There’s no more unfortunate example than La Guardia. Despite its abysmal reputation, flights into La Guardia regularly offer breathtaking views of New York City. The first time I went to Rockefeller Center’s observation deck, I heard someone remark how much better the view was from there, compared with the Empire State Building, because you can’t see King Kong’s last perch when you’re standing on it. The views from a flight landing at La Guardia take that logic to a whole new altitude. If you come in over the Upper Bay of New York Harbor, your arrival will start, aptly enough, with a view of the Statue of Liberty. Next is the small matter of a famous island, which, at least at night, manages to look like what it so often claims to be: the capital of the world.

Note the topography of Manhattan’s skyscrapers, how Lower Manhattan and Midtown are entirely distinct skylines. Find Times Square by the stadium-like metallic light that pours upward into the night sky and spills like water into nearby neighborhoods. From there follow Broadway as it angles across the grid. And make sure to look directly down as the glowing streets flip past like pages in a book.