Lounging on the Roof
May 26th, 2006 by Ingrid
Summer is the season of the rooftop in this fair city—balmy evening air, drinks with a view, easy living’ all around. So I’m happy to report that I found a new rooftop at a newly opened club called 230 Fifth (230 Fifth Avenue (at 27th Street), 212-725-4300), which was the site of a friend of a friend’s going away party. For more info and pictures, check out this article on Eater. The spot—actually, it’s more of an expanse than a spot—is made up of a penthouse lounge and (sigh) a massive rooftop with full-on views of pretty much every glittering skyscraper the Manhattan skyline has to offer.
There was quite a line when we rolled in around 11 P.M., prompting the hot doorman to insist that all assembled either go single file or forget about an evening on-deck. My friend and I slipped in since we were on a guest list, but I had a feeling the wait could stretch as long as the line at times. Once in, it’s a quick elevator ride up to the lounge (think: dark, lots of low seating, enormous windows) and a climb up some stairs to the rooftop. (The whole place is about 14,000 square feet—in other words, way bigger than your fire escape.) It was packed, but we had no trouble scoring a seat to nurse our three rounds of $12 gin and tonics. There are palm trees. And comfy outdoor furniture. And plenty of dark corners perfect for illicit make-out sessions. The scene isn’t totally clear-cut yet—there was a definite mix of partygoers—and it’s still early to get a full handle on how the vibe will shake out ultimately. But all in all, I had a great time. In fact, I could’ve sat up on there all night. Now that it’s summer, I don’t want to drink inside till September.