Where to Find the Best Views in New York City
TPG Contributor Mitch Berman has lived all his adult life in Manhattan, and his son, TPG Teen Contributor Kofi Lee-Berman, was born there. Here, they share their love of heights and their vertical hometown, with text by Mitch and pictures by both of them. Visit Mitch and Kofi's photo blog and Kofi's travel blog for more.
As a California kid from a suburb full of ranch houses, when I first looked up at Manhattan, I fell in love. At some level I'd resolved then and there to move to New York, only I just didn't realize it at the time.
Though I've now spent most of my life in Manhattan, I still look up sometimes and feel that same old sense of amazement wash over me. It's a great city for a great many reasons — one of them is it just doesn't look remotely like anyplace else. Here's a look at some of my favorite places to find the best views in the Big Apple.
The Met's Roof Garden Café and Martini Bar
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a fantastic resource for New Yorkers and visitors alike. While most people stay inside to see all the magnificent works or art, you shouldn't miss another — the rooftop's nearly 360-degree views of Fifth Avenue and Central Park, stretching downtown all the way from 83rd to 59th Street, and across all the way to Central Park West.
The Met's rooftop also features revolving art exhibits like Cornelia Parker's Psychobarn, pictured below, and a thriving bar that fills up for cocktail hour.
The High Line
While the High Line might be a relatively new park — most of its length opened only in 2011 — it was an immediate sensation. Built on a long-disused rail line, it's a 1.45-mile biopsy of Manhattan, offering a brand new perspective on the city. Nowadays the park is listed in just about every travel guide, and there are usually so many visitors that it can be hard to maneuver.
I was trapped up there during a recent storm, when the rain started coming down in sheets. Without an umbrella, I had no choice but to wait it out and it ended up being a blessing in disguise — I soon discovered everyone else had cleared out and the High Line was mine!
The Bar at 230 Fifth
You can get great views of both the Empire State Building and Madison Square Park from the top of 230 Fifth, a bar that bills itself as the largest outdoor rooftop garden in New York. And it must be — there's space for hundreds of people, with full views on three sides.
Several excellent buildings stand alongside Madison Square, the original location of Madison Square Garden.
First, you'll see the narrow, campanile-like Metropolitan Life Clock Tower. At exactly 700 feet, it was the world's tallest building when it opened in 1909.
One of my favorite buildings is right next door, and is now known as Eleven Madison Avenue. Begun in the 1920s as the Metropolitan Life North Building, it was originally supposed to attain a height nearly double that of the Metropolitan Life Clock Tower. But the grandiose project was hard-hit by the Great Depression, and construction ground to a halt in 1933. The 29-story stump of what would have been the world's tallest building was finished only in 1950.
A somewhat more successful construction project went up in 1931. The Empire State Building became a worldwide icon when King Kong fell off the top only two years later. It would reign as the world's tallest building for nearly four decades, surpassed only by the World Trade Center in 1970. After September 11, 2001, the Empire State Building was once again New York's tallest building, until One World Trade Center opened in 2014.
One World Observatory
The new highest building in the western hemisphere, One World Trade Center has an observatory 1,254 feet in the air, just 522 feet lower than its top. That's quite high enough.
The observatory has windows on all sides (but it's not open air, unfortunately), and you can look toward Brooklyn and its famous bridge.
The Brooklyn Bridge Area
The walk from the Brooklyn Heights promenade over the Brooklyn Bridge toward Manhattan yields some of the best views of the city. This is no undiscovered treasure, however — the bridge is crowded with what seems like shore-to-shore selfie-takers. And deadly speeding bicyclists. Stay in the pedestrian lane, no matter how crowded it gets!
Back on the Brooklyn side, admire the Manhattan skyline from Brooklyn Bridge Park.
If all this walking has helped you work up an appetite, stop by Grimaldi's in Fulton Landing (on the Brooklyn side), serving whole pizzas only (no slices) in a glorious building at One Front Street. For dessert, treat yourself to a delicious sundae with hot fudge and a mountain of roasted almond slivers at the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory.
And if You're Lucky, From the Air
This view of the 2015 winter snowstorm and deep freeze was snapped, appropriately enough for The Points Guy, from a plane window.
It's a treat whenever we fly this close over our hometown, but last winter was special because so many parts of Queens and Central Park were snowed over, and ice floes formed over the shallower surfaces of the East River. New York was truly transformed, and by luck we got to see it all from above.
What's your favorite view in New York City?
TPG featured card
at American Express's secure site
Terms & restrictions apply. See rates & fees.
| 3X | Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases. |
| 1X | Earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases. |
Pros
- Delta SkyClub access when flying Delta
- Annual companion ticket for travel on Delta (upon renewal)
- Ability to earn MQDs through spending
- Various statement credits for eligible purchases
Cons
- Steep annual fee of $650
- Other Delta cobranded cards offer superior earning categories
- Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 or more in purchases with your new Card within the first 6 months of Card Membership and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card within your first 6 months, starting from the date that your account is opened. Offer Ends 04/01/2026.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members receive 15 Visits per Medallion® Year to the Delta Sky Club® when flying Delta and can unlock an unlimited number of Visits after spending $75,000 in purchases on your Card in a calendar year. Plus, you’ll receive four One-Time Guest Passes each Medallion Year so you can share the experience with family and friends when traveling Delta together.
- Enjoy complimentary access to The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. and select international locations (as set forth on the Centurion Lounge Website), Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge in the U.S. (see the Centurion Lounge Website for more information on Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge availability), and Escape Lounges when flying on a Delta flight booked with the Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card. § To access Sidecar by The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 90 minutes of their departing flight (including layovers). To access The Centurion® Lounge, Card Members must arrive within 3 hours of their departing flight. Effective July 8, 2026, during a layover, Card Members must arrive within 5 hours of the connecting flight.
- Receive $2,500 Medallion® Qualification Dollars with MQD Headstart each Medallion Qualification Year and earn $1 MQD for each $10 in purchases on your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card with MQD Boost to get closer to Status next Medallion Year.
- Enjoy a Companion Certificate on a Delta First, Delta Comfort, or Delta Main round-trip flight to select destinations each year after renewal of your Card. The Companion Certificate requires payment of government-imposed taxes and fees of between $22 and $250 (for itineraries with up to four flight segments). Baggage charges and other restrictions apply. Delta Basic experiences are not eligible for this benefit.
- $240 Resy Credit: When you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card for eligible purchases with U.S. Resy restaurants, you can earn up to $20 each month in statement credits. Enrollment required.
- $120 Rideshare Credit: Earn up to $10 back in statement credits each month after you use your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card to pay for U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers. Enrollment required.
- Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card Members get 15% off when using miles to book Award Travel on Delta flights through delta.com and the Fly Delta app. Discount not applicable to partner-operated flights or to taxes and fees.
- With your Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card, receive upgrade priority over others with the same Medallion tier, product and fare experience purchased, and Million Miler milestone when you fly with Delta.
- Earn 3X Miles on Delta purchases and earn 1X Miles on all other eligible purchases.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees. Enjoy international travel without additional fees on purchases made abroad.
- $650 Annual Fee.
- Apply with confidence. Know if you're approved for a Card with no impact to your credit score. If you're approved and you choose to accept this Card, your credit score may be impacted.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees