London is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world and can often be easily reached via either cheap airplane tickets or cheap vacation packages. Now a new attraction, Orbit tower, has been opened that is being pillared by some and viewed as a landmark that will rival the Eiffel Tower by others.
Orbit tower is a 377 foot tall looping and twisting steel tower standing beside Londons new Olympic Stadium. It will provide visitors unrivalled panoramic views of the city.
Critics of the tower say that it looks like a roller coaster gone bad. Some are calling the ruby red lattice of tubular steel an eyesore. The artist Anish Kapoor and engineer Cecil Balmond, who designed the tower, call it beautiful.
They note that many previously built ground breaking structures, including the Eiffel Tower, were initially deemed ugly by critics.
Kapoor contends the tower can only truly be appreciated from inside. The public will not have access to the inside of the tower until 2014 when it is scheduled to reopen as the centerpiece of a new park on the site of the 2012 London Olympic Park.
The tower will be open to ticketholders for this summers Olympic Games. Rides to the top of the tower will cost $22.
The Orbit can handle up to 5,000 visitors daily. The hope is that it will become a lasting major tourist attraction. It is the tallest sculpture in Europe and 72 feet taller than the Statue of Liberty. Views from its observation deck on clear days will allow visitors to see up to 20 miles away.
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