TSA will stop making kids take off shoes for airport security

By Michael Muskal, Los Anegeles Times

2:28 p.m. CDT, September 14, 2011

The Transportation Security Administration has decided that children 12 and younger are less of a terrorism risk -- at least as far as airports are concerned.

The agency, charged with anti-terrorism security at the nation's airports, will no longer require children to remove their shoes before they go through airport scanners, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told Congress on Tuesday. The policy change will also curtail pat-downs of children.

"We do want to move, and are moving, to a more risk-based approach to screening passengers," Napolitano told Congress. TSA wants to "try to streamline procedures for those passengers who are low-risk, which enhances our ability to focus on passengers who either we don't know or who are high-risk," she said.

Napolitano spoke during a hearing at the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. The new policy is expected to be implemented soon.

TSA, part of the Homeland Security Department, already has used a modified pat-down for children 12 and younger as part of a pilot program to speed up security searches. Still, the agency is not abandoning all such searches or the requirement to remove shoes at times.

"There is a need to keep security precautions unpredictable," Napolitano said. "There will always be some unpredictability built into the system, and there will always be random checks even for groups that we are looking at differently, such as children," she said.

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Walk-up passport services provided this Saturday

By Mary Forgione, Los Angeles Times

2:05 p.m. CDT, September 14, 2011

If you need to get a passport or renew an old one, Saturday might be your lucky day. Passport Day provides walk-up service at passport agencies, libraries, post offices and other sites around the country.

The idea is to provide passport information and services on Saturday for folks who can't get to offices and agencies during regular weekday business hours. Passport Day was scheduled for April 9 but was canceled during the fedral government's budget crisis and potential shutdown earlier this year.

What to take with you: Those seeking new passports should have filled out an application (DS-11), proof of citizenship (most commonly, a birth certificate), an ID (driver's license, military ID, etc.), photocopies of each ID document and a photo. A new passport costs $110 plus a $25 processing fee; renewals cost $110. Passport cards, passports for minors and other services are offered as well. Check out these U.S. State Department requirements before you go.

Where to go: Many sites in Southern California will be open to handle passport services. Here's a list of the Passport Day locations in Illinois.

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Whisked away to another world

Find out what a gourmet cooking class at the estate of the Hostellerie Berard in La Cadiere d'Azur, France is like.

It is day four of cooking class at La Bastide des Saveurs, and many of the 14 students are looking for chairs to catch a few minutes of rest before the whisking begins. But it is also dessert day, so a delicious reward at the end is guaranteed.

Such are the joys, and challenges, of a gourmet cooking class at the estate of the Hostellerie Berard in La Cadiere d'Azur, France.

There is work to be done, and instructions to follow, during a day that can stretch to seven hours. The key also is to have fun. Who wants to work on vacation?

The setting is movie-set-perfect: The rustic kitchen of a 19th century country house in the Provencal countryside. Pass by the herb and vegetable garden on the way to the kitchen with chef Rene Berard.

A cutting board and knife await each student around the wooden block table. Bowls of cubed butter, sugar, yellow apples and pine nuts give clues to the day's tasks. Berard walks in, and it's time to grab your knife, or your pen to take notes, and get cooking.

This class has its share of English speakers — from Australia, Canada, South Carolina and Chicago — so the translator takes her spot across from Berard. The veal stock is already boiling on the stove, and the smell is heavenly. Every so often during the day, an assistant stops by to pour in another bottle of red wine or drop in herbs, vegetables — even hooves.

The cooking lineup includes two kinds of tarts, lemon and apple, along with chocolate fondant (think: the original molten chocolate cake), a wafer and fruit creation, and a French classic in sauce vanille bourbon.

The students take turns cracking eggs, whisking ("No air!" cautions the chef), rolling out pastry, stirring sauces, even tossing cooked apples in the pan before the concoction is set aflame. Do something wrong, and you get a gentle suggestion from Berard. Do it correctly, and you get a smile and "Ah, perfect."

There is time to soak in the atmosphere. The window is cracked open and reveals a prototypical Provence countryside. Copper pans crowd the space above the stove, and dried herbs in glass jars line the countertops. The tile walls of red and yellow shout Provence.

Desserts do not make a meal, so the lesson also includes an artichoke salad featuring artichokes from the garden. The students have had a hand in the entire lunch menu, so the lamb that was deboned and put in a marinade days ago is brought out. Berard arranges the meat just so before he hands it over to assistants to cook. That pot of veal stock is strained; not much is left from a day of work, but what a taste it has.

