PARIS, France — There is so much to see in Paris. But you haven't been to the Olympic host city until you've seen the "Iron Lady."
"There's no monument that's so highly connected with the place like the Eiffel Tower," Paris illustrator Lina Nordin Gee said.
"The Eiffel Tower is timeless," said Oliver Gee, who hosts a podcast called the Earful Tower.
Gustave Eiffel and his team took two years, two months and five days to create the soaring symbol of Paris. It was completed in 1889. Crews used 7,300 tons of iron and 2,500,000 rivets. The Eiffel Tower is 1,083 feet tall.
"So, when you're standing here, it's hard for me to not look over your shoulder," Oliver said. "We're both tall guys. We're dwarfed by it, right?"
Many of the 7 million annual visitors will take the elevator up to soak up the breathtaking views. Others are content to picnic beneath it.
"It's a little park around the Eiffel Tower. It's called Champs de Mas," Lina said. "Usually, on a normal day, it's full of kids playing and people sunbathing. Little birthday parties."
Since the Eiffel Tower is visible from much of Paris, the photo opportunities are endless.
"You see a lot of these, 'Ooh, I just happened to walk past the Eiffel Tower, and I look very sheik.' But, in reality, there are these little side streets where you suddenly get this amazing view of the Eiffel Tower," Lina said.
The Eiffel Tower provides the perfect backdrop for advertisements featuring beautiful models and expensive cars, family photos and stunning wedding pictures.
"In front of the Eiffel Tower on the bridge, there's quite a busy road," Lina said. "For some reason, you get yoga people standing in the middle of the road trying to get the perfect Eiffel Tower-yoga picture."
"We're all like moths to this flame," Oliver said.
Many visitors will see it once in their lifetime. Others see it every day.
"I live right by the Eiffel Tower in what I've built to be my little nest," Sabrina Marzaro said. "Paris inspires me so much, every single day. I'm just so lucky to be here."
When the sun goes down, the symbol of the Olympic host country really puts on a show.
"The big light that goes around it at night, the way that it sparkles on the hour," Oliver said.
Everyone seems to agree there is something special about this stunning site.
"The fact that it's featured in all the postcards and all the movies and pictures, we can all relate to it," Oliver said.
The Eiffel Tower has drawn 300 million visitors from around the world since 1889.
"It's so iconic," Lina said. "You can't avoid it. It's a must."