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From what I remember, there was a really kind woman who worked the desk. I still feel ashamed for never visiting the observatory...
 
Bananarama said:
If it wasn't 20 bucks, I would've taken advantage of it while it was still around. Could go to the bar and get the same view with a decent drink for less.
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this ^^^. cheaper (plus you get a drink!), plus you were up another 20 or so feet higher than the skywalk. only downside was that you had to settle for (primarily) an eastern view with glances north and south. west was out of the question (unless you walked down the tiny hallway to the employee restroom).
 
JeffDowntown said:
I wasn't clear whether that meant restaurant or catering kitchen for event space. The old Skywalk was a premium event space.
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It WAS!! It will surely be missed. I'd love to see it come back (TOTH), but that is probably just wishful thinking!!
 
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squidman1 said:
View attachment 9884

From what I remember, there was a really kind woman who worked the desk. I still feel ashamed for never visiting the observatory...
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I did!! It was the first one that I ever visited back in'70!! Went back several times. Then I visited the one at the JHT, then the Willis (formerly Sears) Tower. Didn't get to visit the one at the new WTC, but when covid-19 is down to a safe level, I'll go visit the one at the top of the Freedom Tower. Don't feel bad though. I never got the chance to visit the one that was at the top of the original WTC!!!! Now it's gone!! Never visited the one at the JHC either!! :)
 
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Jahvon09 said:
I did!! It was the first one that I ever visited!! Went back several times. Then I visited the one at the JHT, then the Willis (formerlly Sears) Tower.Didn't get to visit the one at the new WTC, but when covid-19 is down to a safe level, I'll go visit the one at the top of the Freedom Tower. Don't feel bad though. I never got the chance to visit the one that was at the top of the original WTC!!!! Now it's gone!! never visited the one at the JHC either!! :)
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Javon -- I think the view from the Pru Skywalk was the best in the US [at least the ones that I had the opportunity to reconnoiter]
From the Pru on a good day [well a really good day] you could see:

The whole of the Freedom Trail
Logan comings and goings
Boston Harbor
The tip of the Cape and the Atlantic Ocean
Good size hills north of Worcester
Mt Monadnock and some other bigger mountains in NH
The Back Bay
carefree roof top sun bathers in the Back Bay
The South End
The North End
the whole footprint of the original Shawmut Peninsula with the Common & Public Garden at your feet
the whole of the Charles River Basin
the best view of MIT
Close-up of the top of the 200 Clarendon
of course very fine views down onto: Boston Public Library original & Johnstrosity, Trinity Church, Christian Science Church
Pike West
South Boston Seaport
Bunker Hill Monument
Dorchester Heights Monument

and the pièce de résistance -- a baseball game at Fenway

What about the rumor that you can see Mt Washington?

Well under normal refraction of the atmosphere its a close call:

Line of sight from the Pru to the Horizon 53.9 km [33.6 mi]
Line of Sight from the top of MT Washington to the horizon 156.4 km 97.2 mi
Combined line of sight -- toughing the horizon along the way -- 210.3 km [130.8]
direct line between downtown Boston and Mt Washington 214 km [133 miles]

under some atmospheric conditions the view can bend a bit over the horizon [10% extra] and then Mt. Washington could be visible

as an aside the hypothetical 300 m supertall at Lord & Taylors has a bit more of reach [63 km or 39.1 mi] and voila Mt. Washington
 
whighlander said:
Javon -- I think the view from the Pru Skywalk was the best in the US [at least the ones that I had the opportunity to reconnoiter]
From the Pru on a good day [well a really good day] you could see:

The whole of the Freedom Trail
Logan comings and goings
Boston Harbor
The tip of the Cape and the Atlantic Ocean
Good size hills north of Worcester
Mt Monadnock and some other bigger mountains in NH
The Back Bay
carefree roof top sun bathers in the Back Bay
The South End
The North End
the whole footprint of the original Shawmut Peninsula with the Common & Public Garden at your feet
the whole of the Charles River Basin
the best view of MIT
Close-up of the top of the 200 Clarendon
of course very fine views down onto: Boston Public Library original & Johnstrosity, Trinity Church, Christian Science Church
Pike West
South Boston Seaport
Bunker Hill Monument
Dorchester Heights Monument

and the pièce de résistance -- a baseball game at Fenway

What about the rumor that you can see Mt Washington?