Then it is outside to the terrace to enjoy the fruits of the students' labor. A table under canopy is already set with glasses, cutlery and bottles of wine.

The students and Berard take their seats, and the food parade begins: bread and olive tapenade and anchovy paste; ratatouille; lamb with pistachio butter; vegetable terrine; mashed potatoes; artichokes with shallots, celery and mushrooms. And desserts.

Conversation ranges from the nightly parties (the seaport of Cassis is on the night's agenda) to the bouillabaisse to the honey farm visited earlier in the week.

One of the younger students, recent college grad Arielle Saporta of Chicago, marveled at the garden tour earlier in the week. "There were four different types of basil," she said.

The 1 p.m. stated ending time stretches to 3:30 p.m., but no one wants to leave.

There is talk that Berard will not be doing this much longer. Someone asks him directly. His words are translated: "The day I don't have a passion, I'll stop."

The students nod knowingly, then offer a toast.

If you go

La Cadiere d'Azur is one of those picturesque French towns. It is big enough to have several decent restaurants and small enough that you feel you are experiencing life as a resident.

The charming Hostellerie Berard (hotel-berard.com) occupies several buildings in town. It may seem as if you are on a treasure hunt as you travel down corridors, up and down steps and across alleys to find your room. Ours had no embellishments but was functional and clean. The extras came in the fabulous view of the refreshing pool and enchanting valley below. Rooms range from $145 out of season to $420 for a suite in peak summer season.

The family of chef Rene Berard runs the hotel, the top-notch restaurant and the cooking school. Most cooking students opt for the longer four-day class; costs, including room for five nights, breakfasts and other events, start at $2,450. You can also do what I did and hook up with a group for a one-day class; my rate was $215. The schedule changes (classes begin again in September), so it is best to check for availability.

The location gives you day-trip options in Provence and the Cote d'Azur. Cassis has the beach and the seaside restaurants. Le Castellet has steep streets and touristy shops but a great regional wine shop at its base. Bormes-les-Mimosas has wonderful flowers and towering seascape views.

lbergstrom@tribune.com

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Riverside Hotel attracts blues aficionados

CLARKSDALE, Miss. (AP) — It's not the Heartbreak Hotel or the Ritz, and George Washington didn't sleep there.

But The Riverside Hotel in Clarksdale is widely regarded as a history exhibit ofblues music.

And, oh yes.Muddy Waters did sleep there and Bessie Smith died there.

Waters and other blues icons roomed at the Riverside from the 1940s to early 1960s as they made their names in clubs throughout the South. For decades before that, the building was a hospital that served black people during segregation, and it was there that Smith died after an auto accident in 1937.

The former G.T. Thomas Hospital re-opened as the Riverside in 1944 and has established a loyal group of fans who love its authenticity as a "bluesman" hotel.

It's a simple place: Rooms have single or double beds and there are bathrooms on each of the two floors, one for women and one for men. But there's no cable TV or Internet access.

"I run a nice, clean and comfortable place," the hotel's owner, 71-year-old Frank "Rat" Ratliff, says matter-of-factly.

Mitch Goldstein, who manages the South African musical group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, extolls the hotel's simple authenticity and says Ratliff definitely underrates the property's appeal.

"It's not just a museum, but it is a place that you can sleep in," said Goldstein, of Cedar Grove, N.J. "Just to know that I spent a night in a room that Muddy Waters slept in is very cool."

The two-story building consists of the original eight-room former hospital and additional rooms built on, for a total of 21 guest rooms.

"In 1943 my mother, Z.L. Ratliff Hill, bought the property and had it expanded," Ratliff recalled. "She drew the plans of how she wanted it."

Ratliff said his mother was a seamstress and arranged to rent the hospital, which was later renovated into the hotel by Thomas, the hospital's namesake. She later purchased the hotel from Thomas' widow in the summer of 1957.

The Ratliffs' living quarters were the former hospital's rooms and offices, but some of those were made into guest rooms, as well. All of the rooms are equipped with dressers and bed frames that have been around since the first day the doors opened as a hotel. Ratliff has also provided some creature comforts like a small refrigerator, microwave and a television.

"If I put new furniture or change the rooms, it would not appear to be the place the musicians stayed," Ratliff said. "That's the way the building was built. It stays like that. If I change it, I might as well close them doors because people want it that way."

