2-2 The Coolest Tourist Attractions in the World

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Capital Gate, Abu Dhabi

Dubai typically hogs the limelight with its ambitious projects, but now Abu Dhabi is defying gravity with this glassy 35-story landmark—the world’s furthest-leaning man-made tower. The glinting 18-degree tilt (four times more than that of Pisa’s leaning tower) catches your eye among the city’s jumble of skyscrapers and cranes. You can’t miss it on the drive to the Grand Mosque, but to get a peek inside, book a stay at the Hyatt Hotel.

Cheetah Hunt Roller Coaster, Busch Gardens, Tampa, Florida

Theme parks invested heavily in new attractions during the recession’s staycation trend, and we now can see the fruits of those efforts. No new ride has more daredevil spirit than the Cheetah Hunt: a multilaunch coaster that jettisons riders from 0 to 60 mph, corkscrews up 100 feet into a skyscraping figure eight, narrowly grazing over the cable lines for the Skyride, and clips a waterfall before plummet-torquing into a trench in the park’s Serengeti area. Can we do it again, please?

Orbit Tower, London

Imagine the Eiffel Tower turned into a roller coaster that’s survived a hurricane. These are the kinds of images that London’s twisted, blood-red, 377-foot-high sculpture brings to mind. Artists Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond collaborated on the controversial skyline addition, which was designed for the 2012 Summer Olympics. The tubular steel tower features a platform nested at the midway point and becomes London’s latest must-see attraction.

Brooklyn Bridge Park, New York City

There’s a new reward for walking across the Brooklyn Bridge: this necklace of six leafy plots that stretches along the waterfront between the neighbourhoods of DUMBO and Cobble Hill. The park has been heralded as Mayor Bloomberg’s most important legacy by the New York Times architecture critic. An expansion of Pier 6 comes along with a restored 1920s carousel in a pavilion designed by Jean Nouvel. Time your visit to catch the sunset over the Statue of Liberty, and stay to witness Manhattan light up at night.

Nanjing Sifang Art Museum, Nanjing, China

Not many people are familiar with Nanjing, whose population of 7.7 million somehow ranks as “small” by Chinese city terms. But that’s beginning to change as the local art scene outpaces that of Beijing and Shanghai and welcomes a high-profile museum of contemporary architecture. Several years in the making, the Nanjing Sifang Art Museum rises from the quiet, shaggy hills of the Jiangsu like a postmodern Star Wars vehicle. U.S. architect Steven Holl collaborated with international architects on the abstract, stilt-supported design and factored in eco-friendly features like a green roof and a geothermal heating and cooling system.

Ritz-Carlton, Hong Kong

In a year of Asian hotel one-upmanship, Hong Kong emerged a quiet victor with its cloud-grazing Ritz-Carlton on the upper 16 floors of the 118-story International Commerce Centre (the world’s eighth tallest building). The heavenly property is fitted with crystal fire pits, sun-dappled pools, and a chocolate library. After all, it’s one thing to jostle with tourists for a view from a sky-high building—it’s quite another to wake up in a 600-thread-count, down-feathered bed at 1,600 feet in the world’s highest hotel.

Strings Bridge, Jerusalem, Israel

In an ancient, tradition-bound city famous for its Wailing Wall, Temple Mount, and Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Strings Bridge provides a much-needed jolt of modernism—and a chance to relieve traffic congestion. Santiago Calatrava’s bridge is used for Jerusalem’s light rail, which has overcome construction delays and some opposition to finally open. Made of gleaming Jerusalem-stone and glass, the bridge resembles the shape of a set of chords, inspired by King David’s harp.

Harpa, Reykjavík, Iceland

Times have been rough for Iceland, where the economy imploded and Eyjafjallajökull volcano exploded. But from the ashes of ruin comes the magnificent 1,800-seat Harpa Concert Hall. The postmodern venue is a luminous and kaleidoscopic glass-and-steel cage designed by artist Olafur Eliasson and Copenhagen-based Henning Larsen Architects. The inaugural season kicks off in May and includes performances by Cyndi Lauper, Jamie Cullum, and emerging Icelandic musicians like Ólöf Arnalds (Múm) and Skúli Sverrisson.

Riverside Museum, Glasgow, Scotland

This transport museum, on the site of an old shipyard, has been nicknamed the “Steel Tsunami.” Credit goes to Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid, who gave the exterior her signature futuristic look: a glass façade, a zigzag-shaped roof. The interior is a soaring space big enough for historic trams and trains. Exhibitions also include three re-created Glasgow shopping streets, dating from 1890–1930, and the Tall Ship, which is berthed the harbour alongside the gleaming new structure.

EdgeWalk at the CN Tower, Toronto

Move over, Spider Man: skyscraper scaling is the domain of non-superhuman beings now. Toronto celebrated the 35th birthday of the city's CN Tower with EdgeWalk, a new program that invites visitors to undertake a death-defying course in acrobatics by stepping out onto the narrow five-foot ledge that rings the iconic 116-story tower's circular pod—there's an overhead safety harness, but no railing. Guides will encourage pushing your personal limits to really experience the vertiginous 30-minute rush, which promises to thrill even the most blasé of tourists.

