Best Skyline Views from any Road

[JakeFromNewEngland]

I've been looking at several different cities lately on street view. Many of these cities have impressive views from the roads that offer great views of the skyline. I was wondering, what are some of your favorite skyline views from a road? My personal favorites are the Albany, NY skyline from I-90 and the Hartford, CT skyline from I-84.



I-90 westbound descending the hills with Albany straight ahead. This view always impresses me when we drive through. The view from US 4 is equally as awesome.


I-84 approaching Hartford. I have a better picture but I can't seem to find it anywhere.

All photos courtesy of GMSV. Please feel free to move this thread if it's not in the right place.

Fixed links -Z

[SD Mapman]

Okay, mine is this one. I-190, Rapid City.

[Zeffy]

Pittsburgh (one of my favorites that I've never experienced...):
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.437576,-80.013591,3a,48.2y,74.69h,87.99t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sN-omMqhxJ3xzAioEebxlwg!2e0

Philadelphia:
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.947529,-75.187179,3a,58.3y,63.74h,90.37t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1spKucXNE26MnoFJgadXHDGw!2e0

Newark:
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.74509,-74.122051,3a,41.5y,254.01h,88.56t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1scuE94bA6vgbmfwrwIC59CQ!2e0

Jersey City and Manhattan:
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.68655,-74.091342,3a,40.9y,70.37h,89.01t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s6ezJayjYjEPIWU5xkdF1bQ!2e0

Trenton (should've known that was coming!)
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.208754,-74.768343,3a,29.4y,6.76h,90.22t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1slG2bOWDLvrLxcvZGw0wnbw!2e0

[hbelkins]

I've always liked the view of Cincinnati that you get heading down the hill in Kentucky on northbound I-71/75.

And I'm also quite fond of seeing the skyline of Louisville in my rearview mirror anytime I have to go there. :-p

[wriddle082]

Nashville's skyline is pretty impressive as you're coming towards the Downtown interstate loop on I-65 form the north or south or I-40 from the east.  But there are also a couple of surprising views from I-440 around mm 0.2 and on the top level of the stack interchange with I-65.

Charlotte's skyline is impressive in that it can be seen easily from many different directions.  This is because the center of downtown (Trade and Tryon Streets, with the Bank of America tower located at one corner) is the highest point in the city, at least as it was originally laid out.

Columbia, SC has a couple of impressive skyline vistas.  One near where I live is from the flyover ramp from US 21/176/321 to I-77 north.  You can even make out USC's football stadium in that view.  Another is coming into downtown on the SC 12 freeway from the west.

Greenville, SC's skyline is also impressive from I-385 as you round a curve between Exits 40 and 42.

[Pete from Boston]

Coming into Pittsburgh on 376 from the west can't be done justice by any photo.  No view at all of the city until you're half a mile away.  Just incredible.

Albany bugs me.  Rockefeller's drooling "line up and be governed" fantasy writ large.  You can have it.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Minneapolis and St. Paul have a few pretty cool angles.

I-394 East:



I-35W North:



And finally I-94 westbound into St. Paul (have to GSV this one, sadly)

https://www.google.com/maps/@44.954446,-93.079103,3a,75y,226.35h,90t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1s8Tha_QDFqJDIMSk5jk6Wxg!2e0

[pianocello]

https://www.google.com/maps/@41.875589,-87.65865,3a,75y,84.76h,90.36t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sW4rMT2qCh4bv7WptIGMHag!2e0

Chicago from the Eisenhower. IMO, this is the best skyline view because the Sears Willis Sears Tower is in the foreground.

[Ian]

My personal favorites are the Albany, NY skyline from I-90

I really like the view of the skyline from US 9/20 in Rensselaer.

[Grzrd]

Older threads have touched on this topic, and I have previously mentioned two of my favorites in this post and this post.

[cl94]

Heading toward Buffalo on US 219 or US 20A gives one a good view of the Buffalo and Niagara Falls skylines before one descends a few hundred feet in elevation to the suburbs.

[vdeane]

I-390 has a decent view of Rochester, and I-81 has a decent view of Syracuse.  But my favorite view has to be A-40 approaching Quebec City.

My personal favorites are the Albany, NY skyline from I-90

I really like the view of the skyline from US 9/20 in Rensselaer.

IMO that is THE best view of Albany.

[Pete from Boston]

The best view of Downtown Boston, from the third-story view of the elevated Central Artery, is gone.  You felt like you were up among the buildings, not just looking up at them.  The view from the Central Artery is of sooty tile.

The second-best is from the Mass Pike going inbound, after the Allston tolls.  The elevation over the railroad yard gives quite a nice entry at night, though this too might be lost depending on how the interchange is straightened.

And, of course, just about anyplace on or from the Cambridge side of the 1,000-foot-wide Charles River Basin is nice, particularly crossing the Longfellow Bridge at sunup or sundown.

