views of the shoreline on the two between. It is said that on a clear day one can see all the way to Niagara Falls, but I just delight in what is more in the foreground, spotting some of the amazing things I have seen so far in a city I’ve come to love.

For me, the highlight is the view of downtown Toronto, with its marvelous skyscrapers. Toronto currently sits in 16th place in the world (third in North America behind New York and Chicago) with 103 completed buildings of 150 meters or more. (Hong Kong is in first with a ridiculous 564!) From here, the growth of this city can be fully appreciated, as well as its extent spreading into the distance.

From this floor, one can either ascend to the second observation deck (which requires a separate admission), or go down one floor via stairs or elevator to another deck included with this one. I do so, and find myself on the underside of the main “pod.” Here, windows are at a steep angle to look out and down, and there are even some glass floors to look directly downward. (I don’t spend a lot of time on those, since while I know they are totally safe, my teenage friends just love to jump on them as hard as possible, and it makes me a bit uncomfortable.)

It is from this point that one can really appreciate what the CN Tower has meant for the entire downtown Toronto area. Directly beneath my feet (quite literally when I’m on the glass) sit two other hubs for activity here: Rogers Centre where the MLB Toronto Blue Jays play and Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada. In addition, across the street is the Toronto Railway Museum, which is housed in the old railway roundhouse. Luxury condos are all around, and it is all somewhat due to the money and attention that the CN Tower has brought in.

Visits to the CN Tower are not cheap, with tickets being more than $40 Canadian. But for those who wish to really experience the city of Toronto, there is perhaps no single better way. Add to that the coolness of the structure, and the visitor experience made possible by the app, and it really does make for a lovely day, even with all of the teens.

After about an hour and a half, I step back into the elevator for the ear-popping trip back down, and as with all tourist sights, exit through the gift shop. (The plush CN Towers are adorable.) I gaze upwards one last time from right below, wave at those who might be looking down at me, and slowly walk away, smiling at the experience I had visiting Toronto’s epic CN Tower.

Thank you to Destination Toronto once again for providing me with a Toronto VIP pass that allowed for this experience.

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