"Rhythms of Life" Sculpture, Kenya

Aussie sculptor/artist Andrew Rogers has constructed 47 stone sculptures (geoglyphs) in 14 countries on all seven continents for his ongoing "Rhythms of Life" series. This involves corralling boulders, marble, and stones into gigantic iconic shapes of animals, runic characters, or quasi-cryptic symbols, often visible from space. (It's more likely you'll view them from about 5,000 feet in a hot-air balloon or on Google Earth.) For his latest geoglyph, Rogers employed 1,300 local Masai at Camp ya Kanzi in the volcanic Chyulu Hills, located in eastern Kenya. The community chose the two projects—a colossal lion's paw and a shield—as a nod to environmental conservation and the preservation of their traditional lifestyle.

Substation Curaçao

Curaçao, one of the world’s newest countries, is now making waves for creating the world's first mini-submarine for tourists. The Substation excursion takes you 1,000 feet below the crystalline Caribbean Sea at Bapor Kibra, where you can view coral, shipwrecks, and if lucky, pods of dolphins, at a visibility of 300 feet. The hour-long excursion isn't cheap ($650), but after all, you're truly experiencing life under the sea—not an animatronics ride like the Little Mermaidone slated to open at Walt Disney World.

Museo Soumaya, Mexico City

The richest man in the world, Carlos Slim, has moved 66,000 pieces of his personal art collection into a brilliant new museum designed by his architect son-in-law Fernando Romero and named for Slim's beloved late wife. Though Mexico City's art scene has exploded with contemporary works stealing the stage, until now the country lacked a catalogue of art history's masters. This collection fills that gap with works by Picasso, da Vinci, van Gogh, and El Greco, as well as home-grown artists like Diego Rivera. It caters to a broad audience by keeping admission free.

Vocabulary

Word	Meaning	Example
book	to make a reservation at a hotel or restaurant	You can’t miss it on the drive to the Grand Mosque, but to get a peek inside, book a stay at the Hyatt Hotel.
staycation	a vacation spent at home or close to home	Theme parks invested heavily in new attractions during the recession’s staycation trend, and we now can see the fruits of those efforts.
skyline	the line at which the earth and the sky appear to meet	Artists Anish Kapoor and Cecil Balmond collaborated on the controversial skyline addition, which was designed for the 2012 Summer Olympics.
must-see	something that must or should be seen	The tubular steel tower features a platform nested at the midway point and becomes London’s latest must-see attraction.
waterfront	the area of a city alongside a body of water	There’s a new reward for walking across the Brooklyn Bridge: this necklace of six leafy plots that stretches along the waterfront between the neighbourhoods of DUMBO and Cobble Hill.
art scene	the artistic environment in a particular place	But that’s beginning to change as the local art scene outpaces that of Beijing and Shanghai and welcomes a high-profile museum of contemporary architecture.
postmodern	a style and school of thought that rejects the practices of modernism	Several years in the making, the Nanjing Sifang Art Museum rises from the quiet, shaggy hills of the Jiangsu like a postmodern Star Wars vehicle.
commerce	the buying of goods and services	In a year of Asian hotel one-upmanship, Hong Kong emerged a quiet victor with its cloud-grazing Ritz-Carlton on the upper 16 floors of the 118-story International Commerce Centre (the world’s eighth tallest building).
property	any area set aside for a particular purpose	The heavenly property is fitted with crystal fire pits, sun-dappled pools, and a chocolate library.
light rail	a transport system using small trains, often serving parts of a large city	Calatrava’s bridge is used for Jerusalem’s light rail, which has overcome construction delays and some opposition to finally open.
construction	the act of building something	The construction of the Great Wall of China occurred over a period of two thousand years.
economy	the system of production and distribution and consumption	Times have been rough for Iceland, where the economy imploded and Eyjafjallajökull volcano exploded.
concert hall	a hall where concerts are given	But from the ashes of ruin comes the magnificent 1,800-seat Harpa Concert Hall.
historic	belonging to the past	The interior is a soaring space big enough for historic trams and trains.
harbour	a sheltered port where ships can take on or discharge cargo	Exhibitions also include three re-created Glasgow shopping streets, dating from 1890–1930, and the Tall Ship, which is berthed the harbour alongside the gleaming new structure.
iconic	relating to a symbolic figure	Toronto celebrated the 35th birthday of the city's CN Tower with EdgeWalk, a new program that invites visitors to undertake a death-defying course in acrobatics by stepping out onto the narrow five-foot ledge that rings the iconic 116-story tower's circular pod—there's an overhead safety harness, but no railing.
preservation	the activity of protecting something from loss or danger	The community chose the two projects—a colossal lion's paw and a shield—as a nod to environmental conservation and the preservation of their traditional lifestyle.
excursion	a journey taken for pleasure	The Substation excursion takes you 1,000 feet below the crystalline Caribbean Sea at Bapor Kibra, where you can view coral, shipwrecks, and if lucky, pods of dolphins, at a visibility of 300 feet.
audience	a gathering of spectators or listeners at a performance	The audience screamed when the tiger lunged wildly at the circus performer.
admission (fee)	the fee charged for admission	It caters to a broad audience by keeping admission free.