What is the highest (off the ground, not pot induced) you have been in a building or structure? This is asking how high up you were actually in the building/structure to the best of your knowledge, which I know might rather difficult to track down the exact height for (as I found when making my own list), especially for those of you how have any history working in high rises.
You can list as many as you want. My listed ended up having exactly 10 that were over 300 ft, so I capped it there (and the correct order for 5-7 is unknown as I don't know the exact height of 6 and 7 but suspect at least of of them to be higher than #5)
1) Chicago - Willis Tower Skydeck (1,353 ft)
2) New York - One World Observatory (1,254 ft)
3) New York - Empire State Building 86th floor (1,050 ft)
4) St. Louis - Gateway Arch (630 ft)
5?) Washington - Washington Monument (500 ft)
6?) Cleveland - Terminal Tower 42nd floor (of 52 in a 708 ft tall building)
7?) Columbus - Rhodes State Office Tower 40th floor (of 41 in a 629 ft tall building)
8) Sandusky, OH - Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster (420 ft)
9) Put-in-Bay, OH - Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial (315 ft)
10) Sandusky, OH - Millennium Force roller coaster (310 ft)
I've been in One World Trade Center in the observatory area, and in the restaurants or viewing areas atop the Space Needle structures in Toronto & Vegas.
If we're also talking outside, I've walked both on Hoover Dam and the new US 93 bridge at Hoover Dam.
Modifying to add: If we're basically figuring any building above the 30th floor is 300 feet or greater, then just 2 nights ago I was on the 33rd floor of the Embassy Suites in Niagara Falls.
Also, seeing what others wrote: St. Louis Gateway Arch, Empire State Building & several Vegas hotels.
1. Sears Tower (1353 feet, same as yours)
2. Empire State Building, 102nd floor (1224 feet)
3. 30 Rockefeller Plaza
4. Washington Monument
1. Sears Tower, Chicago
2. Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai
3. John Hancock Building, Chicago
1 and 2 are definitely the Sears Tower Skydeck and the Seattle Space Needle.
Oh, that's easy: When I went and saw a Pink Floyd cover band at a theater in Northern Virginia in 2009.
Post edited a second time because I realized that if I listed both observation levels at the Twin Towers and the Empire State Building, I should list both levels at the CN Tower.
1. CN Tower at 1,465 feet (at the time this was called the Space Deck; it is apparently now called the SkyPod).
2. World Trade Center outdoor observation deck at 1,377 feet.*
3. World Trade Center indoor observation deck at 1,310 feet.*
4. Empire State Building 102d floor at 1,224 feet.
5. CN Tower main indoor observation deck at 1,135 feet. (The glass floor wasn't there yet when we visited in 1986.)**
6. Empire State Building 86th floor at 1,050 feet.
*Edited to add: "World Trade Center" referring to the former World Trade Center in New York, not the new one.
**I think the CN Tower's configuration at the time (August 1986) had you go to the outdoor observation level at 1,122 feet to board the elevator back down, but I don't remember for sure and I don't know where my pictures from that trip might be. This would bump the Empire State Building to 7th on the list if I were to list it separately.
Beyond that, I don't know. I've been to the top of the Gateway Arch and the Washington Monument; I've also been up near the top of the Wells Fargo Center in Denver and the Harbour Centre (Vancouver Lookout) in Vancouver. Not sure where else I may have been. I recall at least one job interview in New York on the 53d floor of some building on Lexington Avenue.
1) Chicago - Sears Tower (not Willis!) Skydeck
2) Vegas - Stratosphere Tower - High ROller rollercoaster
3) Seattle - Space Needle
4) New York - Empire State Building
5) St. Louis - Gateway Arch
6) Knoxville Tennessee - Sunsphere
7) DC - Washington Monument
Heh. Went to NYC in 1999 for a friend's wedding. We were trying to decide to go up either the Empire State Building on the World Trade Center. We went up the Empire State Building, saying "We'll go up the World Trade Center next time we come to NYC..."
Well, there were two problems. We never went back to NYC. The second problem is obvious.
Sears Tower (the real name)
John Hancock
Space Needle
I’ve been to:
Empire State Building
Rockefeller Center tower
Space Needle
Gateway Arch
Washington Monument
Coit Tower
Quote from: roadguy2 on January 09, 2018, 06:33:29 PM
I've been to:
Empire State Building
86th floor or 102nd floor?
