City Life

Favorite cities Skyscrapers New York City Other city links

  I was raised in a small town in Idaho (which accounts for my trusting nature and wholesome, "small-town" values) but I've spent most of my life in or near large cities. Since 1973 I have lived in greater Boston, and prior to that I lived in Seattle. I find cities stimulating, challenging, rewarding, and a never-ending source of things I love including knowledge, culture, and rich social opportunities. I strive for a sense of urban self-sufficiency and I am what you would call a real city aficionado.

This page started out as a section on my Favorites page, which is why it consists mostly of links. Most of these sites have photos of city life, including buildings and other structures.

 


Favorite cities

  Here are some of the cities I have lived in or just spent time in that I really enjoy. You can see aerial photos of some of these cities at Aerial photos .

      Boston

My Boston page
City map


      Washington, DC  (see government links on the Favorites page)

City of Washington, DC
City map
A View on Cities - Washington
Washington DC photos – Elliott Teel Photography
Washington, DC--Stock Photos – by Ken Stanley
George Washington University (GW) – my son's school
Some aerial views
     View 1 – the White House and the Ellipse
     View 2 – showing the proximity of GW to the White House
     View 3 – showing the proximity of GW to the Kennedy Center and Watergate complex
Virtual Tour
Sightseeing map – click on the Bird's Eye view
National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary
Free Large Photos: Washington, DC
TrafficLand.com – Live Traffic Cams


      New York City

My NYC section
City map


      San Francisco

City of San Francisco
City map
A View on Cities - San Francisco
     San Francisco Buildings – photos & stats of individual buildings
Dan Heller's Photos of San Francisco
S.F.Heart
Scenic San Francisco – Pictures, Panoramas
San Francisco Victorian Home Walk
Ken Adelman's coastal aerial views
Photos from Free Large Photos: Aerial Views
     A view including the Golden Gate Bridge and part of the Bay Bridge
     Downtown, with Golden Gate Park and the Presidio in background
     Downtown and a portion of the Bay Bridge
     Golden Gate Park
     Golden Gate Park
     Golden Gate Bridge and Marin County
     Marin County
Some S.F. photos from a 2005 trip


      Seattle

My Seattle section
City map


      Toronto

City of Toronto
City map
CN Tower
Toronto Attractions
Toronto photos
Torontowide.com
Worldisround.com - A weekend in Toronto


      Chicago

City of Chicago
City map
A View on Cities - Chicago – many photos and descriptions of the city and its buildings
     Chicago Buildings – photos & stats of individual buildings
You know you're from Chicago when... – from an email


      Atlanta

City of Atlanta
City map
Atlanta Magazine
Atlanta Photos by Consultwebs


      Los Angeles

City of Los Angeles
City map
Architectural Photo Galleries – downtown 1818-1939, the historic core
Los Angeles Photos and Pictures
Downtown Los Angeles Walking Tour – USC Department of Geography

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Skyscrapers and other urban structures
  Here are some links relating to my fascination with mankind's great architectural and engineering achievements, especially tall buildings.

The History of Skyscrapers
Building BIG – from PBS
The World's Best Skylines
How Skyscrapers Work
Skyscraper Picture Collection – from many cities and countries
galinsky – people enjoying buildings worldwide
Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat
Great Buildings Online
Great Structures of the World
Glass, Steel, and Stone – architecture of the world
How Skyscrapers Work – from HowStuffWorks.com
Hong Kong - The City of Nights (Lights)
World City Photos
The Skyscraper Web Ring
Great Buildings and Structures
The Skyscraper Museum
SkyscraperPage.com
Tallest Buildings in the United States
Skyscrapers.com – the most extensive skyscraper resource on the web
The High-Rise Pages – your online guide to the tallest buildings in the world!
structurae: International Database and Gallery of Structures
Skyscrapers Collection – stats for North American metro areas
World's Tallest Buildings
Federation of High-Rise Websites
    
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New York City
  I have always been a fan of The Big Apple, the ultimate American urban experience. I used to work for a company in Boston that had an office in Manhattan located at the intersection of Broadway, 5th Avenue, and 23rd St. (Madison Square), which is also the location of the visually delightful Flatiron Building (see Google Maps Street View ¹). When I went to New York on business I would stay in a company-owned, mid-town condo, and I always found it exhilarating to get up in the morning and walk down 5th Avenue past the Empire State Building to the office.
NYC.gov – the official New York City website
     NYC Visitors Bureau – the official tourism website
NYCvisit.com
The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey
World Financial Center
Grand Central Terminal
Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)
New York City Graffiti @149st
New York City Subway Resources
City Lore
NYC Street Smarts
NYCRoads.com – New York area roads, crossings, and exits
Gothamist: New York City news, events, food, and fun
Worm Your Way Through the Big Apple
New York City - Wikipedia
 
