What a crock. I live 20 miles from Manhattan. 40 years ago or so when I was flying out of Caldwell Airport (officially Essex County Airport) I would take non-flyers up for a ride, Sometimes I would head west toward the Delaware Water Gap. On such flights, almost all newbies remarked at their surprise at how undeveloped everything was.
And that's nothing compared to a cross-country flight. Most of the land is still "desolate wilderness."
ML/NJ