1) Chicago - Sears Tower Skydeck (1,353 ft) (get it right :bigass:)
2) New York - Empire State Building 102nd floor (1,050 ft)
3) Chicago - John Hancock observatory (1030 ft)
4) Vegas - Stratosphere Tower (870 ft)
5) New York - 30 Rock Upper deck (Top of the rock) (840 ft)
6) St. Louis - Gateway Arch (630 ft)
7) San Francisco - Embarcadero Center 1 41st floor (of 45 in a 568 ft tall building) - (No longer exists)
8) Dallas - Reunion Tower (557 ft)
9) Santa Clarita, CA - Superman - Escape from Krypton Roller Coaster (415 ft)
10) San Francisco - Coit Tower (209 ft)
Quite a few in between - too lazy to find.
Quote from: Buck87 on January 09, 2018, 12:11:05 PM
8) Sandusky, OH - Top Thrill Dragster roller coaster (420 ft) Are you sure it wasn't pot induced?
:awesomeface: :awesomeface: :awesomeface:
I've been to the top of the Westin in downtown Atlanta (723 feet — well, I guess maybe slightly less since I was still inside the building). Pretty sure I haven't beaten that.
1) St. Louis: Gateway Arch, 630 feet
2) Straits of Mackinac: South Tower of the Mackinac Bridge, 552 feet
3) Sandusky, Ohio: Top Thrill Dragster, 420 feet
Some work, some fun. You'll never guess who I've done contract work for.
Toronto - CN Tower - Glass Floor (1122 ft)
New York - Empire State Building observation deck (86th floor I believe) (1050 ft)
New York - Bank of America Tower (I think 50th out of 55 floors - around 700 ft)
St Louis - Gateway Arch (630 ft)
Charlotte - Bank of America Corporate Center (58th out of 60 floors - over 600 ft)
San Antonio - Tower of the Americas (560 ft)
Fontana Dam - 480 ft
Highest I ever went, like HazMatt, is the CN Tower's glass floor level (1122 ft.).
I've been high up in some fairly tall office buildings in New York City and Los Angeles, but for work so I wasn't paying attention to how high I went. And besides the CN Tower, I never visited high buildings as a tourist. I'm not afraid of heights, but I'm not a fan of big cities, which is where most of the high buildings are located.
I've been tempted to visit the glass-bottomed Skywalk jutting out about 70 feet from the south rim of the Grand Canyon (on tribal lands west of the national park). The promotional website says that from the Skywalk you can see about 4000 feet down to the bottom of the canyon. However, it appears that if you could drop something from the Skywalk, it would fall only about 800 feet max (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Canyon_Skywalk), onto the side of the canyon. Also, the Skywalk is at the same level as the canyon rim, no climb or elevator needed. Another show-stopper for me is that apparently you're not allowed to bring your own camera on the Skywalk, so I couldn't replicate the photo I took at the CN Tower downward between my feet through the glass floor.
Hilton Niagara Falls (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilton_Niagara_Falls_Tower_2), at the 50th Floor.
Seems to be about 450-500 feet; since it was proposed for 58 stories at 581 feet, but cut back to 51, by my count of elevator floors.)
Fury 325 at Carowinds, 325 feet tall. If you don't count rollercoasters then I haven't been higher than maybe 228 feet off the ground on the Verrazano-Narrows bridge.
Quote from: HazMatt on January 09, 2018, 07:21:29 PM
Some work, some fun. You'll never guess who I've done contract work for.
Toronto - CN Tower - Glass Floor (1122 ft)
New York - Empire State Building observation deck (86th floor I believe) (1050 ft)
New York - Bank of America Tower (I think 50th out of 55 floors - around 700 ft)
St Louis - Gateway Arch (630 ft)
Charlotte - Bank of America Corporate Center (58th out of 60 floors - over 600 ft)
San Antonio - Tower of the Americas (560 ft)
Fontana Dam - 480 ft
Dam it! you fooled me.
Chicago- Sears Tower
New York- The World Trade Center (Original Twin Towers)
Las Vegas- Stratosphere
San Antonio- The Tower of the Americas
Niagara Falls- Skylon Tower
Gettysburg, PA- National Tower before the feds seized the land it was on to declare it a national park so it could be legally torn down per Gettysburg residents who complained the thing was an eyesore).
Reading, PA- The Pagoda
For me it appears to be the Shanghai World Financial Centre, with an observatory height of 1,555 ft. Probably in my top 5 would be the adjacent Jin Mao Tower and the nearby Oriental Pearl Tower, along with the Empire State Building (102nd floor) and the CN Tower.
