HotelChatter

What we did do, however, was get our drink on at the Living Room Terrace. The indoor section of the bar was closed for service when we first arrived around 4:45 p.m. on a Friday, but as you can see from the gallery, this spot enjoys the same light extravaganza as the Welcome Desk part of the lobby. There is also a terrace facing north (overlooking construction), just off this main bar, but it was also closed.

Which led us outside to the terrace facing west. While there is a bar in the corner of this wraparound balcony, it wasn't being used during our stay, so the waitresses had to take drink orders and trek inside and back to retrieve and deliver them.

This didn't bother us too much, since it was so lovely to sit outside on a warm sunny afternoon with a cool breeze—but we hope that outdoor bar opens soon, to cope with the after-work crowd that's going to take the joint over once Wall Street is back from vacation and in full effect.

The crowd on this particular Friday evening started out looking touristy—just a few small parties of what looked like guests of the hotel. But between 5–6 p.m. the banker types started to show up and enjoy their beers in between pacing and checking their Blackberries.

We sampled the $12 Downtown Mule, the hotel's version of a Moscow Mule, and a martini, and both were refreshing and disappeared quickly.

The view from the Living Room Terrace, looking south.

When we first arrived, we found the small space a little, well, odd, given that your view is of skyscrapers old and new towering above you (and the back of the New York Marriott Downtown), but once the booze kicked in and more people started to arrive, the Living Room Terrace began to feel a lot more fun.