Skyline: Los Angeles

 

Although Los Angeles is known more for its beautiful residents (read: celebrities) and its many tourist attractions such as Universal Studios, Disneyland, and Hollywood than it is for its skyline, it is still a beautiful city worth seeing from above. One of the locations to get the best view of the "City of Angels" is from the Griffith Observatory in Griffith Park. At night, the lights of the city seem to stretch to infinity.

 

 

 

 

You may not see hollywood stars or real stars in the sky, but the radiant city lights below will surely make up for it.

 

 

*** I was lucky I even got decent shots as I didn't have a tripod on this trip. Enjoy!

 

 

 

Skyline: New York, NY

The city of superlatives. When asked to describe NY, one cannot help but use every superlative in the dictionary. It is big - the largest city in the US. It has the most number of high-rise buildings in America - second in the World. It is exciting - tagged as the "City that never sleeps." It is the capital of business - home to Wall Street. It sets the trend in fashion - host of the Fashion Week. The list goes on. Clearly, New York City is so much more than its skyscrapers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Skyline: Chicago, IL

 

The Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which destroyed one-third of the city was one of the worst disaster in 19th century U.S.A. The quote "Fire is the test of gold; adversity, of strong men" by Martha Graham held true for Chicago during that time. Rather than dampen the spirit of Chicagoans, it spurred the city to get back to its feet and literally transformed it into one of the most populous and economically important American cities.

One of the unique trait of the city's scape is that most of its high-rise buildings are found near the lake. This was all part of Daniel Burnham's "Plan of Chicago." The name may sound familiar with Filipinos. This is because his city planning projects did not stop at Chicago. He was commissioned to make the Plan of Manila and Baguio in the Philippines. His plan for Manila was ignored, except for Roxas Boulevard, but he was successful with Baguio. He laid the the plan for the city of Baguio, hence Burnham Park.

 

view from the Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum

 

view from the Shedd Aquarium

 

view from the John Hancock Center Observatory

 

 

 

 

view from Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower)

 

 

Skyline: Kansas City, MO

 

With art deeply rooted in its past, it is not surprising that Kansas City's landscape is striking. Nicknamed as the "City of Fountains," KC boasts of over 200 fountains, claiming to have the second most in the world with Rome as the first. It has also earned the moniker "Paris of the Plains" because of its wide boulevards, beautiful parks, interesting architecture, and countless jazz clubs and gambling halls. Not surprisingly, it has produced the following notable Kansas Citians: Harry Truman, Amelia Earhart, Walt Disney, Ernest Hemingway, Joyce Hall (Hallmark), Kate Spade, Eminem, David Cook, and Melissa Etheridge.

 

 

 

 

Skyline: Makati City

The Philipines is often associated with secluded beaches and rural mountains. Visitors are usually surprised to see high rise buildings when they arrive in the country. Most skyscrapers are located in the  City of Makati. It is the financial district of the Philippines much like Wall Street is to New York. The Makati skyline is a sight to behold up close and afar.

Here is a picture taken on the rooftop of one of the condominiums in the city.

 

 

Even during disasters, it still looks marvelous.

 

 

I am lucky to be able to see it every morning as I wake up

 

 

and every night before I go to bed.