It's summer, bring on the rooftops

Glass Bar at the Hotel Indigo
Chelsea
127 W 28th Street (b/w 6th and 7th Avenues)
New York, NY 10001
212-973-9000
www.indigochelsea.com

Newly opened this week on the rooftop of the Hotel Indigo, Glass Bar is absolutely stunning. Like with most rooftop bars Glass boasts a great view, but they've also gone the extra mile to make the lounge itself visually interesting. Blue light is reflected on the low glass wall that surrounds the bar, creating an ocean-like vibe. This half enclosed/half open-air lounge is small, but the crowd was also modest so space or door drama aren't issues...yet. The music is low and funky, making Glass a good place to bring a date or catch up with friends rather than get crazy get wild. Prices are steep but average for a hotel rooftop, but Glass better step up its service if it wants to compete with the big dogs of this popular summer nightlife genre. They didn't have the proper ingredients for several of their specialty cocktails, and the bartender may have been the slowest and dumbest I've ever experienced in Manhattan. Though not crowded, we waited forever for service at the small bar, were forgotten about mid-order, and yet she still got my drink vastly wrong. Since when does "rum and coke" sound like "unidentified yellow-ish vodka drink"? Glass needs to work out what are hopefully some opening weekend kinks, or it will soon indi-go-bye-bye.
Rating: 3 stars

And it took me two days to get the damn elephant stamp off my hand...

Pink Elephant
Chelsea
527 W 27th Street (b/w 10th and 11th Avenues)
New York, NY 10001
212-463-0000
www.pinkelephantclub.com/

As one club-goer slurred "It's been here for likkkkkkkke forever and is still awesome! That like NEVER happens with big clubs in New York!!" And I would agree. Pink Elephant recently celebrated its four year anniversary, so as I visited for the first time I wasn't sure whether to expect the popular celeb hangout of its heyday...or a washed up winter destination for the Jersey Shore crowd. What I found at Pink Elephant was an exciting mix of painted go-go dancers, smoke, somewhat blinding lights, and beautiful people couch-dancing to good techno music while sipping on vodka-crans from bottle service. Okay, so it does seem pretty cliche and typical, but these generic ingredients mesh for a great party at Pink Elephant. It may not be the largest (at one point we literally couldn't move) or most unique club, but something about Pink Elephant just plain works. I'm willing to attribute it to the people. The right mix of B&T and real New Yorkers ready to let loose keep the snobbery down and the fun up. Just couch-dance in stilettos at your own risk.