Blues fan and part-time musician Michael Waugh, of Lawrenceville, Ga., agrees. He brought his wife and two young children to spend the night there last December.

"I thought it was incredible," Waugh said. "I am a huge fan of the blues and was looking for a blues experience."

The Waughs spent the night in the room used by Waters, and while it took a little time to adjust to the shared bathroom idea, the family took it in stride.

"For me to play my guitar where Muddy Waters played is pretty special. It provides me a bigger connection to the music," said Waugh, who plans to return to the hotel this year, around the Christmas holidays.

It costs between $65 and $70 per room, per night. "This is a family business and I only go up on the fees when the taxes go up," Ratliff said.

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Ban on use of e-cigarettes by airline passengers?

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration on Wednesday proposed banning the use of electronic cigarettes on airline flights, saying there is concern the smokeless cigarettes may be harmful.

"Airline passengers have rights, and this new rule would enhance passenger comfort and reduce any confusion surrounding the use of electronic cigarettes in flight," Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said in a statement.

The ban would clarify an existing Transportation Department rule prohibiting smoking cigarettes or similar products on airline flights.

The proposal would apply to all domestic airline flights, as well as scheduled flights of U.S. and foreign carriers to and from the U.S. The department is also considering whether to extend the ban to charter flights.

E-cigarettes, as they are popularly called, are designed to deliver nicotine or other substances to the smoker in the form of a vapor. They are powered by small lithium ion-batteries. Industry officials say there is no possible harm to the public from their use.

"Everybody knows that when you are smoking on an airplane that's an absolutely a no-no. But this is not smoking. This is vaping," said Ray Story, CEO of the Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association.

The Transportation Department is "asking for something that makes zero sense because this product emits nothing," Story said. "I don't think the masses have been educated enough to know this isn't smoking."

The department said there is a lack of scientific data and knowledge of the ingredients in e-cigarettes. The Air Force surgeon general issued a memorandum last year warning that one sample tested by the Food and Drug Administration contained diethylene glycol, a toxic chemical used in antifreeze, and other samples contained cancer-causing agents. The surgeon general also cautioned commanders that e-cigarette cartridges are replaceable and could be used to deliver substances other than nicotine.

Several states have taken steps to ban either the sale or use of electronic cigarettes. Amtrak has banned the use of electronic smoking devices on trains and in any area where smoking is prohibited. The U.S. Navy has banned electronic cigarettes below decks in submarines.

The e-cigarette association, which represents 25 manufacturers and distributors, says on its website that there are only five ingredients in the devices: nicotine, water, coriander, citric acid and fragrant orchid element.

E-cigarettes have been marketed as a way to address both the nicotine addiction and the behavioral aspects of smoking — the holding of the cigarette, the puffing, seeing the smoke come out and the hand motion — without the thousands of chemicals found in cigarettes.

Nearly 46 million Americans smoke cigarettes. About 40 percent try to quit each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Unlike nicotine patches or gums, e-smokes have operated in a legal gray area.

First marketed overseas in 2002, e-cigarettes didn't become easily available in the U.S. until late 2006. The FDA lost a court case last year after trying to treat e-cigarettes as drug-delivery devices.

___

Online:

Transportation Department www.dot.gov

Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association http://www.tveca.com/contacts.php

___

Follow Joan Lowy on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AP_Joan_Lowy

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Can't get to Munich? Plenty to drink at U.S. Oktoberfests

For dedicated beer lovers, fall conjures up images of Oktoberfest, and that means steins the size of toddlers, boisterous drinking songs and waitresses in dirndl skirts.

But attending Oktoberfest in Munich,Germany — the biggest beer festival in the world (this year Sept. 17-Oct. 3) — also involves distance, time and expense.

Fortunately for those whose budgets and schedules preclude the trip, there is plenty to do — and drink — in the U.S. during the fall beer festival season. Think of it as Oktoberfest in America. The festivals can be rambunctious parties, where you have to shout to be heard. Or they can be quieter affairs, with the hum of mingling and a focus on the task at hand: drinking beer.

So many beer festivals are bubbling up throughout the U.S. that domestic fans now have a dizzying year-round array of choices, said Eric Shepard, executive editor of trade publication Beer Marketer's Insights.

"It's gotten so popular, I don't know of any place that doesn't have one," he said, citing the success of craft beers as the reason.

Here's a look at the phenomenon and some of the festivals going on in the U.S. this fall.