Just the West Coast:
1. Columbia Center Tower Club, Seattle (967 ft)
2. Space Needle observation deck, Seattle (600 ft)
3. Insignia Towers rooftop deck, Seattle (440 ft)
4. Los Angeles City Hall observation deck, Los Angeles (430 ft)
200 ft above ground or more in a building.
1. Willis tower, Chicago: 1383 ft.
2. Columbia tower Seattle: 970 ft.
3. Eiffel Tower Paris: 900 ft.
4. Portland City Grill, US Bankorp Tower, Portland, 350 ft.
5. Notre Dame, also in Paris: 220 ft.
1~Buffalo NY hotel 25 floor.
2~Troy, MI--Troy Towers 10th floor. I spent a lot of time on the balcony ass the backside of the bldg faced I 75. I enjoyed the view & watching traffic.
3~ Ft Walton Beach, FL Dr 3rd floor office.
4~Ft Walton Beach, FL Dr 2nd floor office. :no:
1. One World Observatory - NYC (2017)
2. One Liberty Tower - Philadelphia (2016)
3. John Hancock Tower - Boston (when the observatory was still open, most recent visit, 1990)
4. Prudential Tower 'Sky-Walk' - Boston (most recent visit, 2003)
5. World Trade Center - Baltimore (most recent visit, 2007)
6. Space Needle - Seattle (2005)
Quote from: bulldog1979 on January 09, 2018, 07:12:31 PM
2) Straits of Mackinac: South Tower of the Mackinac Bridge, 552 feet
Color me impressed! How did you manage this? How did you get up there?
Space Needle for me.
A distant second would be a hotel in Honolulu where I was 20-some floors up.
I was in the original World Trade Center but I don't recall which one of the twin towers. The other buildings I've been over 1,000 feet in are the Empire State Building, Sears Tower, and Stratosphere.
Edit: I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the Hoover Dam which is 726 high at the very top. Back in the old US 93 days that was an easy one to reach.
Quote from: Hurricane Rex on January 10, 2018, 02:00:11 AM
3. Eiffel Tower Paris: 900 ft.
Nice, I was wondering how long it would take to see this turn up.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on January 10, 2018, 09:54:25 AM
I was in the original World Trade Center but I don't recall which one of the twin towers. The other buildings I've been over 1,000 feet in are the Empire State Building, Sears Tower, and Stratosphere.
Edit: I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the Hoover Dam which is 726 high at the very top. Back in the old US 93 days that was an easy one to reach.
See the second post in the thread!
Quote from: 1995hoo on January 10, 2018, 10:22:45 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on January 10, 2018, 09:54:25 AM
I was in the original World Trade Center but I don’t recall which one of the twin towers. The other buildings I’ve been over 1,000 feet in are the Empire State Building, Sears Tower, and Stratosphere.
Edit: I’m surprised nobody has mentioned the Hoover Dam which is 726 high at the very top. Back in the old US 93 days that was an easy one to reach.
See the second post in the thread!
Yeah! Seriously!!!
Quote from: jeffandnicole on January 10, 2018, 10:29:55 AM
Quote from: 1995hoo on January 10, 2018, 10:22:45 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on January 10, 2018, 09:54:25 AM
I was in the original World Trade Center but I don't recall which one of the twin towers. The other buildings I've been over 1,000 feet in are the Empire State Building, Sears Tower, and Stratosphere.
Edit: I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the Hoover Dam which is 726 high at the very top. Back in the old US 93 days that was an easy one to reach.
See the second post in the thread!
Yeah! Seriously!!!
Shit, missed it on the iPhone.
Sears Tower skydeck when I was 16 (1994). I'll never forget that view!
Possible interesting side topic: Buildings/structures you've been in that were also the highest point in a state/country, etc., because the tallest building is higher than the highpoint on land (Florida), or because the highest structure is located atop the highpoint (Massachusetts)
I've been in the second category, but not the first (as far as I know). And since I was also the tallest person inside the observation tower on Mt. Greylock, I was also temporarily the highest individual person in all of Massachusetts. :-D
I'm in the (seemingly sizable) club of people with the observation deck of the Sears Tower (which is not actually quite at the top of the building) as the highest point in a structure they've been.
However, I am probably the only person here who has been to the 103rd floor of the Empire State Building. :)
About 36,000 feet in an airplane. (an airplane counts as a structure, right? :-P)
But really the highest I've been was the observation deck of the Stratosphere in Vegas. That's the highest thing I've been in.
Quote from: Duke87 on January 10, 2018, 09:41:11 PM
However, I am probably the only person here who has been to the 103rd floor of the Empire State Building. :)
Are you King Kong?
