Columbia is in a 28.5 degree inclination orbit to service the Hubble, so that's the maximum latitude the vehicle overflies. New York City is roughly 40 degrees, 40' North latitude. By great circle navigation, Columbia's ground track will be roughly 800 nautical miles (~1500 KM) from NYC. I don't know if they can see that far north of their ground track. However, Columbia is in a high orbit (~350 miles) so the distance to the visible horizon is further than a normal orbit. I wonder if they can see that far north and if they can, would they be able to distinguish the twin columns from the background light. It also depends on the particulars of the ground tracks for the orbits tonight. It's possible that the Shuttle could be at a much lower latitude when it passes due south of NYC tonight.

You can see the real-time Shuttle, HST, and ISS positions by clicking here.