North Shore Esplanade

You should know by now that Staten Island has beautiful beaches, but if you don't want to venture too far down the island, there's a plaza near the ferry with stellar views of the New York Harbor and One World Trade. The best lookout point is at the Staten Island 9/11 Memorial (aka "Postcards"), which was intentionally positioned to frame the piece of NYC's skyline where the Twin Towers once stood. The North Shore Esplanade is a little more gray and a little less green than some other local waterfronts, but it's no less serene.