Drinking in New York is like drinking anywhere else. But Americans will expect a 15% tip according to most guides and this means, in practice, forking out a one dollar note extra every time you go to the bar. Bearing this in mind the canny drinker will go somewhere with a pleasant view, at least then he might feel he's getting his money's worth.
The A60 (60 Thompson Street) is a hotel bar located on the thirteenth floor. The view over the midtown and Manhattan skyline is memorable. Another good hotel bar is the appropriately named High Bar (2 Lexington Avenue). This one's up on the eighteenth floor so definitely best to avoid stairs. The iconic Chrysler Building is prominent from here. The building is located in an agreeably gentrified portion of the town.
More bohemian and therefore a more typical destination for those visitors who have taken cheap flights to New York, is the Hotel Metro Rooftop Bar (45 West 35th Street). The bar has good value beer on tap. It is right next to the Empire State Building that King Kong climbed for his last stand. Hudson Sky Terrace (700 Fifth Avenue) is another great bar with a view; sadly only hotel guests can drink here.
Alcohol may be served on cheap flights to New York but it is, surely, nicer to wait until you're there. Snowy Manhattan can be a stunning sight and the Pen Top Bar (700 Fifth Avenue) is open all year. Perhaps an ideal stopping-off point during a Christmas shopping trip? Not only views, but hamburgers await the visitor to Rare View (303 Lexington Avenue). They are available from a Grill on the floor below. Culture and drinking combine at the renowned Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden (1000th Fifth Avenue). This place is on the roof of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The view here stretches across Central Park to the spread of the Manhattan skyline.
Hotels in New York are often the main expense of a trip here set against the cost of relatively cheap flights. However most of the bars mentioned here are in high rise hotels and many say The View Lounge (1535 Broadway) offers some of the best views of Downtown. Entrance fee for non-guests is $7. The gimmick is that the bar slowly revolves revealing the full New York panorama.
04/04/2008
