Sit near or Sit by

[piggy386]

Nick and I were sitting on the floor by the picture windows and admiring the awe-inspiring night views of the city beneath us.

Should I use sit by the picture windows? or sit near?
or rephrase it as Nick and I were sitting on the floor and admiring the awe-inspiring night views of the city beneath us through the picture windows.

Any suggestion?
Thanks a lot!

[Francois]

sit by is fine by me

FRC

[Steven D]

Originally Posted by piggy386

Nick and I were sitting on the floor by the picture windows and admiring the awe-inspiring night views of the city beneath us.

Should I use sit by the picture windows? or sit near?
or rephrase it as Nick and I were sitting on the floor and admiring the awe-inspiring night views of the city beneath us through the picture windows.

Any suggestion?
Thanks a lot!

They're both correct. They both could be taken to mean the same thing. However, "sit by" could imply "next to", whereas "sit near" simply means "close to" or "in the same area".