Why Manhattan's rooftops are the place to be on a summer night

After making it past the watchful eye of the doorman, I take the elevator up to the 18th floor and step out into another world. JIMMY is one of the city's most talked-about rooftop bars, an indoor/outdoor playground where cool breezes and frosty glasses of frosé act as balm to the brutal heat.

Panoramic city views make you feel like you're on top of the world. JIMMY's summer cocktail menu would be right at home in Waikiki or Miami, with tropical drinks that sound like a holiday: Grilled Pineapple Mojito, Spicy Watermelon Margarita, Thai Basil Gin Fizz, Lychee-Rita Slushie.

The small plates include tasty, shareable bites I would normally eat by the pool at a resort. Chicken tacos, cheeseburger sliders, jalapeno poppers.

Did I mention there's a pool at JIMMY?

Rooftop bars in the concrete jungle are popular year-round, adapted for the seasons with makeshift igloos in winter and pretty pink cherry blossom arrangements in the spring. On the first warm day in June, there's a rush to leave work early and get high above it all.

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Prime views of the Times Square Ball drop make The Skylark one of the hottest New Year's Eve tickets in town.

The glamorous 30th-floor rooftop bar on West 39th Street is just the spot for a mezze platter, beef sirloin empanadas and cocktails before a Broadway show or game at Madison Square Garden.

In the summertime there are cocktails with cheeky names (My Brazilian Cuban Lover mixes mint cachaca, passionfruit, lime juice and club soda) and a peach blossom frosé that makes me melt.