A city is a place where there is no need to wait for next week to get the answer to a question, to taste the food of any country, to find new voices to listen to and familiar ones to listen to again.
Margaret Mead
Search for quotations about cities, as I have just done, and you will find more that condemn than praise them. But as a lover of city life I looked for the latter, and Margaret Mead sums up for me one of the pleasures of city life, its diversity and variety.
In another quote, Desmond Morris famously said that, βThe city is not a concrete jungle, it is a human zooβ. Yes, the people make the city, but when it comes to appreciating a city as a whole, rather than its individual streets and buildings (some of which may be beautiful, others less so), nothing beats getting up high. When I travel to a city, if it has a tower or skyscraper with a viewing platform, or maybe a nearby mountain or just a hill, I have the urge to go up.
For Pattiβs Lens Artists challenge on cityscapes Iβve been through my archives to find photos from occasions when Iβve been able to do just that. Some are quite recent and featured in earlier posts, others are older. Hopefully there will be at least a few that you havenβt seen before (or have forgotten that youβve seen!) And tempted as I was to share multiple photos of the best views, Iβve restricted myself to a single photo from each city.
My feature photo is of my own city, London, taken from the top of the Shard, its highest building, and looking towards Docklands. Close to sunset on this bright winterβs day the layer of pollution above the city can clearly be seen, one of the downsides of city life.
I’m starting my gallery quite close to home too, in Paris, before venturing further and further afield.
Paris from the (tethered) Generali Balloon in the Parc AndrΓ© CitroΓ«n
Seville’s bullring from the cathedral bell tower
View of Lisbon’s castle from a miradouro (viewing balcony) in the Barrio Alto
Naples and Vesuvius at sunset from the Belvedere di San Martino
Leipzig, Germany, from the Observation Platform of the City-Hochhaus
View of Riga, Latvia, from the Academy of Sciences building
Tallinn from Toompea Hill, with St Olav’s church prominent on the left
Tirana, Albania, from Dajti Mountain
Antananarivo, capital of Madagascar, from the Rova (palace)
View from the Bitexco Financial Tower in Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon), Vietnam
View of Pyongyang, North Korea, from the Juche Tower
Downtown Rio de Janeiro from the Sugarloaf (scanned from an old slide)
Looking over Bogota, Colombia, from Montserrate
View over Medellin, Colombia, from Comuna 1
Quito, Ecuador, and the TelefΓ©riqo cable car nearing the top of the (now dormant) Pichincha Volcano
Valparaiso, Chile, from the top of the ArtillerΓa Funicular, one of a number in the city
View of Seattle and Mount Rainier from the Space Needle
Night view from 360 Chicago at 875 North Michigan Avenue
Manhattan from the Top of the Rock at the Rockefeller Center, soon after sunset
78 Comments
SoyBend
Yes, seeing cities from a high point of view is a good idea, Sarah. I liked your picture of the red-tiled roofs in Lisbon. Also liked the one of Tallinn with the hot air balloon. The Seattle one looked very familiar. Glad the mountain was “out”, as the locals say.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Siobhan π Yes, we were lucky that the mountain was out that day, and again for much of our time around the national park, apart from one very foggy morning!
Sofia Alves
Wow, Sarah, what a collection! Impossible to choose π
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Sofia – no obligation to choose π
Leya
Absolutely fantastic! So many cities – and from above. Well done! My favourite must be Valparaiso and the blue house. Chicago not far behind.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Ann-Christine π Valparaiso is a very colourful city, I’m glad you liked the blue house. Did you spot the large mural lower down the hill?
Marie
You’ve been EVERYWHERE!!! Wonderful set – I’ve been to a few on your list but wouldn’t have that city view for many….. I like the Chicago scene….
Sarah Wilkie
Oh no, not everywhere! But a lot of places, yes. Those views in Chicago were wonderful. We timed our visit for late afternoon and stayed until after sunset so we got the view in different lights π
grandmisadventures
I would take glorious views over a city than being in the middle of the city anytime and these are really beautiful views of so many cities π
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you π I like both, but there’s nothing like a view from high up to get a sense of a city as a whole!
Alison
Wow did you realise how many cities you’ve been to? The quotes are great too. There’s something for everyone in a city
Sarah Wilkie
Oh, I must have been to many more cities than this! These are just the ones I had decent ‘from above’ images of π And you’re right, there is something for everyone in a city indeed!
