You should visit these rooftop bars in Manhattan

C.Cocktails, wine, beer: behind the small terrace bar of Manhattan’s Broken Shaker, the pace picks up on a sunny Friday night: two bartenders struggle to keep up with orders. One slips a large ice cube into a glass of whiskey, his colleague fills three glasses of rosé, and from the bottom of the small line, a woman asks if there are any margaritas. Most of the rooftop seats at the Freehand Hotel in the Flatiron District are occupied.

The bar on the 18th floor isn’t particularly tall by New York standards – the view is still spectacular. To the south you can see the One World Trade Center, to the north the top of the Chrysler Building glistens in the low sun. Anyone who has ever been to New York is likely familiar with the rooftop bars, where guests admire the city skyline from the 30th or 40th floor. But even the average height has a lot to offer. Those who drink on the rooftops in the middle of the field often see Manhattan from a whole new perspective. Below twenty floors, you can not only watch the traffic on the street, but the architectural mix of old and new always presents itself differently as well. Raised edges and old fading advertising signs on brick facades stand alongside the glass towers whose apartments sell for tens of millions.

The “Broken Shaker” (23 Lexington Avenue) is also a magnet for locals and tourists alike. The small hotel group opened an outpost of its namesake pool bar in Miami Beach here in 2018. There, the “broken cocktail shaker” is one of the most popular nightlife addresses, and in New York there is also a slightly southern vibe with colorful furniture and tropical cocktails. As the former George Washington Hotel is one of the oldest buildings in the area, the architects found many nooks and crannies and old brick on the roof – part of the bar wraps around the top of the building on the outside so it’s a rather narrow corridor sitting at small tables. To the west, towards Madison Square Park, is the New York Life Building with its golden spire.

You are low enough here to see the traffic on 24th Street. Some of the roofs have makeshift terraces – here and there are plastic loungers and chairs, and the occasional tanner shows up. “The sunset here is particularly beautiful because the light always reflects differently on the facades,” says Emma from Denmark, who is having a beer with her friends Magnus and Anton. Here it costs about ten dollars, cocktails with movie names like “Clueless” or “Lost in Translation” cost nineteen dollars. Guests can also order tacos or dumplings. It is often crowded here on weekends and there are queues on the street. There are no reservations. Those who make it to the top will be rewarded with a rather relaxed atmosphere. Unlike many trendy rooftop bars, the music isn’t too loud either.