See New York like never before in these fabulous aerial photos

New York City: It’s a big place. Too big, actually, to wrap your mind around. It’s easy to forget, for instance, just how many tall buildings are crammed into Manhattan, or to grasp the enormity of Gotham’s teeming multitudes (which, let’s face it, you usually view more as an obstacle to overcome. Especially on the subway.)

No, the only way to appreciate the full measure of our churning metropolis is to take to the air. That's exactly what photographer George Steinmetz did to capture these spectacular images of the city from above.

A regular contributor to National Geographic and GEO Magazines, Steinmetz has taken his camera on assignments around the world, from Saudi Arabia’s Empty Quarter to the Dry Valleys of Antarctica. Such places are no doubt amazing, but they’re easily matched by these bird’s-eye views of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree lighting, the traffic in Times Square and the thousands of beach goers at Coney Island.