Sears Tower Observation Deck Reopens
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: You may well remember the concerns across the country for Americans working and living in high rises, skyscrapers, to be more specific. Also in Chicago back on the 11th of September, the Sears Tower was closed for a time. And the observation deck has been closed until today. Our bureau chief in Chicago, Jeff Flock, watching this now. Jeff, good afternoon to you.</s>JEFF FLOCK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon to you, Bill, about 1,454 feet in the air, I come to you from here, almost the apex of the Sears Tower. And perhaps, if you look over my shoulder here, you see the extraordinary view that is available up here. It's a view that no one from the general public has seen since September 11. Today that all changed. Another perspective for you along the lake front. A camera place out there gives you some sense of how important this building is to Chicago's skyline. And while those of you on CNN were listening to Ari Fleischer, the spokesman for one President Bush, we here in Chicago were listening to another President Bush reopen the Sears sky deck. And take one step, he said in trying to get life back to normal in the United States.</s>GEORGE H. BUSH, FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: By reopening this symbol of strength and vitality in America's heartland you're sending a clear message that the terrorist have failed in one of their objectives. And 48 days ago those same terrorists struck at the symbols of American might and freedom, murdering thousands of men -- innocent men, women and children and in so doing they thought they could strike fear in our hearts, and for a while maybe they were successful. No longer.</s>FLOCK: The elder President Bush says he doesn't typically take reporters questions because he is concerned that if he says something that doesn't jibe with something his son as said, that he will get in trouble. But he did answer the question about the coalition. Obviously George Herbert Walker Bush with a lot of experience in terms of putting coalitions together. He says that he has good confidence that this coalition will hold, and he says don't believe everything you read in the news papers about how it might come apart. He says also that the president is doing well. He is blessed by a strong team, says the former President Bush and all is well on that front. On this front, that is Chicago, to give you some perspective here, I don't know if you were able to get it from up here. The sky deck, as we said, closed since September 11. This is one of the top tourist attractions in Chicago. From this you can see perhaps four states on a clear day. And today is a reasonably clear day in Chicago. It reopens now, we are told, as perhaps we take another perspective you look along the lake front there, within two and a half hours, just as soon as those of us who are reporting clear out. So the public will be back up and at least one more step toward normalcy in Chicago -- Bill.</s>HEMMER: Jeff, before we let you go, have you heard from tenants who occupy space in that building, businesses, et cetera? Are they concerned at all since the attacks?</s>FLOCK: Oh, you bet. They have been very concerned. In fact I talked to one man who purchased parachutes for his staff. He is on about the 80th, floor and of course we have had a lot of reports that talked about the dubious notion of getting parachutes together. But can you get some sense from that what people -- at least what's in people's heads about this and how concerned people are -- Bill.</s>HEMMER: Let's hope they never use those. Jeff Flock, in Chicago, high atop the Sears Tower on a beautiful day there today in the Windy City.