Observation Deck

The observation deck on the 107th floor of New York's World Trade Center has been reopened to tourists, nearly two months after the blast that killed six people and injured more than 1,000. The deck figured prominently in early reports of the blast because a group of touring schoolchildren was there at the time. Soot and other smoky residue had to be cleaned up before the reopening atop the center's south tower. Stanley Brezenoff, head of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, owner of the twin towers, said security has been tightened.

The observation deck atop Chicago's Sears Tower, the nation's tallest building, will reopen soon - with tightened security - for the first time since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a building spokesman said. Metal detectors and X-ray machines will be installed to screen tourists and their bags, the spokesman said yesterday. Concrete barriers were erected Tuesday at the three entrances to the 110-story tower. The tower's Skydeck will reopen sometime this month for the first time since it was closed and the building evacuated after the attacks on New York and Washington, the spokesman said.

JUST WHEN INDEPENDENCE Hall breaks free from security concerns, the fear of terrorism drags under another beloved landmark. Independence Hall was re-opened to tourists last Friday - the very same day it was learned that the observation area below Billy Penn's statue had been closed temporarily for security reasons. There is no connection - except, of course, that terrorism is now a major concern in the United States. The two venues are quite different -and so are their security considerations.

Through the 1960s and early '70s, when flying was fun and glamorous and most people had never been on an airliner, parents would take their children to airports just to watch the planes take off. Many airports had observation decks on their terminal roofs, where passengers could while away time before their flights, and those who were seeing someone off could wave goodbye. Lots of the spectators were there just for entertainment. The vast majority of those outdoor observation decks are gone, either because of security concerns or expansion of terminal buildings.

Hundreds of tourists enjoying clear vistas atop the Empire State Building were thrown into blind panic yesterday when a gunman shot seven people, killing one, before shooting himself in the head. The gunman died late last night. Screaming and terrified, the tourists spilled out of the 102-story Manhattan landmark. During a hurried evacuation, at least six others were trampled and had to be hospitalized, including a 5-month-old boy, who fell from his mother's arms, and his sister.

Pretty nice view. Even William Penn seems to like it, and he's an inanimate object. The real person, Marc Juaire of Minneapolis, in town on business, paid a visit to City Hall's observation deck yesterday.

Wayne Segal, of the city representative's office, looks over the skyline from the observation deck 484 feet up in City Hall Tower. The tower reopened yesterday after a five-year, $24.5 million facelift. Free public tours are scheduled to begin in late November.

Bernice Samuels rode up, up, up, to the bottom of Billy Penn's feet, to the top of City Hall, to the top of the world it seemed, squeezed into an elevator with five other eager passengers and an operator who has already seen it all. Stepping out onto the wind-swept observation deck, Samuels got a peek from the top of the newly refurbished City Hall Tower, which opened yesterday after being closed six years for repairs. She hurried to the windows and looked down Broad Street toward the water.

BUZZ OUT OF HINCKLEY IS THE BUZZARDS ARE BACK Equinox notwithstanding, spring officially arrived yesterday in Hinckley, Ohio: The buzzards have returned. Since 1957, the town has officially celebrated March 15 as the day its buzzards come home. The official sighting of the first hideous bird was at 7:04 a.m. - on schedule as always, said Nancy Grabski, a volunteer in the Cleveland Metroparks Ranger office. A crowd of about 200 gathered at dawn with Metroparks Ranger Roger Lutz, who for years has held the official buzzard-spotting binoculars, Grabski said.

Little by little, the scaffolding that has hidden City Hall's tower since 1985 is being removed. Over the next week, 15 feet of the 147 feet of scaffolding on the tower will be removed. It doesn't sound like much, and David Villela, director of architecture and engineering for the city's Public Property Department, admits it's not. But motorists tooling south on Broad Street toward City Hall and those traveling on the Ben Franklin Parkway may notice a little change, Villela said.

A great deal has been made about Jimmy Rollins' tweet in which he said the fans at Citizens Bank Park Bank were too quiet. I love Jimmy Rollins. I love him as a player (as good a combined hitting and fielding shortstop as there is in the National League) and love him as a person (deeply involved in helping kids). Jimmy campaigned with me in 2008 for President Obama. He was a very effective speaker, because of his honesty - he acknowledged that he hadn't voted before, but was inspired to get involved by then-Sen.

