ROOFTOP BARS

With views of Lake Michigan and the Hancock Building, the new outdoor terrace at Chicago's Raffaello Hotel features built-in banquet seating and two fireplaces. The 1,500-square-foot space seats 75 people or holds 100 standing. Drumbar also is planning a second terrace for private parties and events.

Nestled atop the theater district's Sanctuary hotel, Haven is a new rooftop cocktail lounge and restaurant in New York. The outdoor space, which is accessible through a private elevator, is outfitted with reclaimed cedar wood furnishings and plenty of lush greenery; it seats 150 people. The venue also features a 14-foot communal table that seats 20.

The Peninsula's Sun Terrace rooftop bar in New York offers 2,700 square feet of outdoor space. Decorated to match the color scheme of the adjacent Peninsula spa, the space boasts plush chaise lounges and dining tables in warm saffron and russet-hued fabrics. The terrace can be booked for private events for as many as 75 guests.

Jerry Remy’s Sports Bar & Grill’s Fenway flagship location has a temperature-controlled outdoor roof deck with fifteen 50-inch high-definition TVs, a special roof-deck menu, more than 20 kinds of draught beer, and views of Boston's Fenway Park. The roof deck accommodates 200 people.

Sky Bar is the rooftop lounge at the Beacon Bar & Grill at Washington's Beacon Hotel. It's open seven days a week seasonally and recently introduced a catering menu for private lunches. Dishes are served buffet-style and intended for groups of at least 40 people.

An outpost of SBE's Hyde opened in Las Vegas at the Bellagio in the former Fontana Bar space with a loungey feel by day and a club vibe at night. The Philippe Starck-designed indoor/outdoor lounge features floor-to-ceiling windows and expansive terrace that overlooks the Fountains of Bellagio. The capacity is about 730 over 12,000 square feet. With 40 V.I.P. tables, Hyde is also available for private events.

Located on the rooftop of the Aloft and Sheraton hotels in downtown Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Terrace Lounge offers partially enclosed outdoor spaces, as well as several indoor areas for more intimate gatherings. The space seats 100 or holds as many as 250 guests.