Find a Rooftop Bar >> Sight Lines • Boozy and Cruisy • Laid Back

SIGHT LINES

Plunge.

Plunge
Hotel Gansevoort, 18 Ninth Ave., at 13th St.; 877-426-7386
Those willing to weather the line outside and suffer the cramped elevator ride consider the Gansevoort Hotel's fifteenth-floor penthouse an airy (and cruisy) escape; those who believe untucked dress shirts are an aesthetic affront consider it the inner ring of meatpacking hell.
The View: Great shots of lower Manhattan and New Jersey, whence many of the patrons come.
The Menu: Basic cocktails start at $14.
The Hours: Daily, 11 a.m.–4 .a.m.

230 Fifth
230 Fifth Ave., nr. 27th St., twentieth fl.; 212-725-4300
Fresh air meets stale pick-up lines at the city's largest rooftop drinkery. Since it opened last year, a steady stream of finance types have flocked here for the Miami Vice-like decor of palm trees, stuffed safari animals, and an endless expanse of wooden benches.
The View: The Empire State Building to the north, the MetLife building to the east, and Jersey to the west.
The Menu: $15 cocktails incorporate fresh grape and pear juices; bar snacks range from fried shrimp to the Malaysian Romli Burger.
The Hours: ; Daily, 4 p.m.–4 a.m.

Bookmarks
Library Hotel, 299 Madison Ave., at 41st St.; 212-983-4500
With its brick walls, lovely floral displays, and abundance of reading material, the terrace of the Library Hotel's rooftop bar could pass for the patio of an Upper East Side townhouse.
The View: The majestic Lefcourt building rises across the street.
The Menu: Elegant concoctions like the $12 Chambord Royale, which artfully blends Stoli Vanilla, Chambord, and fresh grapefruit juice.
The Hours: Mon.–Sat., 4 p.m.–midnight; Sun., closed

Hotel Metro Rooftop Bar
Hotel Metro, 45 W. 35th St., nr. Fifth Ave.; 212-279-3535
When it reopens in late June, this favorite after-work spot, for better or worse, won't be as shabby as it once was. For the first time servers will deliver specialty cocktails from the bar, now fully stocked and located in the middle of a newly tiled floor.
The View: A close-up of the Empire State Building.
The Menu: $5 cans of Bud or $6 bottles of Corona ($3, 5:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m.)
The Hours: When it opens again, closing time may be extended to 11 p.m.

Hudson Sky Terrace
The Hudson Hotel, 356 W. 58th St., Ninth Ave..; 212-554-6303
Should the techno and chatter of the Hudson Bar's terrace get to you, pretend you're a hotel guest and grab a beach chair (or a hammock!) on the breezy and beyond-serene 15th floor deck.
The View: Glimpses of the Hudson River as well as Ninth Avenue stretching toward lower Manhattan.
The Menu: The $15 Maracuya Martini is made with raspberries and passion fruit puree; the Yuki Mizu gets its spicy kick from wasabi-infused vodka and ginger puree.
The Hours: Daily, 10 a.m.–10 p.m. through October

Mé Bar
17 W. 32nd St., nr. Fifth Ave.; fourteenth fl.; 212-290-2460
This Koreatown rooftop boîte, hidden atop the La Quinta budget hotel, is the antidote to karaoke-room claustrophobia. Although throw pillows and beach chairs lend a beach-house vibe, the drink prices are decidedly left of Hamptons.
The View: The Empire State Building is all aglow directly overhead.
The Menu: Be swayed by the pomegranate martini, made with liqueur and cranberry juice. During the 5:30 p.m.–8 p.m. happy hour, a $1 discount means $4–$5 beers and $5–$8 wines.
The Hours: Daily, 5:30 p.m.–midnight.

Roof Garden Cafe
The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Ave., at 82nd St.; 212-535-7710
So...if that Andy Goldsworthy sculpture could speak, what do you think it would say? We'll let you puzzle that out, up on the romantic rooftop of the Met, where art, hot Italian tourists, frozen daiquiris, and colossal Central Park views converge into one juggernaut of a drinking experience. If you can't manage a pickup line in a place like this, well, then, you're hopeless.
The View: A fifth-floor garden surrounded by the park, its skyline, and sculpture installations that change every summer.
The Menu: Sparkling wine and ham-and-brie baguettes.
The Hours: Fri.–Sat., 10 a.m.–8:30 p.m.; Tues.–Thurs. and Sun., 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.; Mon, closed, open May–October

The Pen-Top Bar & Terrace
The Peninsula Hotel, 700 Fifth Ave., at 55th St.; 212-903-3097
Though the patrons can be stuffy (some of them seem to confuse the Pen-Top for the Penn Club) the views from two terraces and a smoking balcony abutting a glassed-in bar certainly aren't.
The View: Stunning vistas of Fifth Avenue and Central Park, as well as midtown architectural gems like the Citicorp Center.
The Menu: $20 apple martinis and the $80 Jewel in a Glass (Louis Roederer Cristal and Dolce Far Niente) keep out the riffraff.
The Hours: Sun., 3 p.m.–10 p.m.; Fri.–Sat., 4 p.m.–1 a.m.; Mon.–Thurs., 4 p.m.–midnight through September 30

Related:

• Archive: “Bar Buzz”
• Articles by Daniel Maurer