The Return of Rooftop Bars?

I noticed a very reassuring trend recently: The return of the rooftop bar.

They used to be quite common, Here in Seattle, we had The Cloud Room, The Mirabeau Room (the one at the top of the old Seafirst Building), The Talk of the Town, The Top of the Hilton, Visions - I could go on, but you get the idea.

They're all gone now, except for the Top of the Hilton, which now has a cheesy Italian name and is but a wan reminder of its former self. And strictly speaking, none of them - with the exception of The Cloud Room - were really "rooftop" bars, since they didn't have terraces. But they were suave places to visit, enjoy a cocktail or two, and observe a lovely sunset or the city lights.

Why they are gone, I don't know: Probably something to do with real estate and probably - in the case of the hotels - a general spreading loutishness that required them to stop being hospitable and charming and start being ruthless about the bottom line, but don't get me started on that.

But I've noticed a few new bright spots, at least here on the coast, and they deserve our tender nurturing.

At our sister to the south, Portland, we now have the Depature lounge at the top of the dearly departed Mier & Frank store (which was swallowed up by that custodian of banality, Macy's, a few years back. While the store may be no big whoop, the bar is crazy cool, with outdoor seating and a great view of downtown Portland and the surrounding hills. Well worth a visit on your next train trip to Portland.

Down in LA, there is the Rooftop Bar at the top of the wonderful Standard Hotel. I spent a long lovely tipsy afternoon/evening there in February, and it was wonderful. Finally, there is a reason to go to LA!

Of course, any mention of rooftop bars would be incomplete without a nod towards that old stalwart, San Francisco. While they're not big on terraces (too windy, I suppose), They have The Top of the Mark, The Starlight Roof, The revolving bar at the top of the Hyatt Embarcadero, the bar at the top of the Marriott, the Top of the Hilton, and probably others that I haven't gotten too yet. I'm not as young as I used to be, and I have my liver to consider.

So there are your sumertime travel marching orders. Head down the coast, have a few drinks, and bring some inspiration back here to Seattle.