Quote from: inkyatari on January 10, 2018, 09:04:25 AM
Quote from: bulldog1979 on January 09, 2018, 07:12:31 PM
2) Straits of Mackinac: South Tower of the Mackinac Bridge, 552 feet
Color me impressed! How did you manage this? How did you get up there?
The Mackinac Bridge Authority has a raffle to give away tower tours to groups every year. The idea is that if your organization wins the raffle, you then turn around and auction or raffle the prize off as a fundraiser. Along with that, MDOT has sponsored a contest on social media the last few years connected with the Labor Day Bridge Walk. I won that contest in 2012 and took my tour a year later.
Quote from: bulldog1979 on January 10, 2018, 11:32:11 PM
Quote from: inkyatari on January 10, 2018, 09:04:25 AM
Quote from: bulldog1979 on January 09, 2018, 07:12:31 PM
2) Straits of Mackinac: South Tower of the Mackinac Bridge, 552 feet
Color me impressed! How did you manage this? How did you get up there?
The Mackinac Bridge Authority has a raffle to give away tower tours to groups every year. The idea is that if your organization wins the raffle, you then turn around and auction or raffle the prize off as a fundraiser. Along with that, MDOT has sponsored a contest on social media the last few years connected with the Labor Day Bridge Walk. I won that contest in 2012 and took my tour a year later.
So how did you get up there? I'm assuming they had stairs inside the towers, and didn't have you walk on the cables?
Quote from: inkyatari on January 11, 2018, 08:57:40 AM
So how did you get up there? I'm assuming they had stairs inside the towers, and didn't have you walk on the cables?
There's a tiny elevator.
Quote from: triplemultiplex on January 11, 2018, 11:51:09 AM
Quote from: inkyatari on January 11, 2018, 08:57:40 AM
So how did you get up there? I'm assuming they had stairs inside the towers and didn't have you walk on the cables?
There's a tiny elevator.
Define tiny, I've seen a few tiny elevators. I'm asking for a comparison.
Big enough for two workers and some gear.
Or a guide, a TV host and a cameraman. ;)
Quote from: triplemultiplex on January 11, 2018, 11:59:03 AM
Big enough for two workers and some gear.
Or a guide, a TV host and a cameraman. ;)
That's the most awesome thing I've heard in a long time.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on January 10, 2018, 09:54:25 AM
I was in the original World Trade Center but I don't recall which one of the twin towers.
The Observatory (both indoors & outdoors) was in the South Tower (aka WTC-2). The North Tower (WTC-1) had the
Windows of the World restaurant near/on the top floor.
Quote from: Duke87 on January 10, 2018, 09:41:11 PM
I'm in the (seemingly sizable) club of people with the observation deck of the Sears Tower (which is not actually quite at the top of the building) as the highest point in a structure they've been.
Correct. The 1,353 ft I listed is the height of the 103rd floor Skydeck. The architectural top of the building is 1,450 ft.
On my list I tried to list the height of where I actually was in the building if I could find that info.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on January 10, 2018, 09:54:25 AM
Edit: I'm surprised nobody has mentioned the Hoover Dam which is 726 high at the very top. Back in the old US 93 days that was an easy one to reach.
This should technically be on my list too, moving into the #4 spot. Didn't even cross my mind, since with the 3 of the 4 sides being either higher canyon walls or water it felt more like looking over a cliff than being up high in a building/structure.
Quote from: pumpkineater2 on January 10, 2018, 11:16:03 PM
About 36,000 feet in an airplane. (an airplane counts as a structure, right? :-P)
....
If we're counting aircraft, I've been to about 60,000 feet on the aircraft seen in my avatar.
World Trade Center south tower (original) external observation deck - 1976
Prudential Tower sky walk - multiple times in the 1980s
Hancock Tower observation deck - 1989
Empire State Building observation deck - 1982
Quote from: inkyatari on January 11, 2018, 08:57:40 AM
So how did you get up there? I'm assuming they had stairs inside the towers, and didn't have you walk on the cables?
There's a small door in each tower just above the railing on either side of the roadway. It's not that dissimilar to a doorway on a submarine. You have to use the railing like rungs on a ladder to climb up into the door and enter the bridge structure itself. Once inside, it feels like a submarine as you pass through openings to get to the elevator, which is on the east/Lake Huron side of the South Tower.