Paradocs Photography
WOW! What a beautiful collection. Who needs a drone when you can adventure to these spots with your legs. Thanks for sharing these!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you π Yes, no drone needed for these, although lifts (elevators) / cable cars / balloons all helped!
wetanddustyroads
Weren’t you surprised to see how many photos you have of cities? I am! The Colombia photos leave me almost without breath – wow, so many people and dwellings! And even though I’m no city girl, your Chicago photo is a winner!
Sarah Wilkie
Well, we visit cities a lot so it’s not so surprising I have a lot of photos, but deciding to show them only from higher viewpoints made the selection easier π
Anabel @ The Glasgow Gallivanter
I like the Manhattan view best – something about the sky. Also, itβs one of the few Iβve been too (the others being London, Paris, Seattle and Quito).
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Anabel – we were fortunate with the sunset the day we went up the Top of the Rock π Less so with the Shard in London however, but we still enjoyed the views!
Wind Kisses
So many to love here Sarah. I love seeing how you captured so many rivers which in reality is how the cities were formed in the first place. I agree with you, and Margaret Mead. Perfectly said. I love your attitude in finding places to go up so you can get the perspectives from above. Like my photo from Rota, I have also never seen Seville from above and we only lived an hour away. What a beautiful picture of the bullring amongst the city streets. And I loved the Paris view too. Wow, Sarah. Just Wow. I bet you enjoyed putting this together. So many memories.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Donna π It hadn’t struck me about the rivers, but you’re right, they feature in quite a few of these shots. If a city has a river I do like to include it, as it breaks up the sea of buildings when seen from such a distance. And yes, many cities were founded on rivers, or on the coast like Rio and Seattle – Valparaiso too (the docks are just out of shot on the left of my picture). I did indeed have fun with this one π
Wind Kisses
It shows! Then again it always shows! π
thehungrytravellers.blog
Oh youβre so right, Sarah – getting to the top of such places whilst in a city is a must do, everywhere. Apart from the drama, it just gives perspective to the layout, the size, and the different areas of a city, including where the pizzazz ends and the suburbs, and poorer areas, begin. Some cities look so green from above, these views give us a real grasp of the extent of tree lined streets and parkland, or indeed the lack of it in highly populated areas. Great post with great shots (again!)
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Phil, good to know you love getting these perspectives too π You can understand a city so much better when you have a wider view of it, as you so rightly say.
Tanja
I love seeing a city from above. I have a similar photo from Lisbon. I enjoyed a number of London views, from the Sky garden, One new change, the Monument, London eye, Primrose Hill and Hampstead Heath and Greenwich. Still, didn’t see London from the Shard
Sarah Wilkie
Those are all great viewpoints too Tanja and apart from the London Eye are either free or much cheaper than the Shard. We only did that because I spotted a special off-season deal π
Tanja
Yes, the price is why I still didn’t do it
Kathleen Jennette
Beautiful shots from above Sarah!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Kathleen π
Terri Webster Schrandt
Amazing urban centers, Sarah! We think there isn’t much space left, yet when we leave a huge city, there are still countless miles of open space left to see.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Terri π You have a lot more ‘miles of open space’ in the US than we do here!
Terri Webster Schrandt
Especially here in the west.
pattimoed
I’m in awe of all these places that you’ve visited and these spectacular views, Sarah. Wonderful collection of cities from “on high.”
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Patti π And for the challenge theme too, it was a fun one!
pattimoed
Wonderful.
I. J. Khanewala
You have an interesting point of view I say
Sarah Wilkie
I’m not sure if you mean my views on cities or my views OF them?!
Monkey's Tale
I love views from above too. These are all fantastic, but my favourite it Talinn. It’s on my wish list π
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Maggie π Tallinn is beautiful, and as a bonus has excellent restaurants too!
Ritva SillanmΓ€ki Photography
I enjoyed these beautifully shot and composed city views
Ritva SillanmΓ€ki Photography
Beautiful photos of so many cities, I really enjoy the older one. Valparaiso, Chile stood out because of the blue house π I really enjoyed the tour around the world
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Ritva Valparaiso is such a colourful city with lots of street art!