[jeffandnicole]

Two views that aren't from highways:

One of my favorite view of Philly comes from an unassuming site about 10 miles away from the city.  It appears to be a cloudy day so the city isn't viewable in this link: http://goo.gl/maps/7WLuB , but the view can be impressive at night, mostly as you wouldn't think you would be that close to the city.

Another view of a Philly landmark that frames perfectly between the trees is this: http://goo.gl/maps/HNcTr  Assuming the link comes up zoomed in (if it doesn't, zoom it in yourself), you are looking at the Cira Building next to 30th Street Station.  Again, it's more impressive at night with its various lights lit.  As the crow flies, you're about 8 miles away from the building. 

[NE2]

Looks like there's also a good view of Downtown Boston from the East Boston Expressway.

[Pete from Boston]

The best view of Downtown Boston, from the third-story view of the elevated Central Artery, is gone.  You felt like you were up among the buildings, not just looking up at them.  The view from the Central Artery is of sooty tile.

The second-best is from the Mass Pike going inbound, after the Allston tolls.  The elevation over the railroad yard gives quite a nice entry at night, though this too might be lost depending on how the interchange is straightened.

And, of course, just about anyplace on or from the Cambridge side of the 1,000-foot-wide Charles River Basin is nice, particularly crossing the Longfellow Bridge at sunup or sundown.

Oh, and the Tobin Bridge inbound, particularly now that the tolls are gone.

[The Nature Boy]

There are some good views of Charlotte's skyline from I-277.

[SectorZ]

The best view of Downtown Boston, from the third-story view of the elevated Central Artery, is gone.  You felt like you were up among the buildings, not just looking up at them.  The view from the Central Artery is of sooty tile.

The second-best is from the Mass Pike going inbound, after the Allston tolls.  The elevation over the railroad yard gives quite a nice entry at night, though this too might be lost depending on how the interchange is straightened.

And, of course, just about anyplace on or from the Cambridge side of the 1,000-foot-wide Charles River Basin is nice, particularly crossing the Longfellow Bridge at sunup or sundown.

To add some good ones a little farther out, I-93 south in Medford, MA 2 east in Belmont, and whatever the highest road is in the Blue Hills in Milton. The view from Belmont I always liked, as you can see the whole of the city from the Zakim Bridge to the Pru in one clear field of view.

[empirestate]

Pittsburgh (one of my favorites that I've never experienced...)

Coming into Pittsburgh on 376 from the west can't be done justice by any photo.  No view at all of the city until you're half a mile away.  Just incredible.

I have to say, impressive as the Fort Pitt approach is, I've always preferred the view from I-579 even more.

(And from PNC Park, forget about it...)

[Roadrunner75]

One of my favorite view of Philly comes from an unassuming site about 10 miles away from the city.  It appears to be a cloudy day so the city isn't viewable in this link: http://goo.gl/maps/7WLuB , but the view can be impressive at night, mostly as you wouldn't think you would be that close to the city.

Beat me to it...when I saw the topic one of first things that came to mind was that spot on ALT 553 just before the junkyards...

[mgk920]

I've mentioned these in prior threads, but some of my faves that are not yet in this thread include:

-DT Minneapolis, MN from MN 280 in Saint Paul, MN.
-DT Saint Paul, MN from NB US 52 Mississippi River bridge approach.
-DT Milwaukee, WI from NB I-794 after cresting the Hoan Bridge.

Mike

[bing101]

CA-110 Arroyo Seco Parkway Southbound has a great view of Downtown LA

I-80 James Lick Freeway and Bay Bridge has a great view of San Francisco.

[SignGeek101]

I think this should suffice.

http://goo.gl/maps/Gz1mB

[1995hoo]

I'm not finding a good Street View image and I do not have a photo, but there's a spot on the eastbound George Washington Memorial Parkway where you glimpse Washington DC down the Potomac gorge in the distance, with the Washington Monument, the Kennedy Center, and the Watergate all plainly visible. I've always really liked that view. (I do not remember if you can see it from the scenic overlooks on the westbound side because it's been at least 30 years, probably more like 35 years, since I've stopped at either of those.) The view of the city is best during the winter, of course, because the trees don't have leaves to obstruct the view, but the overall view is best during the fall when the leaves are turning. The view coming up I-395 is not nearly the same because the Pentagon overwhelms the view of the city, and the view coming up I-295 is from a different angle but includes too much industrial stuff that gets in the way. There's simply something about glimpsing the city down the Potomac gorge that I really like.

I also agree with the comments about Pittsburgh when you emerge from the Fort Pitt Tunnel. I don't much like Pittsburgh for several reasons, but it's hard to beat that view.

[Brandon]

Chicago.

Coming in on the Feeder Ramp:



Inbound on the Dan Ryan Expressway:



Inbound on the Kennedy Expressway: