you might also think of getting ArcExplorer. It's trying hard to compete with GE as a visualization tool, and still has a way to go, however you can bring in different datasets to view in ways that Google Earth does not yet let you do (ie elevation draped topographic maps).
For use with ArcExplorer you can still get a hold of free data through ArcOnline.
"if the city is visibly one of humankind's greatest achievements, its uncontrolled evolution also can lead to desecration of both nature and the human spirit."
-- Melvin G. Marcus 1979
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