The CN Tower (English and Portuguese)

After 14 months in Toronto, it is quite interesting to notice that we don't really know this city - not as a tourist would, nor as someone born and raised here would. It is a completely different relationship with the city altogether. It is being both actor and spectator at the same time, as if both roles could be lived and understood separately by the same pair of eyes.

Chroma key was the software used to insert background images on post-production. Its results used to be quite obvious, artificial. To make things more visual, think of the first series of movies of Superman, those with the late Christopher Reeve. Whenever he was seen flying over the city, it was possible to notice a thin line shaping his silhouette against the city skyline.

Well, all of this on and on about chroma key is to explain how I sometimes feel in this city. I feel as though there is the background of a city inserted behind me, as if I had been put there after some process, as if I didn't belong and, yet, were there. I often have this feeling of walking around in someone else's shoes whenever I'm out in the streets, on the subway, on my way to work. Funnily enough, I didn't feel this way in SP, a place I used to feel I didn't belong completely.

Enough with the philosophical BS, let's get practical around here.

Only recently have we been to the CN Tower. It is interesting to think that this tower is the tallest building in this city and it was erected in the '70s. Allegedly it is possible to see the whole city from the top of the tower, it is supposed to be some sort of breath-taking view of this fair city we live in. It is supposed to be worth $36 after taxes. But it isn't.

Unfortunately the CN Tower is just a very expensive tower to be in. All the security measures taken upon arrival are interesting and surprising. Then there is a lot to see and read about the tower before we even get to the elevators. And, perhaps the best part of it, a machine, some sort of crank you can 'coin' your own CN Tower plaque from a 5-cent coin. It was fun, the whole process was fun and the final product is quite interesting; a nice souvenir to keep =).

And that is all. I mean, you do get to climb to the to rather fast in the elevator, which kind of makes your ears hurt because of the difference in pressure. But once you are up there, well, there are two restaurants which occupy part of the 360 degrees of the tower's circumference. So you do not actually have a 360 view of the city. Well, actually I am not being entirely truthful here. If you go down a flight of stairs, there is a sort of 'balcony' outside, surrounding the tower, where you can walk the whole 360 degrees, however, there is a really thick protection net which spoils what could be quite a stunning sight.

So if you ask me, 'is the CN Tower interesting'? Yes, definitely. Now, if you ask me, 'is it worth it'? I will have to say, 'no, it isn't'. This is shame, really, but as a new Torontonian, I would rather spend my dollars on a hockey game or dining with Sil. Or even at the ROM, which is much more interesting and way cheaper. But this is a different story!

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Depois de 14 meses em Toronto, eh interessante notar que eu nao conheco essa cidade, nao de verdade. Nao como um turista a conheceria, nem como alguem que tenha nascido e se criado aqui. Na verdade eh como um par de olhos que ve tudo de duas formas diferentes, sao duas formas de se relacionar com a cidade totalmente distintas. Eh como ser o protagonista e o espectador ao mesmo tempo.

Chroma key era o software usado para colocar um cenario numa cena ou atras de um personagem na ilha de edicao. O resultado, claro, era sempre bem artificial. Para se ter uma ideia mais concreta do que eh o chroma key, basta se lembrar dos primeiros filmes do Super-homem, com o Christopher Reeve. Era gritante a linha azul que permeava o corpo dele toda vez que ele estava voando.

Bom, toda essa historia sobre o chroma key eh para tentar explicar como eu me sinto aqui nessa cidade. Parece que eu fui inserida da imagem de fundo na pos-producao. E como se eu tivesse sido colocada num cenario ao qual nao pertenco e, ainda assim, estivesse la, parte dele. Assim eh como me sinto com frequence quando estou no metro ou andando pelas ruas, indo para o trabalho. O engracado eh que eu nao me sentia assim em SP, a cidade da qual eu ja nao me sentia parte.

Chega de filosofia de porta de banheiro!

Apenas recentemente tive a oportunidade de visitar a CN Tower. Eh interessante poder olhar a cidade do alto do predio mais alto de Toronto, que foi construido nos anos 70. Aparentemente eh possivel ver toda a cidade la de cima, supostamente eh uma vista incrivel, sem comparacao, que vale cada centavo dos $36 que o passeio custa. Mas nao vale.

Infelizmente, a CN Tower eh so uma torre bem cara.Todas as medidas de seguranca logo na entrada sao ostensivas e interessantes; ha tambem um monte de fotografias e explicacoes sobre a construcao da torre e tals. Talvez a parte mais legal tambem esteja ai nessa entrada. Eh uma maquina para fazer a propria medalhinha da torre. Coloca-se 5 centavos e gira-se uma manivela ate que saia a nova 'moeda' com formato e impressoes diferentes, da torre.

E ai eh isso. Quer dizer, o elevador sobe os mais de 100 andares bem rapido, o que da uma dor de ouvido daquelas bem irritantes. Mas nao da para ter uma visao 360 graus da cidade, em parte porque dois restaurantes ocupam parte da circumferencia da torre, e parte porque no andar de baixo ate da para dar a volta na torre toda, mas a rede de protecao eh tao grossa que nem da pra apreciar a vista direito!

Entao se me perguntarem se eh interessante, direi que sim. Mas se quiserem saber se vale os $36, dai ja nao vale nao. Eh uma pena, mas como nova Torontoniana, eu prefiro gastar esse dinheiro num jogo de hockey ou jantando fora com a Sil. Ou mesmo no ROM, que eh muito mais interessante e bem mais barato. Mas isso ja eh outra historia!