Tot to Tower

It's been a busy Saturday. Simeon's school had a carnival including a short program by the kids. Simeon's class sang, "Dance Like You Have Ants in Your Pants," and acted it out enthusiastically. It was a priviledge for a normally remote grandparent like me to be there.

It was a beautiful day, and after lunch Dan thought it was a great time to go up the new Lotte Tower, which opened last month. At 123 floors, it is the sixth highest building in the world. Definitely the tallest I have been in. It's right beside Lotte World and the ice rink where I skated earlier this week.

We waited in line for tickets, fearing they would be for later in the day, but we were able to go straight to the elevator line.  First we passed through security where they x-rayed our bags. Dan carries a small pen knife on his key chain. They sealed it in a plastic bag and gave it back to him as if a plastic bag would stop a terrorist. The big security risk evidentally was Simeon's yellow balloon, given to him by a friendly Korean lady in the line; the young woman at security took it from him, let the air out and handed it back. Simeon was as deflated as his balloon. His lip trembled, but he didn't cry.

Korea is BIG on technology, and this is no exception. The tunnel to the elevator reminded me of DisneyWorld with plenty to interest you while you wait. Except we didn't wait; we hurried right past. Even the elevator had multiple screens on three sides with doors made of mirror. In the 55 seconds it took on the way up they showed a surround video that began with an ancient temple and showed the development of Seoul in timelapse up to the building of Lotte Tower. On the way down we were surrounded with views of the tower erupting with fireworks on the night of the opening.

The "top" included multiple floors, each slightly smaller than the next. The views are like something you would expect from an airplane.

Seoul Tower can be seen in the distance on the right.

The green space below is the site of the Seoul Olympics. The shadow to the right is none other than Lotte Tower.

One level had projections with glass floors we could walk out on. Didn't bother Simeon a bit.

The projections above were outdoor terraces where you could feel the wind.

We could also look up through a netting to the summit of the building.

The lowest levels are an elaborate shopping mall. You can see Lotte Tower through the glass roof of this atrium.