Roosevelt Island, the storied former home to NYC's smallpox hospital and insane asylum, has its first-ever rooftop bar and lounge open to the public.
Panorama Room is now open atop the Graduate Roosevelt Island hotel on the southern end of the island and the views are really unparalleled—perhaps even the best of any rooftop lounge.
Located on the 18th floor of the hotel, the "jewel box" space by Med Abrous and Marc Rose, who are food and beverage partners of the hotel and co-founders of the hospitality group Call Mom, opens up to incredible views of the boroughs, the bridges and the East River, which shine like stars at night.
Designed by James Beard Award-winning design firm Parts and Labor Design, Panorama Room is visually dramatic. Its palatial vibes are set by luxurious velvet vintage-inspired tubular lounge sofas, chrome and marble touches, mosaic tile columns and its giant, tubular acrylic chandeliers that hover above the massively long bar. It's not only luxe but it's somehow simultaneously futuristic and retro.
The space is filled with art from artists like Julia Chiang, Spencer Lewis, Alake Shilling, JPW3, Chris Martin, Brian Belott and Ida Eklbad, selected by Venus Over Manhattan partner Anna Furney and designer/creative director Darren Romanelli (aka Dr. Romanelli or DRx). Artist Sophie Parker and her botanical studio, Wife NYC, will also make custom arrangements and sculptural artwork for the lounge. There's even a custom-designed DJ booth made in Normandy by Hervet Manufacturier and Cédric Hervet, the long-time creative director for Daft Punk.
Of course, a rooftop bar has to have an incredible menu...and Panorama Room promises to deliver. It'll all be led by women—Red Rooster Harlem executive chef Megan Brown (The Standard and Ace Hotel alum) and beverage director Estelle Bossy will present "brilliant updates" to martini-adjacent classics (i.e. lychee martini, apple martini and a draft espresso martini) as well as an extensive list of sparkling wines and fortified wines from Bossy all accompanied by a menu that is an "elevated ode to the sea."
Graduate Roosevelt Island sits on the relatively new Cornell Tech campus and has 224 rooms across its 18-stories. The building was designed by Snøhetta and Stonehill Taylor while its interior was designed by Graduate Hotels’ in-house team. The team wanted to blend an old-school feel with a more new-age vibe, taking cues from Roosevelt Island's history and the future of technology that the Cornell Tech campus embodies. Visitors are greeted by a 13-foot-tall sculpture of a boy in aviator goggles holding a lightbulb by artist Hebru Brantley called "Flyboy." He's situated in front of the check-in desk made up of antique wooden drawers and a floor-to-ceiling wall of books.
Panorama Room isn't the only cool space inside the hotel — one of its big meeting rooms is called "The Loft" because it's a room inspired by Josh Baskin's bachelor pad in Big.
You can make a reservation at Panorama Room via Resy. It's open Thursdays through Sundays, 5pm-midnight on Thursdays, 5pm-2am on Fridays, 3pm-2am on Saturdays, and 3pm-midnight on Sundays. You can also follow along @panoramaroomnyc.