A VIEW FROM THE TOP COME ON UP - FOR MAKING THE SCENE THESE VENUES SET THE BAR VERY HIGH.Byline: MELISSA HECKSCHER LA.COM (1) (Computer Output Microfilm) Creating microfilm or microfiche from the computer. A COM machine receives print-image output from the computer either online or via tape or disk and creates a film image of each page. Tired of the same-old bars with the same-old views of, say, traffic-crammed city streets and parking lots? Or bars with no windows at all? You're in luck. L.A.'s nightlife is moving on up with a crop of new -- and tried-and-true -- top-floor lounges where the eye candy Images and animated graphics added to Web sites and interactive software that makes the information exciting. In other words, glitz, sizzle and pizzazz. See cornea gumbo. doesn't just come in tank tops. LOS ANGELES Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. >The Standard 550 S. Flower St. (213) 892-8080; www.standardhotel.com Hours: Noon to 2 a.m. daily. >The scene: Trendy Hollywood types, out-of-towners staying at the hotel and a downtown after-work crowd lounge on pod-like waterbeds by the rooftop pool. >The view: Nestled between downtown high-rises, the 13th-floor view is an urban panorama of office buildings and surface streets. >Best time to come: Given its location downtown, the after-work scene is a good one (and easier to get into). Live music is featured on Wednesdays from 8 to 11 p.m. >Signature sips: The Standard infuses its own flavored vodkas. Try the infused vodka martini, which contains star fruit, kiwi, mango and pineapple ($15.) >Signature eats: Think snack food. The poolside menu features small plates including hummus hum·mus also hum·us or hom·mos n. A smooth thick mixture of mashed chickpeas, tahini, oil, lemon juice, and garlic, used especially as a dip for pita. with olives, endive and pita bread ($9), plantain plantain (plăn`tĭn), any plant of the genus Plantago, chiefly annual or perennial weeds of wide distribution. Many species are lawn pests and the pollen is often a hay fever irritant. P. chips and guacamole ($6) and grilled cheese sandwiches ($9). >The BonaVista Lounge at the Bonaventure Hotel 404 S. Figueroa St. (213) 624-1000; www.starwoodhotels.com Hours: 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily. >The scene: Tourists -- and locals enjoying the tourist vibe -- dine on appetizers and drink from souvenir cups at L.A.'s only revolving cocktail lounge. Upstairs is the L.A. Prime steakhouse. >The view: The bar, on the 34th floor, turns at a rate of one revolution per hour, meaning all you need to do is sit at your table and watch the world go by. You'll see everything from the downtown buildings and the Hollywood Hills The Hollywood Hills, an unofficial designation of part of the City of Los Angeles, California, are part of the eastern section of the low transverse range of the Santa Monica Mountains, which extends from the Los Feliz District and Hollywood, on the south side of the Valley, to to the urban sprawl stretching toward the ocean. >Best time to come: Just before sunset. By the time the sky is dark you'll have seen the colors change all around you. >Signature sips: The BonaVista's signature drinks come in souvenir cups, so consider what sort of mug you'd like to take home. The California Dreamin' margarita, for example, comes in a glass the shape of California. Sure, it's tacky -- but it's fun, just the same. >Signature eats: The sampler platter, which comes with buffalo wings  The of this article or section may be compromised by "weasel words".You can help Wikipedia by removing weasel words.
>COMING SOON... With the popularity of rooftop lounges soaring, uh, through the roof, it's no surprise that there are more sky-high spots in L.A.'s future. Keep an eye out -- or up -- for these: >A.B.H. (Above Beverly Hills Beverly Hills, city (1990 pop. 31,971), Los Angeles co., S Calif., completely surrounded by the city of Los Angeles; inc. 1914. The largely residential city is home to many motion-picture and television personalities. ) >Where: The Thompson Hotel, Beverly Hills. >What: Fire pits, a pool and private cabanas equipped with flat-screen televisions and mini bars await guests of this Wilshire Boulevard Wilshire Boulevard is one of the principal east-west arterial roads in Los Angeles, California, United States. It was named for H. Gaylord Wilshire (1861-1927), an Ohio native who made and lost fortunes in real estate, farming, and gold mining. rooftop lounge. >When: Opening late September. >Pure >Where: The W Hotel, Hollywood. >What: Promising to give patrons the feeling of floating in the sky, Pure juts out from the rooftop's edge on a glass precipice high above Hollywood Boulevard For uses other than the original street, see Hollywood Boulevard (disambiguation). Hollywood Boulevard is a boulevard in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States, beginning at Sunset Boulevard in the east and running northwest to Vermont Avenue, where it straightens out . Those who are afraid of heights may want to stay inside. >When: Scheduled to open in 2009. BRENTWOOD/BEL AIR >West Lounge at Hotel Angeleno 170 N. Church Lane (where Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades. meets the 405) (310) 481-7878 www.westatangeleno.com Hours: 11 a.m. to midnight Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday. >The scene: Being the only bar of its kind in the area (it used to be a Holiday Inn), the 17th-floor restaurant and lounge attracts a bevy bevy a flock of birds. of 20- and 30-something Bel Air Bel Air may refer to: Places in the United States:
