The Mid-Atlantic USA from the Sky

On a map of New York State, the town of Montauk is one of the easiest to recognize.  It sits at the far end of Long Island, which extends for about 190 km (just under 120 mi.) east from the East River and is home to well over 7 million people.  Situated at the tip of the island's South Fork (the longer of its two eastern branches), Montauk is far removed from the New York City boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens and the adjacent Nassau County.  Check out its beautiful beaches from above in this drone video by mbird1985.  

In this video, award-winning contributor Majestic takes the city dronelapse genre to a new level with a stunning aerial tour of New York City.  The video opens with a shot of the skyscrapers around Times Square on the west side of Midtown.  From there it will take you to the downtown Financial District and adjacent World Trade Center at golden hour, back to Midtown, around the East River bridges, and much more.  It's easily one of the best drone videos of the Big Apple we've seen anywhere.  

Chris Bonanno used a DJI Mavic Pro 2 to create this aerial video of Trenton, New Jersey.  This historically important city is the capital of the Garden State.  The video features footage of the downtown area along the Delaware River, including the impressive gold-domed capitol building.  It also includes footage from the area known as Washington's Crossing just upstream; this was the spot where George Washington led his troops across the Delaware in 1776, a pivotal moment in the USA's Revolutionary War. 

The Inner Harbor of Baltimore, Maryland was once one of the busiest shipping ports on the USA's East Coast.  As shipping technology progressed, the port's shallow waters could not accommodate the larger ships, and the port was relocated to deeper waters.  Eventually the area was redeveloped into an entertainment/mixed use district.  Contributor Eyes in the Sky used DJI Phantom 4 drone to create this aerial view of the Inner Harbour area, with downtown Baltimore in the background.  

Experience one of the world's most recognizable city skylines in this 4K drone video. New York City’s skyline is always growing and changing, but one thing remains the same: it always looks good at night. See all of New York lit up in this very special video of America's largest city by top contributor and drone pilot Majestic.  The video features some beautiful footage of the Hudson Yards area on the West Side, which has been transformed by new construction in recent years. 

Contributor Chris Dantonion used a DJI Mavic Pro 2 drone to create this magnificent video of the Philadelphia skyline at sunrise.  If you see the shot which begins at the :30 mark, you'll see a shot of City Hall - it's the building with the clock and the statue on top.  Until the 1980's, no building was permitted which exceeded the height of City Hall: 167 meters (just under 550 ft.).  As you can see, lifting this restriction has fundamentally transformed the city's skyline.  

Many millions of inhabitants of the New York City area actually live across the Hudson River in New Jersey, which connects to Manhattan via several bridges and tunnels.  One of these New York satellite cities is Jersey City, which sits just south of Newark and across the bay from lower Manhattan.  In this video, contributor Axlfro gives us a brief aerial tour of this city on the west side of the Hudson, which is the second largest city in the Garden State.

Norfolk is a medium sized city in the southeastern corner of the mid-Atlantic state of Virginia, near the opening of Chesapeake Bay.  It is a quintissential Navy town, and is the headquarters of the US Atlantic Fleet, one of the world's most powerful naval groupings.  Top contributor iDroneU used a drone to film this port city.  In this video, you will get some incredible bird's eye views not only of the city's downtown but of several US Navy ships in their berths in the harbor.  

For a few days in mid-August, 1969, a dairy farm near Bethel, New York hosted a music festival billed as "An Aquarian Exposition: 3 Days of Peace & Music".  Featuring acts like Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, the Who, Joan Baez, the Band, and many more, the festival came to be known for the name of a nearby town: Woodstock.  In this drone video by contributor Chris Bonnano, you can get a bird's eye view of the Woodstock site, which was also used for a disastrous Woodstock revival concert in 1999.  

Baltimore, Maryland in the Mid-Atlantic USA has deep roots as a port city.  While the city's Inner Harbor area has been converted to other uses (in part because it was not deep enough to handle the deep drafts of large containerships), the port still remains one of the top 20 in the country, and it is the largest dry bulk port on the East Coast.  In this drone video, top contributor Jeff Walrich gives us an epic aerial view of the harbor landmark known as the Sugar Shack, the country's largest terminal for receiving sugar. 

