This elevator is as fast as a greyhound

You are not likely to have a more cosmopolitan experience than standing in line in Taipei to enter the world’s fastest elevator. Seems there are many fans of supertalls, and while waiting to ascend the sixth-tallest skyscraper on the globe, I heard people speaking Russian, German, Arabic, Japanese, English and Thai.

Entering Taipei 101 through the ground-floor entrance, there was a lot of confusion among visitors where to go to find the elevator (psst: You want 5F). If you emerge from the subway stop, however, you can’t miss the signs. And, hey, the view from the fifth floor is pretty good as it is. Do I really need to pay the $500 NTD to go to the observation deck? It is a personal decision — one I hope I can help you make. Five floors up:

Taipei 101, named for its number of floors, became the world’s tallest building in 2004 and held the title for six years. Today, Dubai is the mecca for supertall aficionados, hosting 11 of the top 50. (Istanbul’s Sapphire, which I wrote about in 2011, has fallen all the way to No. 196!)

I waited 14 minutes in line. The ride to the top is astoundingly fast. They turn off the lights for some reason, perhaps to take your mind off the fact that your inner ear feels like it will explode. Keep in mind you are traveling from the fifth floor to the 89th floor in under 40 seconds, reaching a top speed of 37.7 mph (i.e. greyhound). The elevator must slow down considerably toward the top, obviously, or our heads would slam into the ceiling. (Memo to Taiwan: Could be faster!) In any case, the camera does not lie.

OK, so that is pretty fucking cool. The air quality in Taipei is passable, as you can see. It’s a cleanroom compared to Seoul.

This may be partly a function of population. Taiwan has three cities that are bigger: New Taipei, Keelung and Taichung. (I think this would be an easy bet to pull off: “I’ll wager you Taipei is not the biggest city in Taiwan. Probably not even second or third. Just have a gut feeling.” Try it!)

This 700-ton steel ball, a “tuned mass damper,” is suspended from the 92nd to the 87th floor.

It sways slightly to offset movements in the building caused by earthquakes and strong typhoon winds. I’ll let the, er, Damper Babies explain. 

So what’s not to like? Well, it’s a little pricey ($16 USD), and every step of your journey is monetized along the way. It’s not just the beer and pineapple mango cake peddled at the top, nor the postcards and tokens pressed into Taipei 101 coins. Everything, seemingly, is for sale, including a picture of yourself taken while you were waiting in line downstairs. And, of course, the Damper Babies want you to take them home.

When you think you’ve had enough, you must wait in another long line for the elevator ride back down. But first you are funneled through a coral-jewelry shop and reminded what a great investment these pieces are.

So is it worth zooming up Taipei 101? Put it this way: If I hadn’t done it, I would regret not knowing just how claustrophobic and used it made me feel.

There are plenty of other reasons to visit. The building itself is an architectural and engineering marvel. These soaring buttressed windows remind me of European railway-station architecture.

The multistory shopping mall is intense. The storied Singaporean tea emporium TWG is here.

 
And there’s a pretty great supermarket and food court in the basement.

Even better: There’s a YouBike station outside, so you can make a quick getaway from the creepy Falun Gong protesters, assorted grifters and various guys on the sidewalk trying to sell you stuff out of duffel bags. Have fun!

Taipei 101
Address: Srsly?
MRT: Taipei 101 station, Xin-Yi (red) line
Hours: 9 a.m.-10 p.m.; last ticket sales 9:15 p.m.