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Twenty-four years in the machine room

I kept the three lifts running in Toronto's tower for twenty-four years. These pages are what I would tell a friend before they bought a ticket.

By Wally Bergstrom, Toronto, Ontario

The tower standing in the downtown skyline, seen from the water — **The tower in the stack.** From the water it looks like part of the skyline. Up close it is a separate machine with its own weather.

My name is Wally Bergstrom. I am sixty-four. From 1999 until last year I was one of the elevator mechanics on the tower — the three public cars, the service lift, the winch room at the top of the shaft that smells of gear oil and warm dust no matter what season it is. I retired with a bad shoulder and a good memory of every storm the cars rode through.

This is a planning guide, not a review and not a blog. It exists because the same four questions come up at every family dinner: how long does the whole thing take, is the glass floor worth the queue, what happens if it is foggy, and where do we park. I answer them here so I can eat my dinner while it is still warm.

I do not sell tickets. I never have and I never will. Admission is sold by the operator, and their own site is the only place you should be typing a card number.

If you want the operator's homepage, it is here. Timed entry, e-tickets, the day and night combinations with the aquarium next door — that is their business, not mine. I am independent so I can tell you the truth about the fog and nobody calls me about it.

What is in this guide

The ElevatorsFifty-eight seconds, three cars, and why one of them is always the slow one. The DeckGlass floor, the slow spin, and what a clear day actually looks like from 1,136 feet. How Tickets WorkTimed entry, e-tickets at the gate, day and night combinations. No prices, no selling. Plan The VisitUnion Station, the SkyWalk, parking reality, and what else is on the grounds. When To ComeSunset sells out first. Fog eats the view. Winter is the calm one. FAQAffiliation first, then heights, kids, photos and weather. AboutTwenty-four years of shifts, storms and gear oil. ContactA post office box in Etobicoke and an email decoded by a small script.

One thing up front. I do not take bookings, do not hold timed slots and do not have a cart. If a page asks for a card number while calling itself "the tower ticket guide", close it. This site is reading only.

I update the pages when I remember, which is less often than my daughter would like. If something is out of date, write to me and I will fix it on a Sunday.

— Wally