Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/555392
photography courtesy of stratosphere Commonwealth If you can manage to steal away from this chandelier-lit lounge's main room or secret bar-within-a-bar, The Laundry Room, head straight up the stairs to the intimate outdoor patio offering a glittery panorama of Downtown Las Vegas. The exposed brick, wrought- iron benches, and twinkling string lights feel as urban as the rooftop bars of New York or Los Angeles. 525 E. Fremont St., 702-445-6400; commonwealthlv.com Foundation Room From the carved mahogany and gilded mirrors to the Indian tapestries and bronze Buddha statues, Mandalay Bay's Foundation Room is an up-in-the-clouds hideaway that's not short on ambience. Perched on the hotel's 43rd f loor, the exclusive club offers what many have deemed the most spectacu- lar view of the Strip, as well as a dine-in menu and eclectic live entertainment, including Hawaiian luaus and burlesque shows. Mandalay Bay, 702-632- 7631; mandalaybay.com Ghostbar Ghostbar's moody lounge and open-air patio, complete with white leather ban- quettes for optimal stargazing, have sustained the excitement about one of the city's original boutique nightclubs, which opened 14 years ago. It still occupies the same space on the 55th f loor of the Palms Casino Resort's Ivory Tower and remains a hot spot for the young, ultrastylish set hoping to catch a glimpse of the Vegas skyline in its entirety. Palms Casino Resort, 702-942-6832; palms.com Mandarin Bar Take a seat beside one of the Mandarin Bar's floor-to-ceil- ing windows and you'll have some of the clearest angles on the Strip's most spectacular sights, including the dramatic architecture of CityCenter and Paris Las Vegas's Eiffel Tower replica. Come for the views, but stay for the seasonal craft cocktails (including drinks made to complement signs of the zodiac), boozy teas, and live jazz. Mandarin Oriental, 888-881-9367; mandarinoriental.com Oscar's What better crash course on retro Vegas could there be than a night at Oscar's? The glass-domed restaurant looks directly into the mouth of Fremont Street, offering front-row views of the vintage hotels and casinos that turned Sin City into what it is today. Ask for former mayor Oscar B. Goodman's signature drink, a classic gin martini garnished with garlic-stuffed olives. Plaza Hotel Casino, 702-386-7227; plazahotelcasino.com Up in the Air As summer in vegAs drAws to A close, tAke in the views from one of these sky-high bArs And lounges. Drink it in Mixologist Dan Marohnic gives us a taste of what he's serving at the Downtown bar Commonwealth. As we wrap up summer, are there any seasonal drinks we need to try at Commonwealth before they're gone? for the gents, we have the kentucky squeeze, a mix of bourbon, citrus, and mint, and for the ladies, the little hot mess, which includes vodka, raspberry, fresh lime, and muddled strawberries. What's one drink we abso- lutely have to order off the Commonwealth menu the next time we stop in? the london commons. there's just something about the aroma of gin bubbling up over fresh cucumber and citrus. Any recommendations for a simple warm-weather drink we can make at home? i always recommend taking the classics and dressing them up for the season. try shaking up cucumber, watermelon, or mint into a traditional daiquiri, mar- garita, or tom collins. Unlike many other Las Vegas pools, at Radius the best sights are not all clad in bikinis. Radius Rooftop Pool & Wet Lounge The Stratosphere's Level 107 Lounge and the AirBar on Level 108 may be the hotel's two loftiest places to grab a drink, but the rooftop pool Radius, located on the 25th f loor, is its newest. You'll recline in the shadow of the massive Stratosphere Tower at this boutique-style tropical lounge, where the stunning vistas of Red Rock Canyon may steal your attention away from the Strip. Stratosphere, 702-380-7777; stratospherehotel.com Vista Cocktail Lounge We all know that Vegas's skyline is one of a kind, but what about those of cities like New York and Tokyo? Save your frequent-f lyer miles and head to Hakkasan Group's new Art Deco – style Vista Cocktail Lounge, located in the center of Caesars Palace's ground-f loor casino, where humongous LED screens disguised as windows showcase the cityscapes of international hubs. Caesars Palace, 702-731- 7852; caesars.com VooDoo Rooftop Nightclub VooDoo Rooftop Nightclub's winding steel staircase and curved brick patio are two of the Rio's main draws, and the views aren't the only reason why. Signature drinks like the Witch Doctor, a fishbowl- size rum cocktail topped with foggy dry ice, have developed just as much of a following as the 51st-f loor club's multilevel scenic overlooks. Rio Las Vegas, 702-777- 6875; caesars.com V 114 vegasmagazine.com guiDe imbibe