Leanne Cole
So many cities Sarah, they are all the same, yet all very different.
I love that quote at the start. Beautiful all round.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Leanne – yes, each city is unique despite the similarities π
Easymalc
Like you Sarah, I love to take in the views from on high. A great set of pictures once again π
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Malcolm, glad you enjoyed them π
mickmccann24175
Great perspectives Sarah! Thanks for taking me back to Toompea. I’m usually more attracted to nature and wilderness, but getting high above the a city is a great way to show a place in its context. Now I have some urban areas on my radar.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Mick π Toompea is wonderful, isn’t it, and all of old Tallinn! Glad to have added some cities to your radar.
Anne Sandler
Sarah, I loved all these spectacular images from on high. It’s the perfect way to photograph a city.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Anne, I’m glad you enjoyed them π
the eternal traveller
We’re city lovers too. A friend of mine, who is widely travelled, always says one city is just like another but I have to disagree. We find there is so much diversity in cities and so much to see in every one we go to. Sure we love to get out of big cities and explore further but we always find something new in each city we visit. Great photos of each of these amazing cities.
Sarah Wilkie
Oh yes, you’re right – every city is different! I do hate how main shopping areas have become so homogenised though, with all the multinational chains π But nevertheless each city has its own character and I love to visit them although like you when we travel we favour exploring further afield even more. I love to visit wild countryside or even our tamer British countryside, but I don’t think I could ever live there!
the eternal traveller
We were in New South Wales a couple of weeks ago and commented about how it used to be so much fun to go to another place and see all different shops but now it’s all the same franchises and chains. Luckily we don’t travel for the shopping so it doesn’t matter that much.
Sarah Wilkie
Same here, but I do like a good cup of coffee so I despair when all I see is Starbucks!
Rose
Sarah, you photographed all these cityscapes beautifully! I could not choose a favorite.β€οΈ
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Rose π
kzmcb
So many differing views of the worldβs cities. Some locations lent themselves to better angles and I did prefer the very old European buildings with their colour.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Karen π I always like hearing which ones people prefer, and I guess those older buildings have more charm.
EgΓdio
Sarah, it is impossible to pick a favorite in this breathtaking set you shared. Gorgeous photos!
Sarah Wilkie
Aw, thank you π
Teresa
I am having trouble commenting but I have to give it a second try. These are all wonderful city captures. But my favourites are the the two last sunset photos
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Teresa π I think you must not have been logged into WP when you commented the first time as it appeared as ‘anonymous’ in my pending approval folder. I deleted that one as you’d repeated it here. I’m glad you enjoyed these and those last two in particular.
Teresa
Thanks for that Sarah.
Sarah Wilkie
π
Tina Schell
These are all wonderful Sarah but my favorites are the night shots which give the cities such a lovely glow. Great idea to feature images from on high.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Tina – there is I think something magical about a city after dark seen from above π
JohnRH
Wowwwww. Superb photos. As always, you really should travel more!! (I’ve been to Quito! Woo hoo!!)
Sarah Wilkie
Haha, thanks so much John π Sorry about the delay in acknowledging this – you commented using a different email address, I think, and it ended up in my spam folder!
Sylvia Bacon
Sarah, you have so many great pictures from your travels,I really enjoyed looking at all of them!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Sylvia, I’m happy you enjoyed them π
photobyjohnbo
Wonderful take on the challenge, Sarah! I always appreciate views from on high, whether they be from a tall building, a balloon, or an aircraft.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much John π I did think about including airplane shots but I already had too many!
margaret21
Oh, how exhilarating! I don’t think I have a single panorama-from-on-high photos in my collection. These are great. The Manhattan image might be my favourite.
Sarah Wilkie
One of my favourites too, thank you Margaret π
Annie Berger
Wow, you HAVE been all over, haven’t you?! Great collection of shots, Sarah. My favorite is the one from Tallinn. Curious to see what other people say are their faves.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Annie π Yes, I guess we get around a fair bit! Funnily enough I nearly left out the one of Tallinn, not because I don’t like it but because it’s less ‘city-ish’ than the others. But it’s one of my favourite European cities so it stayed in!
Sue
What an utterly fantastic set of views of so many different cities, Sarah!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Sue π
Sue
You are most welcome!