Sep 22, 200608:22 AMThe Life

Trek from PS to... leaping tall buildings

The US Bank Tower in Los Angeles is the 25th tallest building in the world, at 1,018 feet. It's the tallest building in California, the tallest building with a helipad on the roof, and is designed to resist an 8.3 earthquake.

The Empire State Building (1,250 feet) was the planet's tallest building from 1931 to 1972. Even in this skyscraper-du-jour era, it's still ranked #9 in the world. The distinctive Art Deco spire was originally designed to be a mooring mast and depot for zeppelins.

#5: Shanghai's Jin Mao Building (1,380 feet).

#4: Sears Tower (1,450 feet).

#1: "Taipei 101" (1,670 feet) snagged the crown in 2004. The satellite photo is a bit out of date, showing active construction, but you can see the finished product in these fanciful wallpapers.

Today's featured photo is of the Petronas Towers in Malaysia, courtesy of Google Maps. At 1,483 feet each, these twin skyscrapers rank #2 and 3 in the world:



The next big thing will probably be the Burj Dubai (UAE), under construction since April 2005. Scheduled for completion in 2008, it's supposed to top 2,650 feet, or 162 floors.

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