Top of the Rock

New York – There’s a new way to get a bird’s-eye view of the Big Apple, and it’s especially convenient if you plan to visit the famed Christmas tree and skating rink at Rockefeller Center this holiday season.

The “Top of the Rock” observatory atop 30 Rockefeller Plaza – home to NBC and the Rainbow Room – opened to the public last week.

You won’t be able to see the rink or the tree – which will be lit Nov. 30 – because the building is directly above them. But you will get the dizzying sight of skyscrapers all around; Central Park to the north, and the Empire State Building directly south. At night, the view twinkles with a million city lights.

City guidebooks

New York – If culture and shopping are your primary pursuits in a city such as Prague or Milan, check out the pocket-sized guides in the “art/shop/eat” series from W.W. Norton.

The compact and colorful books offer detailed descriptions of museums, galleries, churches and other architectural landmarks, along with listings for specialty shops, boutiques and markets; and recommendations for dining and entertainment.

The series has new and revised guides out this fall ($13.95 each) to Milan, Berlin, Venice, Los Angeles, Madrid, Prague and San Francisco.

Ben Franklin feted

Philadelphia – The celebration of the 300th anniversary of Benjamin Franklin’s birth is under way, launched last month by the re-enactment of his arrival in Philadelphia as a 17-year-old runaway and the December kickoff of a traveling museum exhibit.

The centerpiece of the plans to celebrate the Jan. 17 anniversary is an exhibit running from Dec. 15 to April 30 at the National Constitution Center called “Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World.”

The exhibit includes a variety of hands-on exhibits, including a 25-foot sailboat that visitors can climb aboard to learn how Franklin charted the gulf stream. It also has more than 250 original Franklin artifacts and more than 40 video animations.

The exhibit will later head to museums in St. Louis, Houston, Denver, Atlanta and Paris.