Had to scan this postcard before it disappeared somewhere in our household. When Curt and I were recently in NY we called home to talk with the kids. Terence asked us about the Empire State Building. I asked him how he knew what the Empire State Building was and he replied that it was one of the tallest buildings in the world and he couldn't remember where he learned it. How this kid gets his information is sometimes beyond me...
He was very happy when we brought home this postcard for him from NY. (Coincidentally he had a a King Kong cake for his 5th birthday so we thought he'd get a kick out of this postcard). When we handed it to him he thought it was cool but told me that he knew it was fake and someone designed it on a computer. :-)
Anyhow, he's on a tallest buildings kick and every day he asks us a question in relation to it. Yesterday, he asked me if I thought the Empire State Building was taller than the tallest church in the world. And, what was the tallest church in the world and where was it. All I have to say is that I am glad I am raising kids in the era of the Internet! Answers are just a click away!
Yesterday I guessed that the tallest church was probably St Peter's in Rome. I told him that I thought the Empire State Building was probably taller. He pondered this for a moment and then replied with his own thoughts. He said, "Mom (he's calling me 'Mama' a lot less), I think you are right but maybe St Peter's is larger in width and size but the Empire State Building is taller".
I haven't had a chance to look up the size of St Peter's or if it is even the largest church in the world but I did get a chance to look up the tallest building in the world. Any guesses???
I discovered that the tallest building in the world is the Burj in Dubai at 160 stories. Well, it's actually not completed yet but has been in the building stages for a couple of years. It's expected to be finished in 2009. They still don't know the exact height as it is undetermined. I think they are waiting for Russia to finish their Tower of Russia first and then they'll top it by a few meters!
The tallest existing building at the moment is in Taipei, Taiwan and it called the Taipei 101 Tower. Can you guess how many stories it is? 101! It is 509 meters or 1,670 feet tall. I found this picture for any of you, other than Terence, who maybe interested.
Even though there always seems to be speculation on which building is the tallest and the actual height of these buildings, I now believe that the Empire State Building is about the 8th tallest building in the world. It was the 3rd tallest in the US before the World Trade Center was attacked and now it is the 2nd after the Sears Tower.
