Which city has the most beautiful and breathtaking skyline? (skyscrapers, architect)

[seanpecor]

Course I'm just being biased but I vote for Roanoke, Virginia:







Images from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mill_Mountain_Star and http://visitroanokeva.com/

Cheers,

Sean

[mpope409]

Originally Posted by jessemh431

los angeles is like that. we have downtown, century city, irvine, long beach, el segundo, burbank, and others. not many people know that

Well, no I'm talking about the actual city limits. Not the surrounding cities.

[ScranBarre]

Sean, that middle image is just INCREDIBLE! What an awesome view of Roanoke. I never realized the South could be that beautiful!

[mpope409]

Originally Posted by lammius

Every major city is like that. Our cities have become polycentric. If you count "skylines" in all of NYC and surrounding cities threre would be dozens. But cities such as Newark, Paterson, Hackensack, Jersey City, Fort Lee, Stamford, White Plains, Yonkers, Downtown Brooklyn, Long Island City, and the miles of endless highrise residential buildings in the outer boroughs, etc etc etc pale in comparison to Manhattan. To me the cluster of buildings in the Central Business District of a city is the "skyline." Blocks upon blocks of highrises of course exist all over urban areas, but the shots that make the postcards are the ones that matter in these types of comparisons.

Not really because it depends on what angle you shoot it from. Plus, the skyline refers the complete collection of highrises within the city limits. Some cities have skylines that are just in downtown. And some cities have a total skyline that is separated into multiple skylines (not including surrounding cities). If you shoot it right, I'm not sure you could get that building in Queens, but you can include the Manhattan skyline and the miniature Brooklyn skyline, and with the right angle, you can include Downtown Houston in the same picture with Uptown which looks like its own major city from far off.

[mpope409]

Originally Posted by ScrantonWilkesBarre

Sean, that middle image is just INCREDIBLE! What an awesome view of Roanoke. I never realized the South could be that beautiful!

Uggh, what is that supposed to mean? Lol.

[Steve-o]

Nice pics of Roanoke!! Beautiful surroundings! However, the city itself is about as gorgeous/exciting as a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a plastic cup. LOL

[mpope409]

Originally Posted by mpope409

Not really because it depends on what angle you shoot it from. Plus, the skyline refers the complete collection of highrises within the city limits. Some cities have skylines that are just in downtown. And some cities have a total skyline that is separated into multiple skylines (not including surrounding cities). If you shoot it right, I'm not sure you could get that building in Queens, but you can include the Manhattan skyline and the miniature Brooklyn skyline, and with the right angle, you can include Downtown Houston in the same picture with Uptown which looks like its own major city from far off.

NEW YORK
This is downtown Brooklyn (yeah, yeah I know but it's still part of New York's skyline)


And this is the Citi Tower in Queens. You can't see its place amongst its surroundings, but it's pretty tall and distinctive.


HOUSTON
The angle it's shot from makes it appear rather small but the skyline in the back is around the same size as Atlanta's downtown.


A portion of Uptown

[ScranBarre]

Originally Posted by mpope409

Uggh, what is that supposed to mean? Lol.

I didn't mean any offense. I've just always been partial to the cities in the Northeast because I feel as if they offer more charm and history than most Southern cities (with the exception of Charleston, Savannah, and Richmond). When I think of the South, I think of sprawltropolises like Charlotte, Raleigh/Durham, and Atlanta, all of which I think are very unattractive. It was nice that Sean was able to open my eyes to the beauty of Roanoke, a city I had previously assumed was just as ugly as Charlotte. I'm more of a fan of narrow streets (preferably even some cobblestone ones), rowhomes, Victorians, etc., and you won't find that in, per se, the Lake Norman area of NC.

[mpope409]

Originally Posted by ScrantonWilkesBarre

I didn't mean any offense. I've just always been partial to the cities in the Northeast because I feel as if they offer more charm and history than most Southern cities (with the exception of Charleston, Savannah, and Richmond). When I think of the South, I think of sprawltropolises like Charlotte, Raleigh/Durham, and Atlanta, all of which I think are very unattractive. It was nice that Sean was able to open my eyes to the beauty of Roanoke, a city I had previously assumed was just as ugly as Charlotte. I'm more of a fan of narrow streets (preferably even some cobblestone ones), rowhomes, Victorians, etc., and you won't find that in, per se, the Lake Norman area of NC.

Well I can't speak for other southern cities, but in Texas and parts of Georgia you'll find stoned streets (built by the Native Americans), a few rowhomes, and Victorian houses. There's practically nothing but history in some cities, but I guess that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Me, for instance, I think that all northeastern places have some appeal to them, but being from the south I'm more fond of an abundance of natural beauty versus a sea of city-grey man-made "beauty". Also, you should know that there is a great deal of urban nostalgic architecture (even Art Deco) down here.

[seanpecor]

Originally Posted by ScrantonWilkesBarre

IIt was nice that Sean was able to open my eyes to the beauty of Roanoke, a city I had previously assumed was just as ugly as Charlotte. I'm more of a fan of narrow streets (preferably even some cobblestone ones), rowhomes, Victorians, etc., and you won't find that in, per se, the Lake Norman area of NC.

I think you just need to travel a bit more in the south; there are a vast number of Southern cities that are dripping with history and with gorgeous historic architecture. Cities and towns to tour include Leesburg, VA, New Orleans, LA, Saint Augustine, FL, Savannah, GA, Louisville, KY, Roanoke, VA, Lexington, VA, and so on. If we're strictly talking cities then there is something of an unfair comparison between northern atlantic and southern atlantic architecture when looking at the modern city as a whole. Every city along the Atlantic from Maine to Florida has a historic section with gorgeous architecture reflective of the cultural influence of early residents. However, southern cities have been growing MUCH faster than northern cities for decades now, so there are many more modern structures in newly established areas of southern cities.

Roanoke is a special city that sprang up when Norfolk Western established a rail yard in the city once named Big Lick. For an idea of just how important rail was to Roanoke, take a look at the following photo of Jefferson Street ca 1927:



Those tracks are still there. They just got covered up by asphalt. In odd places you'll even see the old rails peaking out through alley potholes.

Image from http://www.lva.lib.va.us/whatwedo/ar.../2005/roanoke/

Sean