From the air, Central Park becomes a stunning island of green in an urban sea.

Whether you're viewing the iconic skyline from a distance or walking the bustling sidewalks of downtown, New York City is a feast for the eyes. A truly unique way of appreciating the visual splendor of New York is from the air, and a helicopter tour may be the best way to get up close and personal with the most famous city in the world. It's as easy as booking a reservation, and can give you a perspective on New York that you're not likely to forget.

New Jersey native Pat Day earned a biology degree from Delaware Valley College before being drafted for an Army tour in the Vietnam War. After moving to the Coast Guard and attending Navy flight school, Day realized his dream of flying, and eventually received commendations for many life-saving rescue missions. A husband with four children, Day is now Director Charter Marketing for Liberty Helicopter Tours, which offers sightseeing tours in the New York City area. Here he lets us know just what to expect from a helicopter tour of the Big Apple:

• The Lady. Arguably the most famous landmark in New York is the Statue of Liberty. Millions of visitors gaze at this proud American symbol each year, and she is particularly stunning when seen from the air. According to Day, zooming past the statue in a helicopter gives tourists the feeling of whooshing along on a flying carpet.

• Famous buildings. Looking down from a helicopter, it is easy to spot many of the city's most famous buildings. Towers like the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building are unmistakable, but there's also Madison Square Garden and Yankee Stadium, a.k.a. "the temple of baseball."

• Churches. From on high, visitors can also get an immediate sense of the city's religious diversity. Places of worship from Morningside Heights' gothic St. John Divine to Midtown's well-known St. Patrick's Cathedral are all visible from the air.

• Scale. Most people appreciate New York street by street and neighborhood by neighborhood, and this is a great way to get a sense of the city's various individual flavors. But to experience New York all at once, and get a sense of the grand scale of this stunning metropolis, there's nothing like seeing it from above.

For more information about helicopter tours of New York, check out Liberty Helicopter Tours' website.

Liberty Helicopter Tours
www.libertyhelicopters.com