FESTIVAL BASICS: Breweries, brewers guilds, and local groups of enthusiasts hold the festivals. Tickets can range from $20 to $100 or more, depending on what is offered. Tickets may cover drinks or they may be good for entry only, and you have to pay separately for your drinks, said Julia Herz, craft beer program director for the Brewers Association, which represents most of the nation's craft brewers.

OKTOBERFESTS IN AMERICA: Here are a few of the biggest and best-known Oktoberfests in America.

—Oktoberfest Zinzinnati, Sept. 17-18, Cincinnati. The southern Ohio city gives a nod to its German roots with this festival — http://www.oktoberfestzinzinnati.com/ . It bills itself as America's largest Oktoberfest, with half a million attendees. There's a full weekend of festivities, starting with the fifth annual Running of The Weiners at noon on Sept. 16, where dachshunds run in complete hot dog regalia (costumes provided). For humans, there's a beer stein race and beer barrel roll. The actual beer festival, which is sponsored by brewer Samuel Adams, begins Saturday when a parade of German-Americans wearing traditional garb taps the kegs at each festival tent. Admission is free and beers are purchased at each tent, for either $4-$5 for a small, or as much as $11 for a large souvenir mug. Make sure to stick around for Sunday's "World's Largest Chicken Dance." The name says it all.

—Oktoberfest by the Bay, Sept. 30-Oct. 2, San Francisco. The scenic waterfront location is not found at its German ancestor's fest, but Oktoberfest by the Bay keeps the German tradition alive. The festival — http://www.oktoberfestbythebay.com/ — features "sizzling oompah music" (as its web site boasts), native dancing and of course, beer. Entry is split into sessions, either day or night. Tickets are $25 for any session, but that only covers your admission. VIP tickets for $65 include a buffet and a beer. Most beers are $6 and food ranges from $3 to $11. The final day of the event marks the 122nd anniversary of German Day in San Francisco.

—Soulard Oktoberfest, Oct. 7-9, St. Louis. This festival — http://www.soulardoktoberfest.com/ — is held in the back yard of one of America's most successful brewing companies,Anheuser-Busch, which was founded by German immigrants. The city's strong German heritage is on display at the festival, which promises 2,000 kegs and 14 bands. The event includes contests for brat-eating, stein-holding and strongest barmaid. Entry is $5, although if you're wearing German attire, you get in for free. (That means lederhosen, not T-shirts by the German brand Adidas.) Food and drinks are separate. For $40 to $75, depending on the day, you get VIP treatment with all-you-can eat bratwurst and other food, beer, special parking and, perhaps most important at a beer festival, special access to bathrooms.

—Samuel Adams OctoberFest, Sept. 9-10, Boston: Perhaps the best-known craft brewer is throwing a German-style festival to formally mark the release of its Samuel Adams Octoberfest, an autumnal seasonal beer, and kick off what it calls the "OFest" season. The brewer and event organizer beersummit.com are hosting the two-day event, which begins with a ceremonial tapping of the keg. On the 10th, festival-goers can partake in 10 hours of drinking, bands and even test how well — and how long — they can hold their steins. Tickets are $16.25 and include a stein and first beer. Details at http://www.beersummit.com. —Other Oktoberfests worth checking out include Germantown Oktoberfest, Oct. 1, in Germantown, Md., and HOToberfest, Oct. 1, Atlanta, billed as the nation's largest consumer-judged beer fest with more than 250 craft beers.

OTHER BEER FESTIVALS: Not all fall beer festivals are Oktoberfests. Here are a couple of others:

—Great American Brew Festival, Sept. 29-Oct. 1, Denver. This festival, run by the Brewers Association, is "cosmic," Shepard says. There are 2,400 beers served in the festival hall from 465 brewers. With some 49,000 attendees each year, it's considered the largest, ticketed beer festival in the U.S. Unless you have your ticket, you won't be one of them. This year, tickets for the 30th annual festival sold out in a record one week. Tickets should go on sale next year in late July. Bookmark their site, http://www.greatamericanbeerfestival.com/ .

Attendees come wanting to taste as much as possible, so the organizers have breweries pour drinks one ounce a time, rather than the typical four-ounce pours found at most other beer festivals, Herz said. "With the multitude of beers, people have to pick a strategy to work the room," she said.

