Skylon Tower Lunch
Beez Neez now Chy Whella
Big Bear and Pepe Millard
Mon 16 May 2011 17:08
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Lunch at The Skylon Tower
Revolving Restaurant     Finally, I get Bear
up the Skylon Tower for lunch. Soon up the elevator, first
view and a cocktail in
hand
   We passed the
Niagara SkyWheel which is a 175-foot tall Ferris
wheel in the middle of Clifton
Hill, taking 12-15 minutes to go round. It has 42 Swiss-manufactured,
fully enclosed passenger cars for 8 people, designed to resemble the London Eye.
Designed by Ronald
Bussink Professional Rides and manufactured by Chance
Morgan, Niagara SkyWheel opened in 2006 at a cost of $10
million.
 We pass the river with views of the American and
Luna (aka Bridal Veil) Falls.
 
   We watched the Maids of the
Mist as they carried their frozen passengers, feeling cold for
them
  We watched them fight their way up to the
Horseshoe Falls and turn with their now soaked and frozen
passengers
  We enjoyed going a full circle
twice
  Everything looked so small below, we watched as an RV did a quick u-ee
          Some of the information signs as we
circled. Must not put gloves on the side as they slowly
disappear..........
  Bear gets his decorated piece of cake - at
last
    After lunch we actually got to spend a little longer on the observation deck, but not that much longer in the
freezing wind.
Quick
Facts about the Skylon Tower:
520 feet high.
800 feet above lower river.
80 miles is the maximum visibility on a clear day.
265 seat dining room rotates once each hour.
14.5 miles per hour is the average wind
speed.
91 miles per hour is the maximum recorded wind
speed.
200 tons and 108 foot wide is the dome, it was
assembled at ground level and raised 380 feet, lowered after concrete was poured
and set.
662 steps to the top.
1000 pin hole lights
24 hours per day for 38 days, the shaft was poured
continuously as the slip form was raised at one inch every ten minutes and
gradually reduced in size as it moved upwards.
72 feet is the shaft diameter at the bottom of the
tower.
33 feet is the shaft diameter at the
top.
3,200 miles of electrical wire and
cable.
Lower areas contain 180,000 square feet of display
area.
50 feet below ground the foundations extend.
13,200,000 pounds of concrete is contained in the
base.
48,000,000 pounds is the total concrete poured.
Construction began May 1964.
Skylon Tower opened on the 6th of October 1965.
Architects: Bregman and Hamann of Toronto, Ontario.
Constructed by: Pigott Construction Company of
Hamilton, Ontario.
 ALL IN ALL A SPECIAL
LUNCH
SOMETHING I HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO
DO - LUNCH ON THE
TURN |