Up on the roof
Looking for a stylish way to beat the heat of the urban jungle? Get yourself up to a rooftop bar, restaurant, or pool where the breezes are fresh and views are unbeatable.
''This is heaven," says David Weiss, leaning his head back into the soft breeze. ''I could sit out here all afternoon."
Weiss, from Miami, planned a vacation to Boston to escape the brutal July heat of his hometown. Instead, he found himself wandering around Back Bay, bathed in thick, soupy humidity and searing heat -- not exactly the refreshing New England jaunt he had hoped for. He was walking down Boylston Street when he spotted a sandwich board sign in front of the Rattlesnake Bar & Grill: ''Roof deck open."
The trip upstairs saved his afternoon. ''It's very relaxing, and there's enough of a breeze so it doesn't feel as nasty up here," Weiss says. ''Or maybe that's just the beer talking."
Beer or not, Boston's publicly accessible rooftop bars and restaurants certainly offer the illusion of paradise in the middle of the urban jungle. Unlike their ground-level patio and sidewalk cousins, roof decks have the benefit of elevation, which means additional breezes and a sense of floating above the street-level masses sweating it out below. And while Boston isn't exactly the nation's roof-deck restaurant capital, there's certainly enough variety to please folks who like everything from hole-in-the wall taverns to fancy pools. Here's a look at a few of our favorites.
THE COLONNADE HOTEL ROOFTOP POOL
120 Huntington Ave., Boston. 617-425-3408.
The most luxurious of the city's roof decks, the Colonnade's pool sits 11 stories up and feels like a visit to a rich relative's penthouse patio party. It's the sort of hangout that would be more at home in Los Angeles than Boston. Rows of blue lounge chairs surround a sparkling pool along which guests read Nick Hornby novels or lazily sip pina coladas. The sharp contrast between the idyllic patio and the surrounding high-rise office buildings is one of the reasons this spot is so unusual. The lifeguard/waitress confirms that the poor cubicle farmers working in those high-rises stare down at the roof deck with envy. Weekdays tend to be quiet, while weekends are mobbed with locals looking to escape the heat. (Arrive by noon to nab a lounge chair.) There's a full menu with food from Brassiere Jo and cocktails mixed on the patio. All this luxury doesn't come cheap. Admission to the pool for non-hotel guests is $40, and grub and booze, naturally, are extra. Hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
THE RATTLESNAKE BAR AND GRILL
384 Boylston St., Boston. 617-859-8555.
There was no getting around the surly man wearing a black T-shirt and a scowl who had a knack for blocking my entry to the Rattlesnake's roof deck. With the deck at capacity, surly black T-shirt man was keeping a careful count of the after-work crowd, and no one could go up until someone came down. The Rattlesnake's after-work roof deck scene is insanely popular, and with a capacity of 100, it fills up quickly. My strategy? Eat dinner on the first floor, and then make the climb up to the deck. After a bowl of gazpacho and a gigantic salad, I made my second approach -- but surly black T-shirt man once again moved to the middle of the doorway. Foiled again. In spite of surly black T-shirt man, I eventually made it to the very blue roof deck of the 'Snake -- the following afternoon -- and toasted my foe with a whiskey sour. The scene is very much bar focused, although food is available. The dress code tends to be a mix of post-work loosened ties and pre-clubbing sexy outfits, which means folks come for the people watching as opposed to the view. The deck opens for lunch at 11:30 a.m. Dinner is also served.
SIDNEY'S UPSTAIRS
20 Sidney St., Cambridge. 617-494-0011.
It feels a bit misleading to characterize Sidney's Upstairs as a roof deck. The vibe of this 8,000-square-foot garden area, on the third floor of the Hotel@MIT, is more akin to a leafy Concord courtyard than a cramped roof bar. Perhaps the biggest challenge to planning an outing here is that the roof garden is only open once a week. Every Wednesday night from 5:30 to 8:30, Sidney's Grille takes over the space and serves grilled, tapas-sized treats that they call ''bytes." (Hey, it's MIT -- the geeks like that sort of thing.) Bytes include grilled scallops with papaya and scallion relish and swordfish and chorizo kebabs. There's live music by local jazz ensembles, and cocktails such as the ''Red Line Colada" and the ''Sidney's Sunset" flow freely at two bars. There's also a $10 cocktail tasting flight featuring petite glasses of ''Central Punch," ''Mo Tea To," and ''Hidden Gems." There's no cover charge to hear the music, and in case of rain, the party goes on inside at Sidney's Grille. Sidney's Upstairs runs every Wednesday evening through September.
THE BLACK RHINO
21 Broad St., Boston. 617-263-0101.
As the night wore on and the Celtic cosmos flowed, the conversation among the six women on the Black Rhino's roof deck moved from work to more important matters -- namely Brad Pitt, Angelina Jolie, and how Tom Cruise is completely out of his gourd these days. The downtown space can have that kind of effect. With a capacity of about 70, it feels like you're hanging out on a friend's patio after work, and there's something about that intimacy that leads to extended conversations and pop culture contemplation. In this case, though, the food is far superior to what you'd likely get on your friend's patio. The Black Rhino's full menu of burgers, sandwiches, and pastas is available. Cocktail snobs be warned: Mixed drinks are served in plastic cups. However, by the time you finish climbing the four steep flights of stairs to the roof deck, the barware is hardly an issue. The roof deck opens at 4:30 p.m. and stays open until closing. 