—Belgian Beer Fest, Sept. 9-10, Boston. This event focuses on all beer Belgian, a breed of beer known for its strong flavorings and potency. The event is run by Beer Advocate, a global network of beer enthusiasts, so the emphasis is on the unique. The festival starts Friday with "Night of the Funk" which features food and 50 "funk-a-fied" beers, according to the website http://beeradvocate.com/bbf/ . (The site also advises bringing Tums to cope with all those unique flavors.) It's sold out, but there's still availability for two tasting sessions on Saturday. Both feature more than 200 Belgian beers, from the strong pale ale "tripels" to the tart, fruity lambics. There are also American-made beers inspired by Belgium. Tickets are $50 for either session. There are also special forums with brewers and other industry insiders available to VIP ticket holders only. Those tickets, at $65, are also sold out.

SOLD OUT? VOLUNTEER! Don't be dismayed by sold out events. Look into volunteering. Festivals need of dozens if not thousands of volunteers, and they're usually compensated in free tickets and beer. Ryan Katz, a beer enthusiast inIndianapolis, Ind., volunteered with a group in 2009 to work at the Great American Beer Festival. He spent two full days with a group of friends, pouring beer for breweries.

"We could take breaks and try other beers," he said. "And they had no issues with us drinking the stuff we were pouring either."

Contact the organizers of the fest where you'd like to volunteer. At the Great American Beer Festival, the need is big: they had nearly 3,300 volunteers last year. There's already a waiting list for this year, though.

STAY CURRENT: To keep up with the latest happenings — and drinks — in the beer world, visit Beer Advocate's extensive calendar: http://beeradvocate.com/events/calendar .

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Flying the dress-code skies

Provocative flight attendants' uniforms used to raise eyebrows in the 1970s "Fly Me" era of aviation, but these days it's the passengers who are under scrutiny for their attire.

Saggy pants, exposed underwear and flashes of skin are getting some fliers in trouble and prompting questions about what's acceptable to wear when you're stuck in a metal tube with hundreds of strangers.

Consider these recent examples.

On September 1, Green Day lead singer Billie Joe Armstrong tweeted, "Just got kicked off a Southwest flight because my pants sagged too low!"

A local television producer who was on the same flight from Oakland, California, to Burbank, California, said a flight attendant approached Armstrong as he was trying to find his seat and asked him to pull his pants up. When he dismissed the request, she repeated it, the witness said. Armstrong was then removed from the flight.

Southwest Airlines said it was sorry about the incident.

"As soon as we became aware of what had happened, we reached out to apologize for this customer's experience," said spokesman Chris Mainz in a statement.

"He elected to take the next flight. We followed up with this customer and involved employees to get more details and, in our latest conversations, understand from the customer the situation was resolved to his satisfaction."

Oprah.com: What not to wear to airports

A tale of two incidents

In June, Deshon Marman -- a football player at the University of New Mexico -- was arrested on board a US Airways flight at San Francisco International Airport following an incident that started at the gate, when agents asked Marman to pull up his pants to cover his underwear, police said.

After repeated refusals from Marman, the crew alerted the captain to the disruption and police were called in to assist, authorities said.

The San Mateo County District Attorney's Office declined to file charges against Marman in the case.

US Airways did not reply to requests for an interview for this story, but spokeswoman Valerie Wunder said at the time that although the carrier does not have a specific dress code, it asks "passengers to dress in an appropriate manner to ensure the safety and comfort of all our passengers."

But the airline came under fire when it was revealed that just days earlier, it allowed a man dressed only in blue women's underwear, black thigh-high stockings and a blue tank top covered by a see-through cardigan to fly from Florida to Arizona.

The 65-year-old business consultant travels in provocative women's clothing for fun, but always covers up when asked by airline employees, he told the San Francisco Chronicle.

US Airways defended its actions in both cases.

Wunder said at the time that the incident involving Marman may have begun with his attire but escalated when "he repeatedly ignored crew member instructions."

When asked about the cross-dresser, another US Airways spokeswoman told CNN affiliate WSVN that crew members are "authorized to exercise their discretion."

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Rental insurance surprise

My wife recently rented a car in Columbus, Ohio, from Dollar Rent A Car. When I made the reservation for her, I specifically told them we did not want their extra insurance coverage.

My wife is not a frequent traveler, so she called me at the rental-car counter that day to ask me if she should accept the insurance coverage charges that they were trying to add to the contract. Since our current auto insurance policy covered rental cars, I told her not to accept their charges.