As others have said, the cab is quite small; three people can fit inside, and if you're not friends at the bottom, you will be at the top. The elevator has 6 "floors". One is the bottom of the tower, two is the crossover underneath the road deck, three is the road deck level and then four through six are the upper crossovers in the tower. For safety reasons, there is a button on the control panel to ring a bell to alert others that the elevator is moving.
Once we got to the top, we had to immediately climb up a ladder to enter a large room. The floor underneath us was at a slant; that slant part of the arch shape to the underside of the crossover. From there, we climbed another 40 feet of ladders, transitioning from ladder to ladder as they passed through different horizontal levels within the structure. At the top of the ladder, there's a hatch that opens out onto the top. From there, you could ascent a few steps to reach the top of the cables.
Fun factoid, even with all of the metal surrounding us, I had better cell phone reception inside that room at the top of the tower than I did at the level of the road deck.
Chicago - Willis Tower Skydeck (1,353 ft)
St. Louis - Gateway Arch (630 ft)
Columbus - Rhodes State Office Tower 40th floor (41 floors, 629 ft tall building)
Baton Rouge - Louisiana State Capital 27th floor (34 floors, 450 ft tall building)
Quote from: empirestate on January 10, 2018, 11:20:55 PM
Quote from: Duke87 on January 10, 2018, 09:41:11 PM
However, I am probably the only person here who has been to the 103rd floor of the Empire State Building. :)
Are you King Kong?
No, just someone who had a work-related reason to be in the mechanical room above the observation deck.
It's pretty neat, actually. You can see the hatch that was intended for use in getting people into and out of docked airships. Today it's only used by people working on the communications tower.
There's also a ledge you can go outside onto.
Quote from: Hot Rod Hootenanny on January 11, 2018, 11:22:51 PM
Chicago - Willis Tower Skydeck (1,353 ft)
I've heard of this "willis" tower, but nobody from northeast Illinois knows where it is.
Quote from: inkyatari on January 12, 2018, 08:59:13 AM
Quote from: Hot Rod Hootenanny on January 11, 2018, 11:22:51 PM
Chicago - Willis Tower Skydeck (1,353 ft)
I've heard of this "willis" tower, but nobody from northeast Illinois knows where it is.
I think they're referring to one of the two Drummond boys as seen from Arnold's point of view. :bigass:
Quote from: 1995hoo on January 12, 2018, 09:02:08 AM
Quote from: inkyatari on January 12, 2018, 08:59:13 AM
Quote from: Hot Rod Hootenanny on January 11, 2018, 11:22:51 PM
Chicago - Willis Tower Skydeck (1,353 ft)
I've heard of this "willis" tower, but nobody from northeast Illinois knows where it is.
I think they're referring to one of the two Drummond boys as seen from Arnold's point of view. :bigass:
You, sir win an internet.
My wife's maiden name is Willis, and her nickname is "watchoo talkin' 'bout."
I can scarcely believe I'm first to post this:
Royal Gorge Bridge
955' above Arkansas River
Quote from: Jardine on January 12, 2018, 10:37:09 AM
I can scarcely believe I'm first to post this:
Royal Gorge Bridge
955' above Arkansas River
I've been there, but I never count it because I judge height from where I enter the structure to the highest point of said location, ergo, I've only been 0 feet up the Royal Gorge Bridge, whereas I've been more than 1000 feet up the
SEARS tower.
In my opinion, dams and bridges (support towers notwithstanding) don't fall in line with the intention of the thread. A 'hole' filled with concrete or a span over a 'hole' is not the same thing as a building or spire rising high above the surrounding landscape.
Quote from: inkyatari on January 12, 2018, 08:59:13 AM
Quote from: Hot Rod Hootenanny on January 11, 2018, 11:22:51 PM
Chicago - Willis Tower Skydeck (1,353 ft)
I've heard of this "willis" tower, but nobody from northeast Illinois knows where it is.
I get the resistance when something goes from a name/founder to a corporation, or gets renamed for a self-serving politician, but...oh noes, you're replacing one sponsor with another!
Quote from: formulanone on January 15, 2018, 07:16:16 AM
Quote from: inkyatari on January 12, 2018, 08:59:13 AM
Quote from: Hot Rod Hootenanny on January 11, 2018, 11:22:51 PM
Chicago - Willis Tower Skydeck (1,353 ft)
I've heard of this "willis" tower, but nobody from northeast Illinois knows where it is.
I get the resistance when something goes from a name/founder to a corporation, or gets renamed for a self-serving politician, but...oh noes, you're replacing one sponsor with another!