Vetter Cinema Productions created this beautiful drone video of the Kodak Tower, one of the most important landmarks in Rochester, New York.  Completed in 1914, the 104 meter (340 ft.) building was the home of Eastman Kodak, which once dominated the camera and film industry and employed thousands in this city on the southern shore of Lake Ontario.  It was the tallest building in the city for fifty years.  It's still the headquarters for Kodak, which went through a bankruptcy restructuring in the early 2010's.

Inmotionaerial created this beautiful drone video of Union City, New Jersey.  The city sits directly across the Hudson River from new York City.  It is more or less bisected by New Jersey Route 495, which runs into Manhattan as the Lincoln Tunnel.  Like most of the cities on the New Jersey side of the Hudson, Union City is part of metropolitan New York City yet maintains a distinctive look and feel.   Part of Hudson County, Union City has a population of about 66,000 in 2018.

Contributor lleeyyooww created this highly cinematic video of Bayonne, New Jersey.  Bayonne is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area.  It sits at the southern tip of a peninsula on the west side of the Hudson River, east of Newark, south of Jersey City and immediately to the north of Staten Island.  The video features some awesome shots of the Newark Bay Bridge, one of the city's most recognizable landmarks.  The bridge connects Bayonne to the "mainland" of New Jersey to the west.  

When it opened in the early 1950's, Chesapeake Bay Bridge was the longest over-water span in the world at 6.9 km (4.3 mi.).  Now a dual span bridge, it connects Maryland's eastern and western shores of Chesapeake Bay.  Contributor Eyes in the Sky used a drone to create this impressive aerial video of this impressive steel span, officially known as the Gov. William Preston Lane Jr. Memorial Bridge.  The bridge was the filming location for a high profile scene in the 2006 movie Mission: Impossible III.

Contributor and drone pilot Chris Bonanno used a DJI Mavic Pro 2 to shoot this aerial video of the campus of Princeton University in New Jersey.  Located roughly midway between New York and Philadelphia, Princeton was founded by Presbyterians in 1746.  In recent years, Princeton has dominated the  US News annual ranking of national universities, appearing #1 18 times in 20 years.  The campus was immortalized in alumnus F. Scott Fitzgerald's debut novel, This Side of Paradise (1920). 

A great way to lose yourself in the Adirondacks is to lightly row down stream and see where the current takes you. That's contributor th3venture's approach in this fantastic aerial adventure through Upstate New York with his crew. Seeing them explore the region's many natural and recreational attractions, from kayaking, to hiking and camping, will inspire you to hit the great outdoors with your drone.  The Adirondacks cover a portion of northeastern New York State.

On the south shore of the far (eastern) end of Long Island in New York there's a string of small town and villages known collectively as the Hamptons.  With improvements in transport, the Hamptons have become in effect the summer playground for the world's wealthiest city.  Houses which are used perhaps 6-8 weeks per year routinely change hands for many millions of dollars.  In this video by AeroVision, you'll get a bird's eye view of some of the mansions which line up on this fabled stretch of beach.  

Contributor Chris Bonano used a DJI Mavic Pro 2 drone to create this mini-aerial tour of Columbia University in New York City.  The university was founded in 1754 as King's College.  A member of the Ivy League, Columbia is considered one of the top 8-10 research univerities in the USA, and its professional schools are amongst the best in their respective fields.  With total enrollment of about 33k (of whom about 25% are undergraduates), its campus is located just north of Central Park on the West Side of Manhattan.    

Check out this visually stunning look at the city of Atlantic City, New Jersey being overtaken by a cloud formation at sunset.  Situated near the middle of the stretch of Atlantic Ocean coastline known as the Jersey Shore, Atlantic City evolved from a beach getaway to the gambling capital of the USA's East Coast.  The video brilliantly shows the newest and most prominent addition to the cityscape: the Ocean Resort Casino.  Opened in 2012 at a cost of $2.4 billion, it filed for bankruptcy two years later.    

The Hudson River is most closely associated with its end-point in the harbor of New York City.  Its upstream sections are far less well known.  Originating with runoff from the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York, the great river runs a course of just over 500 km (315 mi.).  It's divided into an Upper Hudson and Lower Hudson, the divider being Federal Dam in Troy.  In this video by Utcinema, you'll get a bird's eye view of the valley of the Lower Hudson, at the height of the Fall season.  