She specifically told the Dollar Rental car agent in Columbus not to include the $20-a-day insurance coverage on her rental agreement. However, these charges were added.

I have contacted Dollar regarding an insurance charge of $104, but they refuse to make any type of adjustment or issue a refund. The customer service person at Dollar said my wife's electronic signature when she checked out the car is proof that she wanted the insurance coverage. The Dollar counter in Columbus has a small electronic signature unit, and my wife would have had to scroll through many, many pages to see various charges via this tiny signature box unit.

What steps can I take to get a refund?

— Ted Van Anne, Colleyville, Texas

A: The technology your wife used at the time of her rental should have helped her instead of overcharging by $104.

Car-rental companies have installed electronic counter systems to avoid any misunderstandings with customers. Dollar's included a series of digital screens that had to be read and acknowledged before finishing the rental process.

Two of the screens dealt with any additional options purchased, their daily cost and then the estimated rental total, including all options, taxes and fees. When I checked with Dollar, it said it moved to the new system to better explain charges and to disclose any potential issues, such as traffic or toll violations.

If your wife wasn't used to the system, she probably remembers what it was like before these countertop gadgets. Back then, you simply told the agent you were declining the insurance, and then the employee fixed the contract.

The Dollar employee should have told your wife she needed to decline the options on the screen and cautioned her to read the options carefully. Instead, she may have hastily clicked "accept" several times in the mistaken belief that she was looking at the right contract.

She would have had several opportunities to see the final rate and then make a correction at the end of the rental process and when she returned the car. Waiting until after she returned from her trip limited her options for recovering the insurance fee she was wrongfully charged.

At the same time, it is in a rental company's interests to keep the rental process as confusing as possible. Why? Optional insurance is highly profitable. I think there's no question that Dollar could have been clearer about insurance. I've used the screens, and there is a lot of small print. If you're in a hurry, it's asking a lot to read the whole document. Still, your wife should have done her due diligence. And so should anyone else who rents a car in this age of surprise surcharges.

I contacted Dollar on your behalf. A representative said that though the company's records show your wife signed off on the insurance, "it is quite evident that Mr. Van Anne will continue to escalate this issue and remains very concerned with how he feels this charge was applied."

Dollar refunded the $104.

Christopher Elliott is the ombudsman for National Geographic Traveler magazine and a co-founder of the Consumer Travel Alliance, a nonprofit organization that advocates for travelers. Read more tips on his blog, elliott.org or e-mail him at chris@elliott.org.

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NYC 9/11 exhibitions include works from attack witnesses

NEW YORK (AP) — John Coburn went to ground zero days after the Sept. 11 attacks and began sketching, moved by the acts of "love and care" of New Yorkers and recovery workers. Coburn was compelled to illustrate the compassion — rather than the destruction — and compiled his work into a book he gave to victims' families.

EJay Weiss was in hisTribeca art studio when the first plane crashed. He grabbed a pair of binoculars and ran outside. His hands shaking, he could see inside the burning towers as thick acrid smoke filled the sky. A few days later, he began 9/11 Elegies: 2001-2011, mixing the ash from the site into the paint he used.

Todd Stone, another downtown artist, ran to the rooftop of his studio as the towers collapsed to photograph, draw and paint "the day the world changed." Over the next two years, he created a tribute to those who died with "Witness," a series of 15 watercolors into which he rubbed the dust that settled over his studio.

All three artists are showing their works in exhibitions commemorating the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks. At least two dozen other Sept. 11-related museum and gallery exhibitions also are being presented throughout the city.

Stone also has been chronicling the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site since about 2003 with "Downtown Rising," which includes dozens of large-scale oils and watercolors. During the past 18 months, he's worked from a perch overlooking the 16-acre trade center site on the 48th floor of the new 7 World Trade Center at the invitation of developer Silverstein Properties.

"I never thought I would be able to approach the ground zero site as anything but the saddest place on earth," he said recently from the site, looking out at the rising 1 World Trade Center tower outside his window. "But it's not like that anymore. The strength of our city and country are manifest in the work force of thousands of men who are here every day making this incredible construction before my very eyes."

The city is in discussions with Stone about donating his paintings to the memorial museum slated to open next year. Several of his "Witness" 9/11 paintings are in a multimedia show at LaGuardia Community College opening Sept. 10 that includes 13 otherNew York City artists who witnessed the attacks.

