• Top of the Strand

  The Strand, 33 W. 37th St., nr. Sixth Ave. 212-448-1024

  Unlike 230 Fifth, the Delancey, or Highbar, midtown’s newest cocktail aerie requires no robes, blankets, heat lamps, or tents. Opened in December under the guidance of set designer Lydia Marks (Sex and the City), the Top of the Strand makes clever use of a retractable glass roof to keep guests toasty—without marring the views of the Empire State Building four blocks away. When things warm up, the panels will slide open to let in the breeze. Without a bouncer or door lists (so far), the bar draws a friendly, non-touristy scene for a mix of drinks both classic (the $13 mint julep) and vanguard (the $14 Açai cocktail). When the Strand hotel’s restaurant—which also features a retractable glass roof and a swing that seats four—opens this April, you can tack on elevated bar food like Manchego mini-cheeseburgers and Monte Cristo sliders.

From the 2010 Best of New York issue of New York Magazine