With the job market getting everyone down (especially for my many peeps in the publishing industry who are still reeling), I thought a little break from the real world was in order. Maybe we can’t take a real vacation right now but a little online sight seeing (which I think of as “site seeing”) never hurt anyone and costs nothing.

And so we begin with a quick trip into the past. If you don’t know about Flickr Commons and you fancy yourself a history buff – get on over there and wallow in the image collections.

• One of my favorites is “Changing New York” from the New York Public Library. It is 160 photos by Berenice Abbott taken between 1935-1938.
• The Brooklyn Museum is also one of the Commons Participating Institutions and they have a wonderful collection (or series of collections) tracing the evolution of Coney Island — Goodbye Coney Island.
• And before we leave the Commons to venture further afield, I must suggest checking out the George Eastman House’s collection called George P. Hall & Son. This was a Manhattan based photography studio that operated 1886 through 1914 and this collection is of some of the many views of New York City they produced at the turn of the century.

Maybe delving into the past isn’t your thing or you see yourself more as Design Diva than History Buff. That’s OK. There’s a site seeing to suit you as well. Besides, even the New York Times knows that design thrives in hard times. Design Sponge (one of my favorite design blogs and one I am constantly found to be perusing) has a series of Design Guides to various cities around the world. Their New York-centric guides are outstanding, informative and downright gorgeous. Not one guide. Not two guides. But four! Four guides to design in the Big Apple and surrounding area.

• Manhattan City guide: Harlem
• Manhattan City guide: the meatpacking district
• Brooklyn Design Guide
• Hamptons Video and Design Guide

Maybe you want a bit more virtual reality in your site seeing. We’ve got that covered as well. You can try Virtual NYC Tour where they have several neighborhoods on offer or wander over to the The City Parks Department website where they have he Bronx River Virtual Tour or the tour of the John Muir Nature Trail in Van Cortlandt Park.

So if you find yourself in need of a break and want to get your mind off the dour economy, the rising prices or seemingly endless downers from the news media – consider a quick e-vacation to Gotham. Distractions galore, all without leaving the comfort of your own home.