Obscure Views of the ESB

(Empire State Building as taken from the Brooklyn Navy Yard)

The Empire State Building is such an icon that its instantly recognizable. Countless amounts of photographs have been taken as it sits prominently entrenched at its Midtown location of 33rd and 5th. Admittedly, I've never been awestruck with the art deco icon as it sits there; to me, its just one Midtown monolith among so many others.

I don't become captivated until I'm far away from Midtown and its prominence still overtakes whatever borough in which I happen to be at the time. This post celebrates that feeling I get whenever I spot a unique view. Each photo is geotagged, which is helpful to illustrate its perspective to Midtown Manhattan. You may click the image to access that information.

This is the ESB positioned between the trusses of the Manhattan Bridge, taken from Dumbo, Brooklyn.

This shot was taken while waiting for the Times Square bound 7 train at the 82nd Street station in Jackson Heights, a far reaching neighborhood in Queens.

Upon first look, its as if I'm uptown somewhere looking toward Midtown. Truth be told, I am across the East River in Queens, with a long tunnel sitting between the building and myself. This shot was taken from the Hunters Point Avenue station near Long Island City.

The ESB dominates the skyline as viewed from the foot of the Williamsburg Bridge in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. This photo was shot through the filthy windows of a Brooklyn bound J train.


This is one of the most interesting perspectives of the ESB I've ever captured. Borough Park is a neighborhood on the west end of Brooklyn, not far from Coney Island. Needless to say, this is in no way close to Midtown Manhattan, but the top of the building still looms prominently. This shot was taken from the 55th Street station in Borough Park, Brooklyn.

Other posts involving unique views of the Empire State Building:

This Way to Penn Station

Brooklyn: A City Within a City