The TRAVELER'S JOURNAL, July sixteenth, with views well worth a visit.

Experienced travelers know the best views are often found on high. Most places boast at least one great panoramic perspective. Many such sites are works of nature, others are man-made. But even though often well-populated by tourists, these views are usually worth a visit. This week we'll take to the heights, starting today, with some man-made pinnacles that provide a special peak of pleasure.

The U.S. is certainly rife with structures specifically designed to be scenic, from City Monument in Provincetown, MA and Washington Monument in the Nation's Capital, through St. Louis' Gateway Arch to Coit Tower in San Francisco and Seattle's Space Needle.

A quarter century after it was built, the C.N. Tower in Toronto still ranks as the world's tallest self- supporting structure, at 1821 feet. It's followed by the Oriental Pearl Television Tower in Shanghai. London has its Post Office tower, Paris the Eiffel, Berlin the Funkturm, and Observation Towers in Oslo and Tokyo. Though of an earlier era, Venice's Campanile remains the classic view of Piazza San Marco.

Skyscraper observation decks offer unique city perspectives. The World Trade Center's twin towers are taller, but the Empire State is still the place to see Manhattan. Some say the view from Chicago's Sears Tower is best because it's the only place in the city the building can't be seen. Bridges create exceptional vistas. The U.S. has the Golden Gate, Colorado's Royal Gorge, the Mackinaw in Michigan, West Virginia's New River and NY's Verranzano Narrows.

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