Skylines/buildings/objects viewed from unusual vantage points?

[Mr_Northside]

One of my favorite views is this view of the Pittsburgh skyline from 36 miles away.  This is the view from PA 31 as it descends Chestnut Ridge (the westernmost ridge of the Laurel Highlands).

Pittsburgh skyline from Three Mile Hill - Acme, PA by Jon Dawson, on Flickr

Admittedly, there is a lot of zoom in that picture (I'm originally from about 7 miles from here, also along the ridge, and while the USX & Mellon towers are pretty noticeable with the naked eye, it's a little harder to make out anything else without some zoom

[jmd41280]

Admittedly, there is a lot of zoom in that picture (I'm originally from about 7 miles from here, also along the ridge, and while the USX & Mellon towers are pretty noticeable with the naked eye, it's a little harder to make out anything else without some zoom

From the naked eye while driving down the mountain on PA 31, you can pretty much only see USX and Mellon.  I didn't notice any of the other buildings until I pulled off to the side of the road and took out the trusty old telephoto lens.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

The farthest you can see Minneapolis is from about 15 miles out on I-35W northbound in Burnsville as you pass MN 13, which comes into view as the road prepares to dive into the Minnesota River Valley allowing the sightlines to clear enough to see it. You can make out all the city's most prominent buildings. I want to say this also applies to northbound MN 77, also as it crosses MN 13 but I'm less confident in that statement.

[Rothman]

And here I thought it was neat you could see the Willis (Sears) Tower from some places around Darien, IL.

[GenExpwy]

Back in the 1980s, you could catch a glimpse of downtown Rochester from I-390 exit 10 (US 20 / NY 5), 18 miles away.

Since then the trees have grown up to block the view.

[The Great Zo]

Here's downtown Tampa from the rest area on the south end of the Sunshine Skyway bridge. Distance of 27 miles. Picture is mine.

[jmd41280]

Not a very distant view, but there is a nice view of downtown Jacksonville from the top of the I-295 Dames Point Bridge


Jacksonville, FL by Jon Dawson, on Flickr

Here is a view of downtown Jacksonville from Palmetto Ave. on Fort George Island (about 15 miles away as the crow flies)


Jacksonville skyline from Fort George Island by Jon Dawson, on Flickr

[jwolfer]

Not a very distant view, but there is a nice view of downtown Jacksonville from the top of the I-295 Dames Point Bridge


Jacksonville, FL by Jon Dawson, on Flickr

Here is a view of downtown Jacksonville from Palmetto Ave. on Fort George Island (about 15 miles away as the crow flies)


Jacksonville skyline from Fort George Island by Jon Dawson, on Flickr

Nice views.. The Buckman Bridge( the west beltway over St Johns River is a nice view.. Especially with low humidity.. Which doesn't happen often in the Southeast. I need to get some pics

LGMS428

[jeffandnicole]

The (I-76) Walt Whitman Bridge from Brooklawn, NJ, 2 miles away.

The right tower (in NJ) was recent repainted, and you can see the tarp covering the side and underside of the bridge as they strip away numerous coats of paint, including the original lead paint.  They'll get to the PA tower on the left this winter or spring.

[jmd41280]

Speaking of Philadelphia, its skyline can be spotted from I-476 near the PA 563 overpass (38 miles away)

Photo courtesy of Flickr user Ver Tryn...


VERY Distant Philadelphia Skyline by Ver Tryn, on Flickr

[noelbotevera]

You can see Atlantic City NJ from Ocean City NJ - 21 miles driving, but it's about 10 miles away. I measured this from NJ 52 in Ocean City (where you'd mostly likely enter Ocean City) to the casino area of Atlantic City.


https://www.google.com/maps/@39.2930871,-74.5369888,12z

[Roadrunner75]

Another view of Philly from Mantua, NJ which I grew up seeing quite often, from about 12.5 miles away. https://goo.gl/maps/YENRnC8ywev

I always liked that spot too.

You can see Atlantic City NJ from Ocean City NJ - 21 miles driving, but it's about 10 miles away. I measured this from NJ 52 in Ocean City (where you'd mostly likely enter Ocean City) to the casino area of Atlantic City.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.2930871,-74.5369888,12z

Or see it from this spot, at the dead-end of Great Bay Blvd, looking south:
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.5106103,-74.3199677,3a,53.1y,208.28h,94.73t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sZt6mwsO7XMmSWC4Z1RoAlQ!2e0?force=lite
This road is a great drive by the way, with two single lane bridges controlled by signals.  At one time this road was planned to complete its crossing of the bay as a northern approach to Atlantic City.

