BAY AREA'S TOWERING ATTRACTION : SKY WILL BE LIMIT SOON AT HIGH-RISE.

Byline: James O. Clifford Associated Press 

The Embarcadero Center will join such San Francisco landmarks as the Top of The Mark and the Carnelian Room in giving visitors even more of a good thing - a great view.

Workers on the 41st floor are assembling the SkyDeck, the center's entry in the panorama sweepstakes.

There's a big difference from the others, however. Visitors won't need to buy a drink when the deck debuts in September.

There will be lots of things for everyone to do, including children, said Dennis Conaghan, the center's chief operating officer. Surprisingly, coin-operated telescopes are not on the list.

``The picture's already here,'' Conaghan said as he took in the 360-degree view.

``Inside will be enough,'' Conaghan added, explaining the lack of telescopes. He motioned toward the glass-enclosed area where the workers were busy.

The enclosed space eventually will contain interactive touch-screen computer kiosks explaining the history and culture of the San Francisco Bay Area, ranging from the Gold Rush and the Great Quake of 1906 to the beatniks of the 1950s and the Flower Power generation a decade later.

The view isn't halfway to the stars, but on a clear day 20 miles isn't out of the question.

Fog? Not to worry. Computers will help visitors recognize the various sights and provide photo images.

Embarcadero Center forecasts 800 visitors an hour will take in the sweeping vistas, with more than 15,000 coming during each weekend.

The 6,500-square-foot indoor and outdoor lookout will hold as many as 400 people at a time absorbing such sights as Alcatraz, Treasure Island, the Golden Gate and Bay bridges, the Marin Headlands and Mount Diablo.

San Francisco has many other famous observation points.

Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill is 170 feet high and draws about 250,000 people a year.

The famous Top of the Mark at the Mark Hopkins Hotel on Nob Hill is on the 19th floor; it's been packing them in since 1939, mainly because it became known as a ``must'' for GIs shipping out during World War II.

Newer entries are much taller. The Carnelian Room at the Bank of America building is on the 52nd floor and the CityScape room at the Hilton is on the 46th.

But almost all the recent additions are tied to restaurants and hotels, said Helen Chang, spokeswoman for the San Francisco Convention & Visitors Bureau.

``The view from (SkyDeck) is spectacular,'' she said. ``I think it will become a significant attraction. The price will make it very accessible to families.''

The cost will be $4 for adults, $3.50 for seniors and $3 for children under 12.

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PHOTO Worker Ruben Huerta looks at blueprints on the top fl oor of the Embarcadero Center.

Associated Press