The USA state of New Jersey has a long Atlantic Ocean coastline, which stretches from just south of New York Harbor to Delaware Bay, the estuary of the Delaware River.  Known colloquially as the Jersey Shore, this is a legendary getaway spot for denizens of New York and Philadelphia, the two giant cities which sit to its north and south, respectively.  Among the other attractions of the Jersey Shore is its very active surfing scene; get a glimpse of it from above in this drone video by zekedrone.   

Check out this amazing drone video of an amazing sight not far from Washington, DC.  Mallows Bay is situated on the Potomac River, about 50 km (30 mi.) south (downstream from) the USA's Capital city.  The bay is home to hundreds of ships which had been put into service by the Emergency Fleet Corporation, set up in the immediate aftermath of the USA's decision to enter World War I in April, 1917.  The hastily-built ships were scuttled here in the 1920's.

Check out this drone video of the New York state capital of Albany, compliments of contributor Chris Bonanno and his DJI Mavic Pro 2.  The city sits on the banks of the Hudson River, about 220 km (around 135 mi.) north of New York City.  It's the center of a region known as the Cultural District of New York, which includes the nearby cities of Troy, Schenectady, and Saratoga Springs.  Albany is one of the oldest continuously-inhabited settlements from the original thirteen US colonies.  

Check out this stunning drone video of Lake George in northeastern New York State, compliments of contributor Greatsouthbayimages.  The lake is at the base of the Adirondack Mountain range, which runs through parts of the state.  With a surface area of over 120 square km (around 45 square mi.), it's one of the largest lakes in the region outside of the Great Lakes.  The lake is a popular summer getaway destination from New York City; depending on traffic, it's a 2-3 hour drive.

Chris Bonanno created this drone video of the University of Pennsylvania, one of the group eight elite colleges known as the Ivy League.  Situated across the Schuykill River from downtown Philadelphia, Penn's current enrollment is about 21.6k students, of which a bit less than half are undergraduates.  Ranked #8 among national universities in the 2019 US News & World Report survey,  the school is especially well known for its graduate programs; its Wharton School was the first post-graduate business school.  

Baltusrol Golf Club is home to one (actually, two) of the finest golf courses on the USA's East Coast.  Located in Springfield, New Jersey (west of New York City), the club dates to 1895.  Its two current courses both opened in 1918.  Since then, the two courses have hosted a dozen major tournaments, including five US Opens.  Both the Upper and Lower courses regularly appear in the Golf Digest Top 100 list.  Check out Baltusrol from above in this drone video by Chris Bonanno.  

Allentown and Bethlehem lie in the heart of the Lehigh Valley of eastern Pennsylvania.  The larger of the two, Allentown is actually the third most populous city in the state after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh.  The area was extremely hard hit by the downsizing and eventual closing of the Bethlehem Steel Works, once one of the largest steel mills in the country.  In this drone video by Chris Bonano, you'll get an aerial view of the region, immortalized by Billy Joel's 1982 Allentown.  

Contributor Chris Bonano used a DJI Mavic Pro 2 drone to create this aerial of one of the most famous factories in the USA.  It's the GE Power Systems plant in Schenectady, New York.  The original factory was built in 1887 for the Edison Machine Works, the manufacturing arm of the great inventor Thomas Edison.  In 1892, in a reorganization orchestrated by the banking house JP Morgan, Edison's companies were merged with competitor Thomson-Houston to form General Electric.

Situated on the banks of the Hudson River, the town of North Tarrytown, New York was immortalized in a short story called "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow".  Published by Washington Irving in 1820, the story told of a decapitated spectre called the "headless horseman" who haunted the hills above the town.  The association was so enduring that the town voted to officially change its name to Sleepy Hollow in the 1990's.  Here it is from above in this drone video by Chris Bonano. 

Check out this spectacular aerial view of the casinos of Atlantic City, New Jersey, compliments of contributor sbuell1966.  The legal casino business here dates to the mid-1970's, when New Jersey voters passed a referendum permitting it within the confines of Atlantic City.  The video features footage from a number of the nine casinos in operation as of mid-2019, notably the Borgata and the Hard Rock.  The former is the largest and consistently highest-grossing casino in Atlantic City. 

