The 21 Best Places to See the New York City Skyline

Waterfront lawns, rooftop decks and a ferry deck, each with its own angle on the same skyline. Which one gives the view you would send a visitor to?

1. 1
   Brooklyn Bridge Park

   Waterfront park below the Brooklyn Bridge with a Lower Manhattan skyline view.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Socrates Sculpture Park

   Astoria outdoor sculpture park on the East River with a Manhattan backdrop.
   706pts
3. 3
   Queensbridge Park

   Queens riverside park beneath the Queensboro Bridge, facing Roosevelt Island.
   706pts
4. 4
   DUMBO Washington Street

   Cobblestone street that frames the Manhattan Bridge with the Empire State Building.
   680pts
5. 5
   Top of the Rock

   Rockefeller Center observation deck with a clear view of Central Park and the Empire State Building.
   611pts
6. 6
   Staten Island Ferry

   Free ferry ride past the Statue of Liberty with the Lower Manhattan skyline behind it.
   611pts
7. 7
   Astoria Park

   Queens park beneath the Hell Gate and Triborough bridges with a Midtown view.
   611pts
8. 8
   Governors Island

   Car-free island in New York Harbor with hammock groves and a harbor skyline view.
   611pts
9. 9
   Hoboken Pier A Park

   Hoboken pier park with an across-the-Hudson view of Lower Manhattan.
   611pts
10. 10
    One World Observatory

    Observation deck on floors 100 to 102 of One World Trade Center.
    529pts
11. 11
    Central Park Bow Bridge

    Cast-iron footbridge in Central Park that frames the San Remo and Midtown towers.
    529pts
12. 12
    Roosevelt Island Four Freedoms Park

    Memorial park at the southern tip of Roosevelt Island facing the East River.
    433pts
13. 13
    The High Line

    Elevated park on a former rail line with views along the Hudson and Chelsea.
    433pts
14. 14
    Little Island

    Pier-based park on the Hudson with tulip-shaped pots and river views.
    433pts
15. 15
    Domino Park

    Williamsburg riverside park on the old Domino Sugar refinery site.
    317pts
16. 16
    Empire State Building

    Art Deco skyscraper whose 86th and 102nd floor decks look over all five boroughs.
    317pts
17. 17
    Hunter's Point South Park

    Long Island City waterfront park with a Midtown and United Nations view.
    317pts
18. 18
    Brooklyn Heights Promenade

    Elevated esplanade above the BQE looking across at Lower Manhattan.
    317pts
19. 19
    Weehawken Waterfront

    New Jersey Hudson riverfront with a head-on view of Midtown Manhattan.
    317pts
20. 20
    Gantry Plaza State Park

    Long Island City waterfront park with restored gantries and the Pepsi-Cola sign, facing Midtown.
    0pts
21. 21
    Summit One Vanderbilt

    Mirrored observation experience on top of One Vanderbilt beside Grand Central.
    0pts

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