[Beck]

Well, I not from New York, but I know a little about it having done inspection work in Queens and Long Island.

1. The two islands are about 1 mile apart. However the areas from which both would be viewable is restricted due to the presence of Governor's Island which would appear to be in between them (though it is not directly in between them Governor's Island lies south of the southern tip of Manhattan about a quarter mile with the Liberty Island being SWW about a mile.). There would be areas that the upper portions of Statue of Liberty itself would be viewable but the island it's on would not since you would be viewing Governor's Island. The coastline does not help you either. The best spot to view both directly without obstruction (land or otherwise) would the Red Hook area of Brooklyn (areas near the Atlantic Basin most likely of all). The best viewing of the two islands however would occur on the New Jersey side where there are a number of areas between Jersey City and Bayonne which would have unobstructed views.

2. New York is not entirely flat, but I guess that would depend on your perspective. Somebody visiting from the Rockies would say it's flat. Your best bet for what you seem to be looking for is in Brooklyn (Red Hook/Brooklyn Heights area). There is a ridge running from Gowans Bay eastward which was fortified by Washington during the Revolutionary War indicating it has some height and can command the area for some distance and was considered important. It would be a little further than you're looking for as it would about 2-3 miles from the Empire State Building. I couldn't guess as to its height or the range of vision. Given the horizon unobstructed at sea level is 17.5 miles it would probably be 20-25 miles, but much depends on where you are looking. If looking inland this be would reduced significantly since there would be much higher locations within a short distance as you travel inland.

3. Again I guess it depends on your perspective. Most would consider the entire island of Manhattan builtup except for perhaps the most northern end. There are no other immediate buildings anywhere close to its height, but the entire general area is all builtup, a mix of commercial and residential buildings. Penn Station lies just to the west with the New York Public Library to north and Madison Square Garden to the south. The nearest appreciative open space is Central Park about 25 blocks north.

Hope this helps.