View from the Top

Winette is now my official photographer. Would you believe this picture came from her camera phone?

My new obsession this season is rooftops. So come along with me and my friends while I roof-hop.

This is taken from the roof of 230 Fifth. It's the best view of the city I've seen since I moved here. So you walk in and look like you own the place, the elevators to the bar are at the back of the lobby. Hop in and take a ride to the twentieth floor. When you get out, you'll be on the lounge level. It was dark with mirrors, shiny black surfaces, and red sofas. I picture this kind of room at Hugh Heffner's Playboy Mansion. The staircase will take you up to the roof, where the action is.

The 14,000 square foot bar has all kinds of seating options. There are tables for bigger parties, there are benches which is what Winette and I landed on, and there are chairs around smaller bar tables. I was meeting Winette at the left end of the roof and I didn't even see a third of the space. It went on forever. The crew seemed to be mostly beautiful after-work people, with the occasional grey-haired suit/young model couple. The scene was pretty on and off the rooftop. Fog rolled in all around us like we were on a tropical mountaintop.

Winette spotted someone drinking a mojito so that became the cocktail of choice. Our server was a little slow at the get-go but picked up the pace towards the end, when we should have been slowing down the pace (wink). Our first round came to the table after a very long wait, so we ordered the next round, to a hearty laugh from our server. I guess she thought we were kidding. I told her we don't kid about our drinks.

The only problem at 230 Fifth is they didn't have food upstairs. According to Eater, they serve Malaysian food on the first level of the club, and they supposedly have rolling carts of dim sum upstairs. Sadly, I didn't see any.

I love this place, and can't wait to shout about it from the rooftop. Give me a shout and let me know what your favorite rooftop is.

230 Fifth, between 26th and 27th Sts.
212-725-4300

to keep reading