From our first experience of the Eiffel Tower in Paris in our student’s days, we have added in our life’s journey a list of other world famous towers . In Taipei is the 101 Tower, Pudong TV Tower in Shanghai, Pernas Twin Towers of Malaysia and in Auckland Sky Tower where we first experienced the glass platform beneath our feet in viewing down below.

In our recent Summer holidays (July/August 2012 of US & Canada, we have collectively been to the Empire State Building in New York, CN Tower Toronto, Montreal Olympic Tower, The Skylon Tower in Niagara Falls and Strastosphere Casino Hotel Tower in Las Vegas, unrivaled for its top amenities & expansive views, where we stayed for a couple of nights with free access to its tower.

Las Vegas is full of hotels & casinos with the most exotic & amazing architectural feats. With modern technology, it may seem unbelievable to have extraordinary thrills & spills of rollercoaster, fun rides or simulated gravitational rides – all to fire your wildest imagination.

The Skylon Tower, in Niagara Falls, Ontario, is an observation tower that overlooks both the American Falls, New York and the larger Horseshoe Falls, Ontario from the Canadian side of the Niagara River. There the world-famous Revolving Dining Restaurant affords you a 360 degree view of the Niagara Falls once each hour in all its splendour. At the height of dining excellence award-winning continental cuisine is presented at 775 feet above the Falls. For lunch or dinner the menu is rivalled only by the spectacular view. Whether you come for a romantic Niagara dinner for two, a special celebration or just a family vacation this Niagara Falls restaurant promises the ultimate relaxation in Fallsview dining.

The Empire State Building is a 102-story skyscraper located in New York City at the intersection of Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street. It has a roof height of 1,250 feet (381 meters), and with its antenna spire included, it stands a total of 1,454ft (443.2 m) high.[6] Its name is derived from the nickname for New York, the Empire State. It stood as the world’s tallest building for 40 years.

The CN Tower is a communications and observation tower in DowntownToronto, Ontario, Canada. Standing 553.33 metres (1,815.4ft) tall, it was completed in 1976, becoming the world’s tallest free-standing structure and world’s tallest tower at the time. It held both records for 34 years until the completion of Burj Khalifa and Canton Tower in 2010 and Tokyo Skytree in 2012. It remains the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere, a signature icon of Toronto’s skyline, and a symbol of Canada, attracting more than two million international visitors annually.

Montreal Olympic Tower is unique & worth a mention. The Montreal Tower is the highest inclined tower in the world at 165 metres high and has a 45 degree angle. In comparison, the tower of Pisa is only five degrees! Getting to the top is also a unique adventure, as up to 76 passengers can board the 2 level glass encased funicular. It is also the only one in the world that works on a curbed structure; a hydraulic system that allows the cabin to remain horizontal during the two minute rise to the top.

The Chinese have a saying that there’s always a higher mountain to climb. You just can’t climb them all. There are nations, not to be undone for national pride & prestige, coming up with even greater challenges. Take Burj Khalifa in Dubai for example . . . it’s possibly about the tallest structure in the world that’s freely standing at the present. It’s even got provisions to go higher should there be any future contender.

We would have loved to be right on top of the Statue of Liberty, but because of time constraint, have to content ourselves with the Hudson River cruise and view it from afar.