Landmark Towers

We actually stayed a day longer than expected so the day before we were set to sail, I decided to go downtown to Yokohama & check out what I heard was the world's fastest elevator. I caught the train & scooted on down to Queen's Towers which is a huge mall area. I finally found an entrance to Landmark Towers, but everything looked so shwank, so I wasn't sure if I'd be allowed to enter. I finally figured if I came all the way down here, I wasn't about to give up, so I sauntered right in, following some businessmen to the elevator. I was sweatin' it. I just knew at some point I'd be asked to leave. Well, the elevator took me up a few flights where I got off & caught another elevator. It took me up to a portion of the hotel, and it really didn't seem that much faster than any other elevator I've ridden. I was disappointed, but I went back down to find a directory or something b/c I felt I might not have been in the right place. Sure enough, after a couple of floors of searching, I found the golden egg. There's a separate entrance, and it's a tourist attraction all in itself. I went to the window & paid my 1000 yen ($10), and waited in line as people began lining up to get on the elevator. A woman dressed in a 50's bell-hop style uniform politely Vanna-ed us into the elevator. It was lit up with stars at the top. As we began our ascent, the guy was just chattering away about the elevator, telling us all the facts. Thankfully, I had been given a brochure in English so I could understand what he was saying. Indeed, it is the fastest elevator in the world. I timed it: 40 seconds to go from the second floor to the 68th floor. The elevator is shaped like an egg for speed. When we got to the top, we stepped out onto a circular observation deck, not unlike the Space Needle in Seattle. At each direction, there were diagrams showing what you were looking at. By the time I got up there, it was night, but it was still beautiful. You could see my ship across the way.

The boat I am now on, the Loyal, is to the left & the Effective is on the right.