Annapolis is the capital of the Mid-Atlantic state of Maryland.  It lies at the mouth of the Severn River as it empties into Chesapeake Bay, about a half hour drive south of Baltimore.  The national capital in the immediate aftermath of the Revolutionary War, since 1845 it's probably been best known as the home of the US Naval Academy.  You can check out historic Annapolis from above in this drone video by First_Fire13, which also includes footage of surrounding sights such as the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.  

Top contributor Zekedrone created this beautiful springtime drone video of a spot in the middle of New Jersey.  While many identify the state with the heavily populated areas around New York and Philadelphia, central New Jersey presents a completely different landscape.  Here, the state's nickname of the Garden State is much more apparent to the eye.  The spot filmed is called Holland Ridge Farms, and as the name suggests it's a tulip farm.  It hosts one of the largest tulip festivals on the East Coast.

The Jersey Shore is a roughly 225 km (around 140 mi.) strip of the Atlantic coastline of New Jersey, running from Perth Amboy (a bit south of New York City) to Cape May Point.  Since the late 1800's, the Jersey Shore has been a prime getaway spot for residents of some of the USA's most densely populated areas around New York City and Philadelphia.   In this drone video by calladrone, you'll be treated to gorgeous sunsets of two of the Shore's most well known spots: Ocean City and Avalon.

For many decades, Bethlehem Steel Co. was the second-largest US steelmaker.  Its massive original plant on the Lehigh River just east of Allentown, Pennsylvania employed over 35,000 during World War II, when its output of steel plate was critical to the Allied war effort.  Its products also helped to create some of America's most well-known infrastructure, such as the Golden Gate Bridge. In this drone video by Chris Bonnanno, you'll get a bird's eye view of the plant, which ceased operations in 1995.

The Bear Mountain Bridge spans the Hudson River in New York State, about an hour's drive north of New York City.  The bridge has a total length of just under 700 meters (around 2.45k ft.).  When it opened in 1924, it was the longest suspension bridge in the world.  It didn't hold the title long, though - in less than two years it was surpassed by Philadelphia's Benjamin Franklin Bridge.  Check out the Bear Mountain Bridge from above in this drone video by Chris Bonanno, shot with a DJI Mavic Pro 2. 

Top contributor Jeff Walrich combined aerial footage from a DJI Mavic Pro 2 with stabilized ground footage to create this beautiful video of historic Fort Frederick, Maryland.  Situated on the Potomac River about a two hour drive northwest of Washington, DC, Fort Frederick was built at the outset of the French and Indian War in the mid-18th century.  It was used as a POW camp during the Revolutionary War, then garrisoned by Union forces in the Civil War to protect key infrastructure in the area.  

Check out these amazing aerial views of New York Harbor and Lower Manhattan, compliments of calladrone.  Some of the highlights include a great shot looking north over the Statue of Liberty towards Freedom Tower at :10; the Robbins Reef Lighthouse a at Constable Hook in Bayonne, New Jersey (:25); the North Cove Yacht Harbor (:50); Battery Park (1:10); the Staten Island Ferry (1:20); and the Cape Liberty Cruise Port in Bayonne, New Jersey (2:00) and the adjacent General Container Terminal (2:10). 

The Delaware River is one of the most important waterways in the Eastern USA.  It rises in the Catskills Mountains of New York and runs south, forming a portion of the Pennsylvania/New York and then the entirety of the Pennsylvania/New Jersey border before running through Philadelphia and thence into Delaware Bay.  In this drone video by MagicAerial, you'll get an aerial look at the great river as it flows past Port Jervis, NJ, near the spot where the three states come together.

In this segment of the Drone Dish, Tyler catches up with top contributor Jeff Walrich (profile: Jeff Walrich - TK-421).  Hailing from the Baltimore, Maryland area, Jeff has emerged as a multi-talented drone pilot and aerial videographer.  His cinematic videos feature footage from some of America's great cities and unusual sights), and lately he's picked up the fine art of flying micro-drones as well.  His videos are featured in the Mid-Atlantic as well as numerous city collections on AirVuz.