>The view: The lounge towers above the 405 Freeway just south of the Getty Museum. From this height, seeing the cars zipping through the hills makes traffic look almost ... pretty. In the distance, you'll see glimpses of the downtown skyline, the Century City high rises and the coast. >Best time to come: Friday and Saturday nights are the busiest, but there is live jazz on Monday nights featuring internationally known artists. >Signature sips: Try the Westapolitain, a mixture of Grey Goose L'Orange vodka and dried cranberries macerated in Cointreau and shaken with a squeeze of lime ($14). >Signature eats: Both the restaurant and lounge are best-known for crudo, otherwise known as "Italian sashimi," which is marinated or cured fish and meats lightly seasoned with olive oil olive oil, pale yellow to greenish oil obtained from the pulp of olives by separating the liquids from solids. Olive oil was used in the ancient world for lighting, in the preparation of food, and as an anointing oil for both ritual and cosmetic purposes. , lemon and sea salt ($14 a plate). WEST HOLLYWOOD >The Skybar at the Mondrian Hotel 8440 Sunset Blvd. (323) 848-6025 www.mondrianhotel.com Hours: 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily. >The scene: Famous people, pretty people -- and anyone else who can get past the doorman -- lounge on poolside beds while sipping high-priced martinis at this Sunset Strip celebrity-scene staple inside the Mondrian. >The view: While it's not on a top floor, the Mondrian's Outdoor Living Room sits on the top of a hill facing south, where it offers an unobstructed view of lower Hollywood. >Best time to come: Fridays and Saturdays are the best bets if you're looking to see and be seen. To avoid the doorman, get there before 8 p.m., when the front door is generally unguarded. For a more mellow scene, come during the day to appreciate the bar's beachy cabana-esque atmosphere. >Signature sips: Try the Joie DeVeeV, a blend of VeeV liquor (a newly released 60-proof spirit made from the Acai fruit), lime and mint ($14). >Signature eats: The lounge menu offers an assortment of perennial summertime eats, including an $18 cheese-burger (it's BIG) and a delectable banana split. LONG BEACH >The Sky Room 40 S. Locust locust, in botany locust, in botany, any species of the genus Robinia, deciduous trees or shrubs of the family Leguminosae (pulse family) native to the United States and Mexico. Ave. (562) 983-2703 www.theskyroom.com Hours: Opens at 5:30 p.m. Thursday through Saturday. Closing time varies according to patronage. >The scene: The 16th-floor bar sits atop the Sky Room restaurant, a fine-dining fixture that dates back more than 60 years. As such, the before- and after-dinner crowd in the bar, just opened last year, is mostly couples. Later in the evening, upscale 30- and 40-somethings come for the live flamenco guitar music and late-night views. >The view: A panorama of Long Beach, from the Queen Mary to the downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles is the central business district of Los Angeles, California, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The sprawling, multi-centered megacity is such that its downtown core is often considered just another district like Hollywood or skyline (visible only on a smog-free day). >Best time to come: Sunset. What better way to watch the sun go down than at a table for two by the window? >Signature sips: Since it is a Spanish-themed bar, ordering the sangria san·gri·a n. A cold drink made of red or white wine mixed with brandy, sugar, fruit juice, and soda water. Also called sangaree. [Probably from Spanish sangría, is only appropriate ($8). >Signature eats: Try the Salade Sal´ade n. 1. A helmet. See Sallet. Noun 1. salade - a light medieval helmet with a slit for vision sallet helmet - armor plate that protects the head de Maman, a tasty dressing-heavy salad of eggs and radishes that manager Charlie Rosenson's mother invented when he was a child ($13). The $42 paella is good, too -- and big enough to feed a family. SANTA MONICA >The Penthouse at the Huntley Hotel 1111 Second St., 18th floor (310) 393-8080 www.huntleyhotel.com Hours: 6:30 a.m. (for breakfast) to midnight Sunday through Wednesday; 6:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday. >The scene: Beachy chic meets Hollywood trendy at this recently remodeled top-floor lounge. >The view: A oceanside panorama stretching from the Santa Monica Mountains The Santa Monica Mountains are a low transverse range in southern California in the United States. Geography They run for approximately 40 mi (64 km) east-west from the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles to Point Mugu in Ventura County. to the South Bay. >Best time to come: You can't beat the sunset. Grab a booth by the window and watch the sky change colors all around you. Later in the evening, tables are hard to come by as the bar fills up with an upscale 20- and 30-something singles scene. >Signature sips: Try the Kumquat kumquat (kŭm`kwŏt), ornamental shrub of the genus Fortunella of the family Rutaceae (rue family), closely related to the orange and other citrus fruits. Cooler, a mixture of gin, kumquats and limes limes plural limites (Latin; “path”) In ancient Rome, a strip of open land along which troops advanced into unfriendly territory. It came to mean a Roman military road, fortified with watchtowers and forts. . ($12) >Signature eats: The menu ranges from the simple -- the $12 "tomato flatbread" is a fancy name for pizza -- to the novel, including the falafel-crusted calamari ($15) and the Green Crunch appetizer of snap peas, asparagus and edamame Edamame is a preparation of immature soybeans in the pod commonly found in China and Japan. The pods are boiled in water together with condiments such as salt, and served whole. ($14). Melissa Heckscher, (310) 540-5511, Ext. 329; melissa.heckscher@dailybreeze.com CAPTION(S): 7 photos Photo: (1 -- cover -- color) The rooftop bar at the Standard includes a pool and sweeping views of downtown Los Angeles. (2 -- color) no caption (West Lounge at Hotel Angeleno) (3 -- color) no caption (The Skybar at the Mondrian Hotel) (4 -- color) no caption (The Standard) (5 -- color) no caption (The BonaVista Lounge at the Bonaventure Hotel) (6 -- color) no caption (The Sky Room) (7 -- color) no caption (The Penthouse at Huntley Hotel) |
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