But now there’s another, more cheery reason to come: the Panorama Room, located 18 floors atop the Graduate hotel, lives up to its name with all-encompassing views of the east side of Manhattan, Queens, and parts of Brooklyn.

A few others may walk to the southern tip of the island to gawk at the 19th-century ruined hospital once used for quarantining smallpox sufferers. Many people get off, look around to see a somewhat drab neighborhood, and then get back on cable car to Manhattan. 59th Street and the middle of the island. Roosevelt Island attracts visitors for the fun cable car that floats between Second Avenue and E. Roosevelt Island's Panorama Room on the top of Graduate Roosevelt Island © Noah Fecks / Panorama Room Best reason to go to Roosevelt Island: Panorama Room, Roosevelt Island What you should know before traveling to New York City The best 13 parks in New York City Best for Asian-inspired drinks and views of Chinatown: The Crown, ChinatownĬrowned atop the 50 Bowery hotel, this 21st-floor bar in Chinatown has an expansive roof deck with stunning views of the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges-the ideal spot for nibbling on excellent pastrami-stuffed steamed buns and veggie spring rolls in between sips from that lychee martini. The in-house Yankees-themed NYY Steak, while not on the roof, is a delicious place to retreat to when the stomach starts to rumble again. You won’t find any rock star memorabilia on the outdoor terrace just views of the surrounding towers, plates of snacks like hummus and sliders and nicely made cocktails. No surprise that RT60 sits atop the new Hard Rock Hotel near Times Square. You might see Depeche Mode, Prince or Led Zeppelin and it ends up becoming a conversation starter. The servers at this 34th-floor bar sport name tags that also include their favorite bad or musical artists.

You'll find the RT60 atop the Hard Rock Hotel near Times Square © Courtesy of RT60 Best for rocking out with the views: RT60, Times Square

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