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With a clubby décor and lounge-y attitude, the Ravel Hotel’s rooftop bar makes a genuine attempt to bring Manhattan nightlife trappings to Long Island City. Though it doesn’t quite translate, it does make for a solid spot for hotel guests and neighborhood twentysomethings alike to enjoy some drinks and the view. An elevator opens directly onto the spacious roof deck, which has a Miami-lite vibe: curtained cabanas, mod, low-slung couches, tall circular bar tables, and Euro-techno music playing overhead. The views are impressive (the Manhattan skyline, the Silvercup Studios sign, even the Queensboro Bridge has a certain charm when lit up at night), though not perfect (a power plant between the hotel and the riverfront is an eyesore). The specialty cocktails, at $13 a pop, may seem excessive for Queens; more egregious is that the drinks are mostly named after NYC neighborhoods (plus one called the Big Apple).
— Kaitlin Jessing-Butz

The Ravel offers a free shuttle service for hotel guests and has an affiliated car service that will pick up and drop off non-guests at nearby subway stations for a flat fee of $5 per trip. Call ahead and arrange for one—the hotel can be difficult to find on foot and is a hike from most public transportation.

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