Common sense and fireworks

Granted, common sense and fireworks don't often appear in the same headline. But they were both the subject of separate news conferences that were held by Mayor Nutter earlier today.

Let's start with common sense first. Nutter, addressing concerns that were raised by a recent Inquirer story, noted that fences for the upcoming Dilworth Plaza renovation project are completely blocking the northwest and southwest sidewalks around City Hall from pedestrian traffic.

The mayor urged citizens to use an "enormous amount of common sense" and not walk in the street next to the fences -- in the middle of oncoming traffic. Instead, Nutter said, pedestrians should simply use sidewalks on the other side of the street.

The Center City District printed up color-coded maps that will be handed out by their representatives to pedestrians, explaining the lay of the land around Dilworth. (Green = safe, open sidewalks. Red = dangerous, closed sidewalks.)

Left unsaid: if you really need a map to explain how to avoid a fenced-off sidewalk, chances are  you should probably not leave the house on any given day.

Now, on to the fireworks!

The mayor -- backed by an assortment of Mummers and costumed characters -- also announced that SugarHouse Casino is sponsoring "Twice the Fireworks, Twice the Fun," the New Year's Eve fireworks display that will light up Penn's Landing at 6 p.m. and midnight on Dec. 31.

The annoucement included a run-down of tourist attractions in the week leading up to New Year's Eve. For more information, head over to www.visitphilly.com.