User blog comment:MiniDaggers/RWBY Volume 1: Chapter 7 Jaunedice: Director's Commentary/@comment-28288412-20160906202858/@comment-24573226-20160906222924

... Vista means a sight or a view, what is seen. A noun. Typically the connotations are pleasant, but they don't always have to be. It's also usually expansive.

Think of a panoramic photo. It captures the vista. Usually when someone takes a panoramic photo, they are seeking to capture an expansive look at something. A tourist wants to get as much of the canyons in his shot that he can. A vacationer wants all the family gathered around the fire and turns in a circle. A photojournalist might want a picture of the devastation wrought by a natural disaster. Vista.