Summer rooftop series: Miru right above City Winery is breezy

You really should wander up to Miru, the dreamy rooftop sushi place right above City Winery in Chelsea Piers. Here’s the review in Time Out, and we can confirm that it is perhaps the most spacious, airy inside rooftop in the city. As a major bonus, it is surrounded by Pier 57 rooftop park, which offers a bird’s eye view of Little Island and panoramic views of the west side.

Miru is a little funny to get to, but you can do it. Walk in the doors right near City Winery, past the first set of restaurants in Pier 57 market, and then up the elevator on the right (you’ll see a “Miru” sign). The chord it strikes is minimalist, clean, and industrial (which we like as Chelsea residents), with the smooth concrete floor below, exposed pipes above, and origami-style wooden fish hanging from the ceiling. This place is perfect for a drink in the middle of a walk on the Hudson, dinner parties, family gatherings (and really also craft workshops, Twister game nights, yoga classes, relay races, home gyms—when I say open and spacious, I really do mean it…). And while the dreamy city view is like the A-list face that grabs your attention, the sushi is the personality that keeps you around. Try the kani roll, which is a snow crab, “crab paste,” and chives combination; or the can’t-ever-miss toro roll, made with tuna and scallions. The block-approved move is to go for drinks (trust us on the green tea-infused Matcha Muse) until you’re relaxed enough to pay attention only to the summer breeze off the Hudson and the glimmering nightscape of downtown Manhattan.

Recommend.

Summer rooftop series: The Yacht Club on 12th Ave between 26th & 27th

Do not be discouraged by the name if you don’t have yacht or yacht club money (yet); The Yacht Club on 12th Avenue and 27th Street is for the people. Boat-themed (as you would expect) and with a massive and beautiful outdoor space—replete with cabanas, a bar, and incredible views of the Hudson—this place has the vacation energy‍ just a few steps away from your apartment that you’ve been looking for.

Because it is a sauna in NYC right now, you should also know that it has an indoor space that is cool, breezy, open, and of course decorated like the inside of a yacht. Menu is an oyster, lobster, and fish-focused affair. We recommend you go high and low (both here and in life)—start with the Sailor Baby oysters and end with the pimiento cheeseburger. There are a variety of spritzy drinks on the menu (Shipper Key, Shipwright) that will also have you comfortably at cruising altitude—sorry to mix the boat and plane metaphors.

Recommend.

Summer rooftop series: The rooftop terrace at Electric Lemon is a vibe

New York feels “back” this summer in a way I can’t really describe and in a way that doesn’t make sense given that it never really left (Knicks? World Cup? Global warming?). In honor of that feeling divorced from any facts, we’re introducing a new series called “Summer rooftop series,” and the first submission is the Electric Lemon rooftop terrace (i.e., the Equinox Hotel bar terrace which you don’t need to be any sort of member to go to). Instagram link as well.

The wind blowing in from the Hudson no doubt has something to do with it, but this place has a chic, elevated vacation vibe and the view is incredible. Not as crowded as most rooftop scenes in NYC and not so much of a bar or club feeling—people are just kind of relaxing around a fire pit and oasis-like body of water in the middle. Food and drink is probably overpriced, but you can’t take the money with you, guys. Comes alive at both sunrise and sunset; the terrace is open 7a-10pm Mon-Thurs, and then until 11pm on Fri-Sat.