The Calgary Tower

Are you into towers? Well, we've got one in Calgary. What would a city be without a tower? And, my son and I thought, since I've been living in downtown Calgary for 1 1/2 years, it wouldn't be right for me to go a day longer without visiting the top of said tower. Especially since it's so cheap. (General admission is $18, seniors are $16, and children are $9.)

Apparently, one could:

Experience a spectacular 360° view of the foothills and majestic Rocky Mountains. Step onto our glass floor for an unforgettable perspective of the bustling streets below and learn more about our history in our brand-new theatre room.

                   The Calgary Tower Standing Tall with a Candy Apple Red Globe at the Top.

So, we made plans to take my grandsons up the tower for dessert on my eldest grandson's birthday --February 15th -- or close to it. We called the phone number for it and made a reservation. Although it's not necessary to make a reservation, the guy on the other end of the phone suggested that it was a busy day and that if we wanted to have a seat in the restaurant, we should. So, we did.

Mind you, this was on February 18th which is a stat holiday --Family Day, which is probably why we needed to make a reservation. We were off in the car, found a lower level parking spot no problem, and boarded the elevator to the level where the tower entrance was. There was a security guard at the door to greet us with,

"I'm sorry, but the elevator to the tower has been shut down."

"WHAAAT?" we all four of us looked at each other puzzled. And I said, "What are the odds?"

If you think about it, isn't it a bit strange that at this very moment in time on this very day we chose to finally go up there, the tower elevator is shut down?

"Why?" we asked.

"On the way down, water started to leak into the elevator from melted snow or whatnot and it fritzed up the electrical works," the guard explained as best he could.

We sort of stood there, looking at him, trying to absorb what he'd just said, getting pictures in our minds of people stuck all the way up there in an elevator that's being flooded with water, wondering how long it's going to take before we can get out of there.

I can't speak for the others, but, I was coming up with a dozen questions like: Are there people still stuck up there? How many people were or are stuck in the elevator? How long did it take to get the people out? Will the elevator be running again soon? Does this happen every time it snows? Can we expect the elevator to get stuck again or will it be permanently fixed? Is this on the news?

At least two of us breathed a heavy sigh of relief and looked down at our feet that were standing on solid ground. Neither of us asked about the poor elevator passengers nor inquired about exactly how much water we were talking about. I don't think we even asked the guard whether this was a common occurrence. Maybe it was partly because he didn't seem to be in the mood to answer any more questions and partly because --you know-- we'd find it on the internet.

I found this on the official site.

Milestones

1967 Construction began February 19, 1967 and was completed in June 1968 at a total cost of $3.5 million dollars.
1971 On November 1, 1971, the Husky Tower was officially renamed the Calgary Tower as a tribute to Calgary citizens.
1985 In 1985, the Tower completed a renovation of the observation areas at a cost of $2.4 million. This project added a grill and souvenir shop.

1987 A natural gas-fired cauldron is installed on top of the Calgary Tower by Western Canadian Natural Gas to serve as an official Olympic Flame during the upcoming Winter Games.
1988 A hand-held replica of the Calgary Tower with an Olympic flame crosses Canada during the Torch Relay. Tens of thousands of international guests and athletes visit the Tower during the Calgary Olympics.
1989 Fresh off its Olympic exposure, the Calgary Tower initiates and is a founding member of the World Federation of Great Towers (WFGT).
2005 A glass floor spanning 36' wide by 4.5' was installed on the Observation Deck as a gift to Alberta on its Centennial.
2014 LED lights are added to the exterior of the Calgary Tower complementing the downtown skyline nightly with spectacular light displays.
2018 The Calgary Tower celebrates its 50th anniversary as an internationally recognized and iconic symbol of the city.


Sky 360 is the restaurant we'd made reservations for that was now unreachable. They graciously cover the cost of the elevator ride when you purchase an entree. You're also allowed to visit the observation deck for up to half an hour before and after eating. But, since this was no longer a possibility, we looked around for another restaurant that would please two young teens.

We ended up driving to the Cheesecake Cafe where we dined on chicken stir-fry, fish 'n chips, clams, and a cheeseburger. They brought the Birthday Boy a piece of cake with a sparkler on the top as a gift. (The cheesecake is to die for!)

Perhaps we'll get up to the tower in March (around my Birthday) after the elevator is no longer under construction. If we have the nerve to try it.