     Neighborhoods, boroughs, & maps
          click to enlarge

City of Neighborhoods
Manhattan Neighborhoods
Times Square
NYC Subway Map
Queens for a Day – a great Washington Post article on Queens
If It's Noon, It Must Be Bed-Stuy – a tour of all 5 boroughs in a single day
Must See New York - Maps
The Lower East Side Tenement Museum
     Guss' Pickles – a landmark
CityRealty's Neighborhood Guide
Google Maps Street View – looking south in Times Square

     City photos, architecture, and more

Manhattan Photos – the results of a Google search
New York City Skyscrapers
     Downtown Manhattan from the air – identify downtown buildings with mouse
     Midtown from the Empire State Building – identify downtown buildings with mouse
A View on Cities - New York – many photos and descriptions of the city and its buildings
     New York City Buildings – photos & stats of individual buildings
NewYork.com – some great views and links
A magnified satellite view of lower Manhattan (pre-9/11)
Wired New York – a great picture site
     Manhattan aerial views
Virtual New York: NYC Panoramas Map
Free Large Photos: New York City
New York City Skyscrapers – from Skyscraper Picture Collection
New York City, October 2001 – great photos and travel journal by Keith Stanley
Aerials Only Photo Gallery of New York and New Jersey
Dan Heller's Photos of New York
SMurphy's NYC Skyscraper Photos – individual buildings by address and name
Manhattan Neighborhoods Photo Gallery by Hubert Steed
©New York – many photos and panoramas
New Yorkled - NYC's Informational/Pictorial Magazine
Architecture of New York City
New York City Skyscrapers
NYC's Tallest Buildings
New York Architecture Images – includes other cities
Aerial Photography New York City Photographers
New York City Aerial and Panoramic photography by artist Rafael Rivera
Lower Manhattan Aerials – photos by Jake Wyman
Fly'in Phils's Photos – some nice aerials
New York Offices – this is a commercial site with some great photos and maps
    
     World Trade Center
Project Rebirth – A Living History of the Human Spirit Coping With Disaster
Freedom Tower
NOVA | Building on Ground Zero | PBS – includes NIST study results, the towers' design, and a fascinating survivor's story
CNN streaming videos
     1st plane hits North Tower, firemen video
     2nd plane hits South Tower
Ground Zero
America Remembers
WTC Proposals
September 11 · A Memorial
Special Report: Day of Terror
3-D Inter-Active Map of Damage
Aerial Views
New York's World Trade Center, a Living Archive – author Eric Darton's site
The September 11 Digital Archive – Saving the Histories of September 11, 2001
Time.com 9/11 photo essays
Twin-Towers.net – memorial with photos videos & news archive of the 9/11 attack
9112001.net – Videos, Photographs, Petitions, Polls, Audios
GIS Community: Response to Terrorist Attack – includes some great aerial views of Manhattan
Space Imaging - Gallery – before & after aerial views of the attack sites
World Trade Center Damage Summary
Historic Buildings in the WTC Vicinity – with information about their current status
Twin Towers Tenants
Why Did the World Trade Center Collapse? – Science, Engineering, and Speculation
Images of the World Trade Center, by Yamasaki
New York Metro - World Trade Center: 1973-2001
Great Buildings Online - WTC
A letter to President Bush – I received this chain letter after 9/11
 
     Webcams and Videos
Traffic Web Cams - NYC DOT
EarthCam - New York City
     Times Square Cam – also live streaming video
     Stock Exchange Cam
     Ground Zero Cam
     USS Intrepid Cam
     Circle Line Cam
Google video: Wide shot aerial over Manhattan
Google video: Manhattan + Brooklyn Bridges with NYC in background – more under Related videos
ProAerialVideo: Stock Aerial Footage of New York City – many little videos
 
     History
The New-York Historical Society
The Gotham Center for New York City History
The Museum of the City of New York
New York City & Its History – from Columbia University
 

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Other city links
U.S. Cities
Carfree Cities
Cities.com – cities of the world - city guides database
Worldwide Directory of Cities and Towns
State of the Cities Data System (SOCDS)
Historic Cities: Maps & Documents
A View on Cities
Cities of Today, Cities of Tomorrow – from the United Nations CyberSchoolBus
City-Data.com – stats about all US cities - relocation info, maps, etc.
cityscapes photos at PBase.com
CityPass – the site has some nice videos of places to see in each city
UrbanRail.net – city railways around the world

¹ Click on Street View to see actual location.