In addition to the iconic hotel bar, there are certain lounges that scream low-key glamour and off-the-clock indulgence. Usually positioned in well-trafficked retail neighborhoods, these spots are just as much journey as destination.
Cipriani Dolci – Grand Central Station: We’re deeply smitten with Grand Central Station and the gorgeous Main Concourse. Our favorite stops at GC include the Transit Museum Store and the subterranean mezzanine food hall, but our top scenario to wind away an hour is over a martini (Ketel, twist) at this lovely bar overlooking an afternoon’s worth of transportation logistics.
Neiman Marcus: If you’re avoiding New York City and sunning on the West Coast, we recommend an afternoon cocktail at Neiman Marcus’s lovely Rotunda Bar in San Francisco. White, bright, modern Gilded Age style greets you, along with comfortable plush seating and an afternoon tea service featuring your mandatory glass of bubbly. The bonus? A couple glasses of champagne makes the wait for a fitting room a bit smoother.
Bergdorf Goodman: Back to New York. (You knew you couldn’t stay away that long..) Sometimes you find yourself stranded in Midtown during a flash downpour with no chance of a cab. Moments like these were made for Bar Americain at Bergdorf’s, situated off the lower right-hand corner of Central Park and vigorously far from public transit. You’ll find a warm restaurant bar finished in the dark wood paneling that subtly declares, “We’re downright timeless.”
The Rotunda Bar, Cipriani Dolci, and Bar Americain:
