Views from the Observation Deck

I headed downtown Saturday to take in the view from the Terminal Tower's 42nd floor Observation Deck. Freshly renovated, it reopened July 10 after being closed since 9/11. Officially, it is only scheduled to be opened for the remaining weekends in July. I hope, however, that with all the expense put into the renovations, it will remain open as a permanent attraction. At only $5 per person (kids are free), it's great deal for visitors. For the city, it's an effective way to generate traffic at Tower City, and people who visit here are likely to stop by attractions on East 4th Street and the Warehouse District.

Your intrepid blogger about to brave the lines at Terminal Tower.

A reminder of a bygone era, when downtown reigned supreme for shopping, before suburban malls (their own thunder now stolen by the Internet) took over.

An old train schedule.

How much does it cost to mail a letter these days? And our mailboxes can't hold a candle to this.

Looking east from the 42nd floor.

Euclid Avenue (left) and Prospect (right) recede into the distance.

Great Lakes Science Center and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

The Old Stone Church.

The Cuyahoga County Courthouse.

The Warehouse District.

Tower City.

Westside Market.

For those planning to visit the Observation Deck, I advise to arrive early. Though it opens at Noon, lines were forming by 11:15. By the time we boarded the elevator, several hundred people were waiting.