Growing up outside of Dallas, TX, the city skyline was always a familiar sight. My favorite skyscraper is Reunion Tower, or “The Ball” – a huge sphere atop four concrete pillars. Completed in 1978, the tower is connected to the Hyatt Regency Hotel. It rises to a height of 561 feet. The spherical top section rotates as though on a vertical axis, affording 360-degree views of Dallas. Within this part of the tower are three floors containing restaurants, clubs, and other catered venues. The exterior of the ball is mostly glass and is covered in a metal mesh frame. 259 evenly-spaced LEDs are attached to this frame and can individually be controlled to create different colors and patterns.

I visited Reunion Tower once and was very impressed. Even the elevator has glass walls from which the city can be seen dropping away during the ascent of over a minute. The incredible view from the top of the entire layout of the city appealed to my love for geography. Buildings I knew and roads I had driven were laid out in a real-life map. Watching the tiny cars race about to wherever they were going, I felt like I owned the city. I can’t wait to visit similar towers in the future.