[jwolfer]

Another view of Philly from Mantua, NJ which I grew up seeing quite often, from about 12.5 miles away. https://goo.gl/maps/YENRnC8ywev

I always liked that spot too.

You can see Atlantic City NJ from Ocean City NJ - 21 miles driving, but it's about 10 miles away. I measured this from NJ 52 in Ocean City (where you'd mostly likely enter Ocean City) to the casino area of Atlantic City.

https://www.google.com/maps/@39.2930871,-74.5369888,12z

Or see it from this spot, at the dead-end of Great Bay Blvd, looking south:
https://www.google.com/maps/@39.5106103,-74.3199677,3a,53.1y,208.28h,94.73t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1sZt6mwsO7XMmSWC4Z1RoAlQ!2e0?force=lite
This road is a great drive by the way, with two single lane bridges controlled by signals.  At one time this road was planned to complete its crossing of the bay as a northern approach to Atlantic City.

When i first got my drivers licence at 17.. Damn NJ makes you wait til 17... I drove on Great Bay Blvd and hit a pothole that was so big it broke my front axle

LGMS428

[bulldog1979]

Well, i never been to Shiloh before, and they torn down the Chain Of Rocks years ago.

The Chain of Rocks Bridge is still there. You're probably thinking of the bridges carrying I-270 over the canal, which were imploded in early 2015. I'm talking about the bridge opened in 1929 that carried US 66 across the Mississippi River that is located just downstream from the New Chain of Rocks Bridge that carries I-270 over the river.

[Buck87]

On a clear day, Cedar Point's Millennium Force roller coaster starts coming into view from US 250 just north of Avery, Ohio....from a distance of about 10 miles. This view is possible due to this being a long straight stretch of US 250, which just so happens to aim directly at Millennium Force. The even taller coaster Top Thrill Dragster is not visible from this spot as it does not line up with the road, and gets blocked by nearby objects on the horizon.

MF, TTD and the new Valravn are all visible from various points along OH 2 south of Sandusky, ranging from 5.5-7 miles away. The entire parks skyline can also bee seen from 7.5 miles away from OH's 2 Edison Bridge over Sandusky Bay, but that's a straight view entirely over water, so not all that surprising.

[Rothman]

Well, i never been to Shiloh before, and they torn down the Chain Of Rocks years ago.

The Chain of Rocks Bridge is still there. You're probably thinking of the bridges carrying I-270 over the canal, which were imploded in early 2015. I'm talking about the bridge opened in 1929 that carried US 66 across the Mississippi River that is located just downstream from the New Chain of Rocks Bridge that carries I-270 over the river.

It better still be there.  I just walked across it recently!

[Thing 342]

Columbia's skyline can be seen from the north end of the Lake Murray Dam, a distance of around 12 miles:

[ChiMilNet]

I'm kind of hamstrung because I don't know the lay of the land some 30 years later, but back in the 80's one could see the Chicago skyline relatively clearly from the eastern areas of Schaumburg, especially from 290/53, would be roughly 30 miles away.

It's still visible from there. One of the best spots is from I-294 by the big rail yard just south of North Avenue, on a clear day, the entire skyline can be prominently viewed. Another cool view is from the Chicago Skyway when crossing the high bridge. There were times as a kid, back in the 80's, when I could make out the Sears Tower from the LaGrange Road (US 45) and I-80 interchange, which was basically cornfields at the time. However, when going through the large forest preserve just North of Orland Park, there are several trails that allow you to view the Chicago skyline from a bluff.

[CapeCodder]

You can see Edgartown and Oak Bluffs from the ferry to Nantucket, a good 20 miles away. Notable points that you can see are the water towers, Edgartown is white and OB is greyish. At night you can see Nantucket from as far as Great Island, which is in Yarmouth, MA. I'll post pics later.

[hm insulators]

California 2 heading south down the hill from I-210 has a terrific view of the downtown Los Angeles skyline. On real clear winter days, the skyline can actually be seen from westbound I-210 as far east as San Dimas.

Southbound Arizona 51 coming down Dreamy Draw has a nice view of downtown Phoenix.

[Max Rockatansky]

California 2 heading south down the hill from I-210 has a terrific view of the downtown Los Angeles skyline. On real clear winter days, the skyline can actually be seen from westbound I-210 as far east as San Dimas.

Southbound Arizona 51 coming down Dreamy Draw has a nice view of downtown Phoenix.

There is a couple slopes before the southern turn on 2 where down town can be seen off to the side.  Really I don't think most people notice the skyline until they start that final descent southbound...eyes on the road tends to do that.