Well under normal refraction of the atmosphere its a close call:

Line of sight from the Pru to the Horizon 53.9 km [33.6 mi]
Line of Sight from the top of MT Washington to the horizon 156.4 km 97.2 mi
Combined line of sight -- toughing the horizon along the way -- 210.3 km [130.8]
direct line between downtown Boston and Mt Washington 214 km [133 miles]

under some atmospheric conditions the view can bend a bit over the horizon [10% extra] and then Mt. Washington could be visible

as an aside the hypothetical 300 m supertall at Lord & Taylors has a bit more of reach [63 km or 39.1 mi] and voila Mt. Washington
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Yes! It has all that!! But I've been to what was known then as the grand daddy of them all, the Sears (now Willis) Tower. It was the world's tallest office tower back then. Taller than the original World Trade Center. It is only recently that the Freedom Tower became the CTB because of its symbolic height. You are still up no higher than the Twin Towers were, at 1,368 feet because of its structural height.

But I, too, will be so glad when the Pru reopens. It was the best that we've had behind the JHT when it's obs deck was open!!
 
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Jahvon09 said:
Yes! It has all that!! But I've been to what was known then as the grand daddy of them all, the Sears (now Willis) Tower. It was the tallest office tower back then. Taller than the original World Trade Center. It is only recently that the Freedoom Tower became the CTB because of its symbolic height. You are still up no higher than the Twin Towers were, at 1,368 feet because of its structural height.

But I, too, will be so glad when the Pru reopens. It was the best that we've had behind the JHT when it's obs deck was open!!
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Jahvon -- Note the distance to the horizon is proportional to the square root of the height of the viewing point

Distance to the Horizon Calculator

www.ringbell.co.uk

So you get your biggest bank for the buck going from head height [2m] to about Pru height [230 m] -- that gets you an increase of horizon distance from 3 mi standing on the beach looking out to sea to 33 mi standing in the Pru Observatory -- a factor of 10 in horizon range
you are not going to get even another factor of two in horizon distance at the top of the Buraj Kahlifa [top floor 585.4 m (1,921 ft) or even its roof 828 m (2,717 ft)] where the horizon is 53.7 from the top Floor or even 63.9 mi from the roof top
 
Bos77 said:
Why do I keep looking at this thread expecting anything... :cautious:
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BOS77 -- as is usual in these kinds of circumstances -- we need images to be able to discuss things
either new renders or updated pix of the progress
the last images we have were from a video posted about 3 weeks ago
Jan 23, 2021 #115 by Squidman -- which in turn could be even older than that date

The video showed that work was beginning:
at least demo and clean-up in the Top of Hub and Observatory levels
and some people standing around on the edge of the open roof deck below the Top of the Hub

as the post said -- probably taken from the roof of 200 Clarendon [not an easy vantage point to which to have access]
 
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squidman1 said:
Is the pavilion going to have some sort of passageway to the Pru lower lobby? Where's the elevator you get in at?
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Don't know how it's gonna be now, but when I went there back in the '70's, there were 1 or 2 ear-popping express elevator rides that screamed up & down two of the shafts to whisk & propel visitors at dizzying fast speeds to the Skywalk & to the Top of the Hub restaurant. There were no other stops in between on those 2 lifts. It may still be the same when the work is done. :)
 
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Jahvon09 said:
Don't know how it's gonna be now, but when I went there back in the '70's, there were 1 or 2 ear-popping express elevator rides that screamed up & down two of the shafts that whisked & propelled visitors at dizzying fast speed to the Skywalk & to the Top of the Hub restaurant. There were no other stops in between. It may still be the same when the work is done. :)
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Jahvon -- yes those were some of the fasted elevators in the entire world when they were installed
I presume the elevators are still there but -- like the Pru itself time has passed them by

for nostalgias sake -- here's a relatively recent ride
 
Those little vid screens in the elevators weren't there at the time that I went up there. Otis must've modified them since. And it appears as though TOTH had a few face lifts. I never got the chance to eat or drink there!! When the JHT's obs deck was open, on the way up, the elevator would talk to you. I took a little boy there, whose mom I used to date. He was flabbergasted about that!! He couldn't believe it!! :)
 
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First reply in a month but is the pavilion going to be constructed after the observatory is done? I just want to know anything about it because I'm definitely going to miss the look of the South Garden without the pavilion.
 
squidman1 said:
First reply in a month but is the pavilion going to be constructed after the observatory is done? I just want to know anything about it because I'm definitely going to miss the look of the South Garden without the pavilion.
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I think the name of the remodeled obs deck WILL be the Pavilion. All the more reason to put a new & re-styled restaurant back up there. Wish there were pics of the work in progress so far.
 
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