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At the rooftop bar of the La Quinta budget hotel in Koreatown, the drinkers—at least, the ones who aren't tourists—are evenly divided between newbies saying "I can’t believe I didn't know about this spot" and old hands nodding knowingly and saying "Yeah, this is my little secret." Indeed it's hard to believe that anything offering such a picture-perfect worm's-eye view of the Empire State Building illuminating the surrounding water tanks would be a secret, but come here after work and you'll likely have one of the round tables all to yourself. The deck isn't much bigger than the average tenement roof, but with broad wood planks, white-painted benches around the perimeter, and folding chairs and umbrellas, it's an effortless simulation of a Hamptons boardwalk. A folder full of delivery menus (plenty of good Korean food around, of course) compensates for the lack of grill. The bar, located in a narrow glass enclosure that provides seating during the winter, is small but adequate, and the drinks are reasonably priced considering the prime realty. — Daniel Maurer

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