[JAYNYC]

Assuming you prefer a window seat to the middle or aisle, which 5 U.S. airports offer the most impressive final approach view?

For example, although Atlanta and Denver are large cities,I find the final approach view into ATL and DEN to be disappointing, due in large part to the location of those airports in their respective city (ATL being on the relatively underdeveloped south side, DEN 25 miles north east of the downtown core).

In contrast, I have never been disappointed by the East to West approach into LAX, one featuring a gradual suburban to urban sprawl that essentially begins in Palm Springs, 125 miles from LAX. And, although most here are likely aware, it should be noted that the view on the LAX East to West approach is improved substantially by nabbing a window seat on the plane's starboard side, enabling one to not only take in views of the entire Inland Empire region and frequently gridlocked massive freeway interchanges, but also breathtaking views of the (often snow-capped) San Gabriel Mountains, an impressive view of the ever-evolving DTLA skyline (looks amazing night OR daytime,) and a spot on birds eye view of the super-dense cityscape (South Central, Koreatown, Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Century City, Westwood, Culver City) between downtown and the coastal areas of Santa Monica, Venice and Marina del Rey). Regardless of which side of the plane you're on, that final approach gives an incredible perspective on the city and region before you ever touchdown.

1. LAX (Los Angeles International Airport - Los Angeles/Westchester, CA) for reasons cited above.

2. LAS (McCarran International Airport - Las Vegas, NV) the airport sits literally on the western edge of the Las Vegas Strip; similar to the LAX approach, it's impressive day or night).

3. MDW (Midway International Airport - Chicago, IL) similar to the LAX approach, this view is substantially enhanced by sitting starboard side, giving one a spectacular bird's eye view of Lake Michigan and the gargantuan Chicago Loop skyline as the airport sits just southwest of downtown.

4. DAL (Dallas Love Field - Dallas, TX) similar to MDW (but with less "oh shit!" factor), the final approach into DAL provides insane views of the city's downtown (and, in this case, Uptown) towers, Central Expressway, Park Cities and its overall most dense urban fabric. The proximity of DAL to downtown Dallas (a mere 6 miles) makes for a rather impressive landing.

5. LGA & SFO tie (LaGuardia Airport - New York/Queens, NY and San Francisco International Airport - San Francisco/Burlingame, CA) both offer a mix of impressive water & urban views; the drawback in both cases is that generally speaking, depending on which direction you're landing from, you do not fly directly over either city's downtown.

Honorable Mention: SAN (San Diego International Airport - San Diego, CA) based primarily on its proximity to downtown and urban core.