Observation Deck

Wildlife in a crystal and emerald nook off the Chesapeake Bay in eastern Baltimore County soon will be having visitors.With a ceremonial groundbreaking today, the county is moving ahead with the $2.7 million Marshy Point Nature Center near Chase, phase one of a 500-acre, state-of-the-art complex that includes a learning center, trails, observation deck and canoe docks.Situated on Dundee and Saltpeter creeks -- once the elite hunting ground of President Benjamin Harrison and baseball legend Babe Ruth -- the environmental education pavilion will serve as the centerpiece for visiting schoolchildren and tourists who want to meander through the pristine expanse of woods.

The idea of acquiring an airplane, cutting it into pieces and then displaying the fragments inside an airport might strike some as an odd way to attract air travelers.In the wrong hands, it could have been a disaster by reminding passengers of an actual air disaster -- just as they were about to board their flights.But as executed by the Maryland Aviation Administration, the $6.3 million observation gallery at Baltimore/Washington International Airport is the hit of the summer: an engaging blend of education and entertainment that can be experienced without an air-sickness bag.Instead of playing on passengers' worst fears, this one-of-a-kind exhibit helps dispel them by demonstrating the precision with which today's airliners are built.

When you know the answers to these questions, go to http://www.4Kids.org/detectives/1. What was Wolfgang's sister's name?2. At the current rate, when might the rain forests disappear?3. How should teens deal with sports injuries? (Go to http://www.kidshealth.org to find out.)HANG AROUND WITH WOLFGANGIf you want your day to end on a high note, try tickling the ivories with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (you know, the child genius who went on to become one of the world's greatest musical composers)

Baltimore's Top of the World Observation Deck may be closed after the Sept. 11 attacks on America, but concern over terrorism hasn't kept down the Hi-Flyer balloon or its passengers. Between 20,000 people and 30,000 people have taken rides in the helium balloon that offers panoramic views of Baltimore's Inner Harbor - and many of them have done so after the Sept. 11 attacks on the Pentagon and New York's World Trade Center. In all, the balloon went up 2,144 times between July 19 and Nov. 9, according to computer records maintained by its operator, Sky High of Maryland.

RENE TREVINO maps the relationship of two lovers from a variety of angles, intimate and iconographic, sexual and symbolic, cultural and crass. He does it in a series of 100 images printed over hand-painted lacy wallpaper. He calls it The Propaganda Series, Part I. Geoff Grace puts up a tree, painted with liquid clay and whiskey, that soars to the 30-foot height of a wall. Entering the gallery you can't help but look up. How small you feel standing beside this towering tree whose leafy top maps a series of island nations.

Miguel Perez cast his fishing line into the Chesapeake Bay, one last attempt before he'd be on his way. The Aberdeen man waited until he noticed a slight tug on the line before pulling it slowly out of the water. He had caught what he estimated to be about a 15-pound catfish. "This is the biggest fish I've ever caught," he said taking out his cell phone and shooting a quick picture. The hearty catch was due partly to luck, perhaps, but Perez also credited his location: the new pier at Swan Harbor Farm.

Visitors will come face to face with artifacts salvaged from three terrorist attack sites at the 9/11 Memorial of Maryland, which is scheduled for completion at Baltimore's Inner Harbor shoreline in September. Mangled columns from the north tower of New York's World Trade Center, damaged limestone from the Pentagon and an as-yet undetermined remembrance from a field in Shanksville, Pa., will be incorporated in the memorial to those who lost their lives on Sept. 11, 2001. The $2 million memorial, whose design was unveiled Wednesday during a meeting of the Baltimore Public Art Commission, will pay tribute to the 63 Marylanders killed in the attacks.

The sales pitch to 46 uniformed men was simple: Welcome to Baltimore. Next time, bring a tall ship. City and state officials and the nautical community have begun a marketing drive aimed at filling the Inner Harbor with majestic sailing vessels and gray-hulled warships for the War of 1812 commemoration finale, Sept. 6-14, 2014. On Wednesday, they pitched military attaches from 40 countries, including Canada, Mexico, Turkey and Sri Lanka. Navies begin planning their sea exercises and courtesy calls about a year in advance, and there's a lot of jockeying among East Coast seaports to secure the biggest and best ships for summer events.

Thank you Michael Dresser for the stroll down Baltimore aviation's memory lane ("Airport born as Friendship marks 60 years," June 24). In the early 1960s a Sunday afternoon was extra special when my family would pile into the station wagon for a trip to Friendship. Standing on the paver-tiled observation deck I remember being thrilled at the very first plane I ever saw without propellers. I was in awe of the new-fangled jet airliners. These days while air travel has not only become de rigueur but also a major hassle, those field trips the to the airport remain a fond childhood memory.

The Naval Academy will break ground for a two-story visitor center at 2 p.m. on Oct. 26.The facility will be located on the south side of Halsey Field House and will replace the academy's 30-year-old visitors booth in a first-floor corner of Ricketts Hall.The $4.5 million building will include a gift shop and an 80-seat auditorium that will show a film about the life of the midshipmen and the history of the academy. The second floor will contain naval exhibits and an observation deck overlooking the City Dock and the school.