It's a bit different situation. Sears, believe it or not, once had a lot of money. Enough that they could build the world's tallest building. They owned it lock, stock and barrel at one point (IIRC,) Eventually to cut costs, sometime in the 80's/ early 90's they sold the building, but the new owners kept the name. Years later a British insurance company leased four floors, and part of that deal was to rename the building.
Honestly, a large part of it also has to do with the fact that outside corporations come into the area, purchase local institutions, and rob them of their Chicagoness. Marshall Fields is the first that comes to mind. To this day I will not ever set foot inside a macy's, even if it means a shorter path into a mall, for the company purchasing Marshall Fields, and destroying it by changing them to macy's.
Quote from: inkyatari on January 15, 2018, 09:04:36 AM
Quote from: formulanone on January 15, 2018, 07:16:16 AM
I get the resistance when something goes from a name/founder to a corporation, or gets renamed for a self-serving politician, but...oh noes, you're replacing one sponsor with another!
It's a bit different situation. Sears, believe it or not, once had a lot of money. Enough that they could build the world's tallest building. They owned it lock, stock and barrel at one point (IIRC,) Eventually to cut costs, sometime in the 80's/ early 90's they sold the building, but the new owners kept the name. Years later a British insurance company leased four floors, and part of that deal was to rename the building.
Yeah, I've grappled with this question, too–why do I accept one corporate name, but reject another? It has to do with how closely tied the one company or brand is to a place, including not only proximity but longevity.
QuoteTo this day I will not ever set foot inside a macy's, even if it means a shorter path into a mall, for the company purchasing Marshall Fields, and destroying it by changing them to macy's.
Honest question: how does not setting foot in a Macy's retaliate for their misdeed?
Let's see...
1. Toronto - CN Tower SkyPod (1,467 feet)
2. New York - WTC North Tower (1,377 feet)
3. New York - 1 WTC (1,268 feet)
4. New York - Empire State Building 86th Floor (1,050 feet) (highest floor open when I was there)
5. New York - 30 Rockefeller Plaza (~850 feet)
6. Albany - Empire State Plaza, Corning Tower Observation Deck (~550 feet)
7. DC - Washington Monument (500 feet)
8. Penobscot Narrows Bridge Observation Deck (~420 feet)
9. Buffalo - Buffalo City Hall (~350 feet)
Edit: forgot about Penobscot Narrows. Quite a cool place to visit if you're in the area.
Quote from: empirestate on January 15, 2018, 11:24:41 AM
QuoteTo this day I will not ever set foot inside a macy's, even if it means a shorter path into a mall, for the company purchasing Marshall Fields, and destroying it by changing them to macy's.
Honest question: how does not setting foot in a Macy's retaliate for their misdeed?
It probably has no effect, but it makes me feel good, and that's what matters. :D
Alright, top eight...
- CN Tower SkyPod in Toronto (1,467 feet)
- Empire State Building 102nd floor in New York (1,224 feet)
- Olympic Stadium observatory in Montreal (873 feet)
- 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York (850 feet)
- Corning Tower Observation Deck in Albany, NY (~550 feet)
- Kingda Ka roller coaster at Six Flags Great Adventure in New Jersey (456 feet)
- Penobscot Narrows Bridge observatory in Maine (~420 feet)
- World Trade Center "Top of the World" Observation Level in Baltimore (~400 feet)
Quote from: inkyatari on January 15, 2018, 11:44:11 AM
Quote from: empirestate on January 15, 2018, 11:24:41 AM
QuoteTo this day I will not ever set foot inside a macy's, even if it means a shorter path into a mall, for the company purchasing Marshall Fields, and destroying it by changing them to macy's.
Honest question: how does not setting foot in a Macy's retaliate for their misdeed?
It probably has no effect, but it makes me feel good, and that's what matters. :D
Same with me and Mercedes, because they're responsible for the 25-year import ban on non-US-market cars.
These are the ones over 45m. There might be another roller coaster/thrill ride in there, but I don't think so. Note how none of them are anything other than tourist attractions/amusements. I did try and check other buildings, but I've either not been high up them, or they weren't that tall.
Stratosphere Las Vegas: 869 ft
London Eye: 443 ft
Stealth (Thorpe Park): 205 ft
Big Apple Coaster (New York New York, Vegas): 203 ft
Tower of Terror (MGM Studios, Disney World): 199 ft
Scream (Six Flags Magic Mountain): 150 ft
Big Wheel (Dreamland, Margate): 148 ft
Quote from: english si on January 16, 2018, 06:53:33 AM
Stratosphere Las Vegas: 869 ft
Do they still have the timeshare shillers at the top of the tower?