Coburn's "Healing Hearts" pen-and-ink sketches even survived a fire at his Toronto studio in 2006. Singed, but largely intact, they include one of St. Paul's Chapel, which for months served as a shelter and refuge for recovery workers, volunteers and victims' families. Another portrays George Cain, a firefighter who perished in the attacks, alongside images of his mother, Rosemary, the pastor of the nearby Trinity Church and other first responders.

"The drawings put you right in the heart of the place," said Rosemary Cain, who met Coburn while working at ground zero as a volunteer for the Salvation Army.

The original drawings are being shown publicly for the first time Sept. 1-15 in the Wall Street boardroom of Sciame Construction. The exhibition is free but reservation must be made at rsvp(at)thehealingheartsproject.com.

Weiss began work on 9/11 Elegies three days after the attacks. He said he scooped up ash from what was the trade center garage and mixed it with black acrylic for the first seven of the work's nine panels.

"I left it out of the last two because I felt it was time to move on. It was symbolic for me," he said.

The focus of each panel is a central space that serves both as a metaphor for the towers' windows and their footprints. Shades of blue and lavender — signifying the clear blue sky that day — fill the "windows" and thick runnels of liquid paint suggest the grid patterns of the molten steel of the fallen towers.

This summer, Weiss completed three final panels, "Resolution Triptych," signifying "peace and harmony" and "a glorious new day."

9/11 Elegies is on exhibit through Sept. 25 at the Narthex Gallery at Saint Peter's Lutheran Church inManhattan's Citicorp Plaza.

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Here are highlights of some of the other Sept. 11 exhibitions:

— "Where Does the Dust Itself Collect," an installation by Chinese artist Xu Bing of a 25- by 20-foot field of dust across the gallery floor punctuated by the outline of a Chan Buddhist poem. It's part of Insite Art + Commemoration presented by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council's and Museum of Chinese in America. Sept. 8-Oct. 9 at the Spinning Wheel Building in Chelsea.

— "Remembering 9/11," an exhibition of several hundred images taken by professional and amateur photographers in the immediate aftermath of the attacks. It also includes letters written to police officers and firefighters, objects that were placed at makeshift shrines around the city and drawings of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Sept. 8-April 1 at the New-York Historical Society.

— "The 9/11 Peace Story Quilt." A work designed by artist Faith Ringgold and created by New York City students based on a book of their writings and drawings.Metropolitan Museum of Art through Jan. 22, 2012.

— "Ten Years Later: Ground Zero Remembered." The focal point of this exhibition is the 1997 "Tuskegee Airmen Series" by Michael Richards, who died in the attacks while working in his studio at the World Trade Center. Also featured is Christoph Draeger's photographic jigsaw puzzle "WTC, September 17 (2003)" and two 2002 comment books filled with text and images by museum visitors. The Brooklyn Museum, Sept. 7-Oct. 30.

— "September 11," featuring 70 works by 41 artists from the past 50 years that evoke images of 9/11. Artists includeDiane Arbus, Alex Katz, John Chamberlain, Christo, Yoko Ono and George Segal. MoMA PS1, Long Island City, Queens, Sept. 11-Jan. 9, 2012.

— "Embodied Light: 9/11 in 2011." Artist Tobi Kahn transforms a gallery into a meditative room with sculptural shrines, memorial lights and a 3D installation signifying an aerial view of Lower Manhattan. It also features "220 blocks," representing the 220 floors of the twin towers with drawings and inscriptions by notable New Yorkers. The Ernest Rubenstein Gallery at Education Alliance,Lower East Side, Sept. 9-Nov. 23.

— "Remembering 9/11," a five-part exhibition of photography and video that explores how people responded to the tragedy. It includes a major digital installation by artist Frances Torres titled "Memory Remains: 9/11 Artifacts at Hangar 17." International Center of Photography, Sept. 9-Jan. 8, 2012.

— "The Twin Towers and the City," a four-decades-long study of the World Trade Center by MacArthur award-winning photographer Camilo Jose Vergara. The pictures, shot from vantage points throughout the city and New Jersey, underscore how ubiquitous the towers were in the landscape of city life and beyond. The Museum of the City of New York, Sept. 3-Dec. 4.

—"Witness to Tragedy and Recovery," a photo and multimedia presentation of the trade center attacks and recovery by more than 30 visual journalists, many members of the National Press Photographers Association and the New York Press Photographers Association. Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts, Pace University, downtown Manhattan, Sept. 8-24.

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