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It really depends on the approach. I've had some breath taking landings coming in from the east. But oftentimes going into O'Hare, the plane will approach from the northwest. And, the northwest approach into O'Hare is one of the most boring in the country: farms, third-ring suburban sprawl, an occasion office building, and then you're on the ground. However, approaching Denver from the east takes the cake in this regard.
Totally agreed, when DIA moved way out into the farmlands a couple of decades ago, it put itself in a position to, yes, handle more flights, but also remove any familiarity of the land. There have been many times I have flown into DIA and wondered, "where in the heck is the city?". Probably not an important issue for commerce, but for casual/tourist types, might make some difference. Thoughts?
Flying into Norfolk/VA Beach you see the ocean, the bay, the James River, the Elizabeth River, the Intercoastal Waterway, the trees, cities and freeways. All of it interconnected and dazzling, especially at dusk with the lights coming on.
Yes, Miami absolutely qualifies. Excellent suggestion and its true of all 3 Southeast Florida area's airports.
Chicago with its massive skyline along the shores of Lake Michigan and Lake Michigan itself is also very nice. It is excellent on clear days, you can see the thickness in Chicago's density on its street-grid.
Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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Originally Posted by pnwguy2
Totally agreed, when DIA moved way out into the farmlands a couple of decades ago, it put itself in a position to, yes, handle more flights, but also remove any familiarity of the land. There have been many times I have flown into DIA and wondered, "where in the heck is the city?". Probably not an important issue for commerce, but for casual/tourist types, might make some difference. Thoughts?
I have mixed feelings on Denver Airport. It's big enough to serve Tokyo, and yes it certainly is out in the middle of nowhere. But I kind of like it with its iconic tents over the terminal. The new A line will have electrified heavy rail service to downtown in 35 minutes in 2016.
As far as approaching goes ,when flying there from ABQ, if one sits on the left side of the plane you get a fantastic view of the Rockies pretty much the whole way, and then the pilot does a horseshoe turn north of the city and approaches the southbound runway and you can get views of the city with the mountain backdrop. So that approach is nice. But since so many flights from anywhere back east approach over the plains, there really is nothing to look at when you land. Most people who haven't been to Colorado with preconceived visuals of the Rockies might be disappointed.
I kind of dig the approach into the city on Peña Blvd from the airport. Driving on open prairie with the skyline in the distance with a mountain back drop, you feel as if your heading towards America's frontier city.
In the day coming from the east, you just fly over miles and miles of development for half an hour. You see various valleys and mountains, with some homes creeping up those mountains. Most of the homes though are in the giant grid that you see from the air. Depending on where you are on the plane, you can see different spots like the Hollywood sign or the Pier in SM. It is a pretty amazing city from the air.
At night, you just see endless lights. It is quite incredible and the area feels even bigger. There is not another metro area in America that gives you that expansive feel like LA.
Tampa is another good one. You can see the entire Bay and all the waterfront homes. When I lived in Tampa, I always lived inland. So it was always impressive seeing all that water through the air. I also had no idea about all those homes that are right there on the water.
Another thing worth mentioning is that for some airports, you can get a completely different view depending on which side of the plane you sit on. You might miss out if you're on the wrong side.
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