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Flying over DC from Reagan National Airport heading out towards New York City. Even from the air, DC is a marvelous city of geometry and art! Lovely low-rise skyline with the National Mall, massive Downtown area, and the residential neighborhoods. Also within sight is the Potomac River and Anacostia River, the many skylines in Arlington County, and you can even see some elevation from the Appalachians in the far off distance as well.
Flying into Newark, you obviously land before you hit the city since Newark is about 10 miles west of NYC. Flying into LaGuardia you fly right over the city, giving you those views from right above. Newark can give you nice city views but not like those going west to east right over Manhattan. JFK, not as good I'd bet because it's south(east) of Manhattan while LaGuardia is directly east so I think LaGuardia will give you the best views flying into NYC from the west or south.
I've only ever flown to and from Newark, as well. I only go by word of my friend who is from California and frequently goes back and forth. She's gone through all three airports multiple times but the only time she's ever shared pictures of the aerial view is that time from LaGuardia.
I was unsure in my first post if it was LaGuardia or JFK but it was definitely LaGuardia.
I hardly saw the NYC skyline while I was coming in from JFK (However, I did saw some beautiful homes and cottages and wetlands while flying over northern New Jersey). And the Manhattan skyline is barely visible from JFK on the ground, which is obvious because of how deep into Queens JFK is located in. While driving into Manhattan from the airport shuttle, I saw parts of Queens for the first time ever while we were on that expressway (Forgot its name), saw those two towers and the Unisphere (It looked even bigger in real life, even from a distance) from Flushing-Meadows, I also saw this massive cemetery (I've never saw so many tombstones and obelisks in my life), the Manhattan Bridge, and different styles of architecture. This was last October and it was the second time I visited the NYC and the first time I paid Brooklyn a visit (Jay-Z's concert at the then-new Barclay's Center). Definitely would love to check out the outer boroughs more extensively next time around.
Flying over LA at night was an amazing sight. First time visiting LA this past September and the first day we arrived (Me and my mother), it was dark out, like around 8:00ish pm West Coast time. Los Angeles looked an overwhelmingly endless digital grid, it was an unbelievable sight. Next time around, I'm gonna visit the Griffith Observatory and the DTLA Marriott hotel tower for sure!
I hardly saw the NYC skyline while I was coming in from JFK (However, I did saw some beautiful homes and cottages and wetlands while flying over northern New Jersey). And the Manhattan skyline is barely visible from JFK on the ground, which is obvious because of how deep into Queens JFK is located in. While driving into Manhattan from the airport shuttle, I saw parts of Queens for the first time ever while we were on that expressway (Forgot its name), saw those two towers and the Unisphere (It looked even bigger in real life, even from a distance) from Flushing-Meadows, I also saw this massive cemetery (I've never saw so many tombstones and obelisks in my life), the Manhattan Bridge, and different styles of architecture. This was last October and it was the second time I visited the NYC and the first time I paid Brooklyn a visit (Jay-Z's concert at the then-new Barclay's Center). Definitely would love to check out the outer boroughs more extensively next time around.
Coming into JFK from the south you won't fly over the Manhattan skyline because JFK is so far south below Manhattan you won't pass over it. You may catch a glimpse, but maybe not. It probably depends. You'd be descending so you may not even see it until it's too late, especially during the day. I'd assume your chance is better at night. JFK is in far southeast Queens, practically out of city limits but not quite. LaGuardia is in northern Queens, kind of more west, near Flushing. You can see it from Citi Field.
Coming into JFK from the south you won't fly over the Manhattan skyline because JFK is so far south below Manhattan you won't pass over it. You may catch a glimpse, but maybe not. It probably depends. You'd be descending so you may not even see it until it's too late, especially during the day. I'd assume your chance is better at night. JFK is in far southeast Queens, practically out of city limits but not quite. LaGuardia is in northern Queens, kind of more west, near Flushing. You can see it from Citi Field.
Van Wyck Expressway? Grand Central Parkway?
Yep, it was Van Wyck Expressway. And now that I remember it, it was actually the Queensboro Bridge that we took when we entered Manhattan. We also rode on the Brooklyn Bridge via taxi returning to JFK from our Lower Manhattan hotel two days later. Also, we did caught sight of the Manhattan skyline as we were driving pass the Citi Field area as well.
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