A PRIVATE organization will request approval on Sept. 6 of the Lower Providence board of supervisors to commercialize a portion of Valley Forge National Park. The pretense is to build a Revolutionary War museum. But it will occupy only 12 percent of the million-plus-square-foot facility. Most of the structure will contain offices, a bank, a five-story conference center, a hotel, an auditorium for live performances, restaurants and a tavern, retail stores and a 65-foot observation deck.

Through ignorance, apathy and neglect, Philadelphia has demolished most of the house in which George Washington and John Adams learned to run the world's first modern democracy. Now, we're on the verge of obliterating from view the little that remains of the storied mansion where the Father of Our Country both nurtured a nation and enslaved nine individuals. Is there any other country in the world so eager to bury the physical evidence of its birth? All that survives of the President's House at Sixth and Market Streets are its 18th-century foundations, discovered during an archaeological dig that began in March.

It wasn't a surprise when federal fraud and bribery charges were announced yesterday against Philadelphia City Councilman Rick Mariano. After all, he had signaled his imminent indictment last week during a City Hall incident that some thought to be a suicide attempt. Knowing something bad is about to happen, though, doesn't make it any more pleasant when it does. Being warned that a councilman will become the next defendant in an ongoing investigation of City Hall corruption doesn't make it easier to swallow.

It's been 18 years since City Hall's tower was the tallest spot in Philadelphia, but the view is still impressive enough to attract 30,000 people annually. The 360-degree vista from the 484-foot-high observation deck below the iconic Alexander Milne Calder sculpture of William Penn is arguably still the best way the average citizen can see the region. And it's free, open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Monday through Friday. When construction began in 1871, City Hall was designed to be the tallest structure in the world.

With a federal corruption probe closing in on him, City Councilman Rick Mariano climbed to the base of the William Penn statue atop City Hall yesterday afternoon, and came down after emergency vehicles responded to a possible suicide attempt. But at a news conference last night, authorities said that Mariano had never been in danger because the observation deck at the base - about 500 feet above the ground - is encased in protective Plexiglas. Both Mayor Street and Police Commissioner Sylvester M. Johnson said they did not believe that Mariano, who expects to be indicted next week, had been suicidal.

Judging from its name, the Garden Grille at the Brick Hotel might be mistaken for one of those nondescript restaurants found behind a screen of palm trees off a hotel lobby. Add brunch to the equation, and you might envision chefs in towering white hats looking bored as they stand at an omelette or meat-carving station. OK, maybe it's just me. However, part of the delight of The Brick, as locals call it, is not knowing what to expect. I tried the Sunday brunch, partly because it was a good excuse to sample the kitchen's skills in all the culinary genres - from big salads to pastries - without having to camp out in the dining room on a Saturday night.

If Clinton had quit It amazes me that the so-obvious Bill Clinton blunder is ignored by him and his sycophants such as Dan Rather. Had he done the honorable thing and resigned as impeachment became inevitable, just look at what would have occurred, all for the good of the Democrats. Whether the impeachment should have taken place is of little moment; the opportunity to benefit his party was of utmost significance. But it was ignored for his own glorification. Resigning would have brought some much-needed respectability to the Democrats.

Comcast Corp. and Liberty Property Trust have set their sights on a headquarters tower for the cable giant that will send the Center City Philadelphia skyline to new heights. Wouldn't it be great if they shared the view with the rest of us? One thing the city sorely lacks, many visitors say, is a high perch from which to survey its wonders. (The view from City Hall tower, and the capacity of the elevator that reaches it, are limited.) An observation deck would make Comcast chief Brian L. Roberts' new corporate home even more of a signature building.

It was a day of good news for the Flyers yesterday. Center Claude Lapointe has completed in-patient treatment and has entered the follow-up care phase of the substance abuse and behavioral health program, according to the NHL and the players' association. Also, center Keith Primeau doesn't have any ligament damage in his broken right thumb and won't need surgery for now. Lapointe greeted teammates after practice yesterday at the Skate Zone in Voorhees, Camden County, but said he would have no public comment until Friday, when there is a chance he could get medical clearance to rejoin the team.