---
What's the difference between a timeshare shiller and a hooker?
I'm interested in the hooker.
Thank you, I'll be here all night!
Quote from: inkyatari on January 16, 2018, 09:37:02 AM
Quote from: english si on January 16, 2018, 06:53:33 AM
Stratosphere Las Vegas: 869 ft
Do they still have the timeshare shillers at the top of the tower?
---
What's the difference between a timeshare shiller and a hooker?
I'm interested in the hooker.
Thank you, I'll be here all night!
I envy the people who can sit thru a timeshare presentation and not buy anything, and get a free trip in exchange. That is not me, unfortunately.
Quote from: inkyatari on January 16, 2018, 09:37:02 AMDo they still have the timeshare shillers at the top of the tower?
I don't know. This was 10 years ago and so I definitely wasn't in their demographic. It was also between Christmas and New Year, which I gather was the quietest time for tourists, and at about 10.30am, so a quiet time. And I walked straight to the outside deck so didn't pay attention inside.
There might be timeshare shillers, but I wouldn't know even if they were there when I was, and they were highly unlikely to have been there even if they did operate then. Plus then is not now.
Quote from: abefroman329 on January 16, 2018, 11:38:16 AMI envy the people who can sit thru a timeshare presentation and not buy anything, and get a free trip in exchange. That is not me, unfortunately.
I've endured a couple as my dad didn't realise what it was and thought it would be something worth sitting through. It wasn't that aggressive sell, only half an hour (but felt longer, especially as I worked out that it wasn't what my dad said it was, but rather a timeshare pitch, 5 minutes in and zoned out), but we didn't get a free anything out of it. Other than a drink (tea, coffee, soda) and maybe a pastry.
Quote from: inkyatari on January 15, 2018, 09:04:36 AM
Quote from: formulanone on January 15, 2018, 07:16:16 AM
I get the resistance when something goes from a name/founder to a corporation, or gets renamed for a self-serving politician, but...oh noes, you’re replacing one sponsor with another!
It's a bit different situation. Sears, believe it or not, once had a lot of money. Enough that they could build the world's tallest building. They owned it lock, stock and barrel at one point (IIRC,) Eventually to cut costs, sometime in the 80's/ early 90's they sold the building, but the new owners kept the name. Years later a British insurance company leased four floors, and part of that deal was to rename the building.
Honestly, a large part of it also has to do with the fact that outside corporations come into the area, purchase local institutions, and rob them of their Chicagoness. Marshall Fields is the first that comes to mind. To this day I will not ever set foot inside a macy's, even if it means a shorter path into a mall, for the company purchasing Marshall Fields, and destroying it by changing them to macy's.
Uh...welcome to capitalism. You're really mad at Sears, why carry their baggage? To me, it was just another monolithic company. It's not a "Corporations Are Evil" thing, but because retail doesn't really resonate much with me; they obviously want my dollar and my loyalty, but few companies really care care much about developing any sort relationship with the latter. Or at least, that's my take on it.
Would you terribly mind if Walmart previously owned a giant building, and then sold decades later it to say...Allianz or Petrobras? Probably 90% would get over it quite soon enough (who knows, there's loads of Walmart Angst out there). I think it's more about not accepting that change is inevitable; Sears/Kmart is about to go the way of telegraph and horse-drawn carriages. They made their money and the hangers-on are just going to get their feelings hurt out of the deal.
That said, you're right...local institutions are mostly disappearing to a monolithic-homogeneous retail model. Why go to Italy when you have Olive Garden right by the mall? The enclosed mall is a dying breed, replaced with a open-air design that's clumsy and oafish (but chock full of its own style...just like the next suburban platt) if it's not sunny and 60-75 degrees outside. I never liked either one, but I sure know which is preferable in January, and which one suffers from a dearth of parking solutions. Another reason why I can't find much attachment to big-box retail.
Hey, just be glad it's not called "Ron White's Big Ol' Goddamn Building"
:D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ii8rC6CPCvM
Here's a list of the times I've been the highest:
1) Willis Tower (~1350 feet) (2010)
2) Empire State Building (~1220 feet) (2008)
3) London Shard (~800 feet) (2014)
4) Gateway Arch (~620 feet) (2010)
5) Space Needle (~520 feet) (many, many times)
Quote from: formulanone on January 16, 2018, 06:17:48 PM
Quote from: inkyatari on January 15, 2018, 09:04:36 AM
Quote from: formulanone on January 15, 2018, 07:16:16 AM
I get the resistance when something goes from a name/founder to a corporation, or gets renamed for a self-serving politician, but...oh noes, you're replacing one sponsor with another!
