This is looking incredible. I've been reading this topic daily since last year, and just decided to post now. This tower definitely gives me the same feeling I had when I saw the twin towers when I was very young. I remember looking up at them from the ground and being almost terrified by their massiveness. They seemed to go up forever, and I've always been one to be afraid to look up at high things rather than down. There's just something about buildings without setbacks that gives you a strange feeling, and so far I'm liking this building just as much as I liked the twins.
There's something I've been wondering, though. It's been said that the spire has an internal staircase and at least one level inside for maintenance. I've always been wondering if there's at least limited access from an internal staircase all the way up to the beacon. The spire seems almost like a lighthouse with an antenna inside--very wide in diameter--seemingly as wide as my house, so I'm curious as to what type of maintenance facilities it would incorporate. It would be awesome even if it were off limits like some parts of the statue of liberty, where a few privileged people may be able to get views higher than even the Shanghai WFC and CN Tower offer. While I somewhat doubt this is the case, it would be pretty neat to have a platform around where the beacon is with a kind of spiraling "birdcage" around it, so as to provide a railing while maintaining the geometry of the rest of the spire, so it doesn't detract aesthetic value. Although this platform would be surrounded by protective cage, and exposed to the elements, everything else inside the spire and below the platform in this situation would be protected, with access by a hatch. I'm thinking of a something similar to this tower near where I live. It's not exactly what I'm trying to describe, but the closest thing I can think of, so bear with me:
http://www.governordick.com/tower.html
It's difficult for me to explain what I'm thinking of without actually having some sort of diagram, so I'd really have to just wait and see for the actual wtc spire to be finished. I'm wondering, though, if there are any similar concepts as to what I'm trying to describe. If not, I still think it would be an incredible thing to implement, and make servicing the beacon much easier while giving whoever is lucky enough to be up there views from around 1760ish feet high, or whatever would be reasonable.
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That seals it - I'm DEFINITELY taking Staten Island Ferry pictures during my next visit.
It's blowing something fierce here in North Dakota today - so you guys on the east coast aren't alone! Gusts up to 60mph here today 
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