Taipei 101

No, Taipei 101 is not an introductory class to the capital of Taiwan. Rather, it's a building in the bustling Taiwanese city, and currently the tallest building in the world. But the 101-story building holds more than just one world record: It is also home to the world's fastest elevator, rushing from the first floor to the observation deck on the 89th floor in 37 seconds (that's 3,314 feet or 1,010 meters). Locals affectionately describe the building as resembling a tower of Chinese take-out containers.

Traveler friend Russell Johnson, who served as a panelist for October's "Places Rated: Islands" issue, gives a tour of the tower in his new video essay about Taipei 101, and explains how the 730-ton building stands up to East Asia's frequent typhoons and earthquakes. Check out his blog, or read about Taiwan in Traveler's November 2007 issue.