It's a bit different situation. Sears, believe it or not, once had a lot of money. Enough that they could build the world's tallest building. They owned it lock, stock and barrel at one point (IIRC,) Eventually to cut costs, sometime in the 80's/ early 90's they sold the building, but the new owners kept the name. Years later a British insurance company leased four floors, and part of that deal was to rename the building.
Honestly, a large part of it also has to do with the fact that outside corporations come into the area, purchase local institutions, and rob them of their Chicagoness. Marshall Fields is the first that comes to mind. To this day I will not ever set foot inside a macy's, even if it means a shorter path into a mall, for the company purchasing Marshall Fields, and destroying it by changing them to macy's.
Uh...welcome to capitalism. You're really mad at Sears, why carry their baggage? To me, it was just another monolithic company. It's not a "Corporations Are Evil" thing, but because retail doesn't really resonate much with me; they obviously want my dollar and my loyalty, but few companies really care care much about developing any sort relationship with the latter. Or at least, that's my take on it.
Would you terribly mind if Walmart previously owned a giant building, and then sold decades later it to say...Allianz or Petrobras? Probably 90% would get over it quite soon enough (who knows, there's loads of Walmart Angst out there). I think it's more about not accepting that change is inevitable; Sears/Kmart is about to go the way of telegraph and horse-drawn carriages. They made their money and the hangers-on are just going to get their feelings hurt out of the deal.
That said, you're right...local institutions are mostly disappearing to a monolithic-homogeneous retail model. Why go to Italy when you have Olive Garden right by the mall? The enclosed mall is a dying breed, replaced with a open-air design that's clumsy and oafish (but chock full of its own style...just like the next suburban platt) if it's not sunny and 60-75 degrees outside. I never liked either one, but I sure know which is preferable in January, and which one suffers from a dearth of parking solutions. Another reason why I can't find much attachment to big-box retail.
My main big point is that's what we know the building as, that's what it was built as, that's what it will always be to us.
And I'm not mad at Sears. If anything, I'm mad at the asshole CEO who ran it into the ground.
The empire state building. Don't remember what floor I got to.
The hut at the top of Mt. Whitney, 14,505 feet elevation.
Quote from: kkt on January 17, 2018, 07:31:49 PM
The hut at the top of Mt. Whitney, 14,505 feet elevation.
Height off the ground, not total elevation. If elevation was the requirement, my entire list would be different (mostly with stuff I have climbed under my own power),
Quote from: kkt on January 17, 2018, 07:31:49 PM
The hut at the top of Mt. Whitney, 14,505 feet elevation.
With that criteria, the visitor center on Mauna Kea in Hawaii for me.
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on January 17, 2018, 06:42:49 PM
The empire state building. Don't remember what floor I got to.
If it was a large rectangular area with an outdoor viewing platform you were on the 86th floor
If it was a small indoor cylindrical area you were on the 102nd floor
I removed my message about Logan Pass and for anyone else that made a similar comment on highest total elevation with a structure, I've created a thread for that purpose although its total elevation in general. https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=22079.0
Quote from: kkt on January 17, 2018, 07:31:49 PM
The hut at the top of Mt. Whitney, 14,505 feet elevation.
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on January 17, 2018, 10:20:54 PM
With that criteria, the visitor center on Mauna Kea in Hawaii for me.
Quote from: cl94 on January 17, 2018, 07:46:04 PM
Height off the ground, not total elevation.
Yeah, no kidding. ↓↓ As mentioned in the OP. ↓↓ Always read the OP, people...
Quote from: Buck87 on January 09, 2018, 12:11:05 PM
off the ground
Okay, Empire State Building 102nd floor.
Quote from: kphoger on January 18, 2018, 01:38:34 PM
Quote from: kkt on January 17, 2018, 07:31:49 PM
The hut at the top of Mt. Whitney, 14,505 feet elevation.
Quote from: Roadgeekteen on January 17, 2018, 10:20:54 PM
With that criteria, the visitor center on Mauna Kea in Hawaii for me.
Quote from: cl94 on January 17, 2018, 07:46:04 PM
Height off the ground, not total elevation.
Yeah, no kidding. ↓↓ As mentioned in the OP. ↓↓ Always read the OP, people...
Quote from: Buck87 on January 09, 2018, 12:11:05 PM
off the ground
I saw the op, just wanted to give some additional information about the highest that I have been. (Not high on drugs)
Hancock Building in Chicago on the 94th floor.