With a tagline that reads ‘welcome to your cool uncle’s basement’, it’s pretty clear from the get-go that Jack and Fanny’s isn’t your typical Upper East Side bar. The 70s-inspired wood panels and brickwork that adorn the walls give off some serious retro vibes, while the cosy leather couches and bar stools invite patrons to grab a couple of beers, get comfortable and settle in for the night.
The Italian-style menu is full of delicious bites, including wings, calamari, burgers and an epic cheese and charcuterie board, ready to line your belly. Oh, Jack and Fanny’s also has an indoor bocce court, the only one in Manhattan. Games are free, and after one (or many) of the 14 draft cocktails, there’s bound to be a few laughs.
Tropicana meets goth meets Polynesian noir. These are the vibes we get from San Francisco’s Last Rites, a drinking den that takes the ‘more is more’ approach. No exaggeration – it’s like a plane crash in the jungle. The bar has been built using the body of an actual aircraft. Then there are the plane seats turned into bar stools, and a parachute dangling from the roof. Veering from the aeronautical theme are three-metre-tall stone skull statues and giant banyan tree roots.
The cocktails don’t stray from the dark jungle theme, with fruity, rum-based concoctions boasting names like Valley of the Shadow and Avian Evolution filling the list. It’s kind of like being in an episode of Lost, but with tastier drinks and a better plot twist.
At a glance you might not think much of the Chicago Athletic Hotel, but little do you know that hidden away on its second floor is Milk Room. What was once a speakeasy during America’s infamous Prohibition has now appropriately been transformed into an unsuspecting eight-seat micro bar. Specialising in hard-to-find ingredients, Milk Bar takes it back to classic cocktails featuring rare and vintage spirits.
Adorned with stained glass windows, candles and iron light fittings, the dimly lit interior sets an intimate ambience for your evening visit. The bar also offers a finely crafted menu of share plates, so you won’t go hungry. Milk Room, however, is not for the faint of wallet, although its rare spirits served in a piece of delicious history is worth the dosh if you’re splashing out.
Concealed inside the walls of a historic 1911 building that was originally a pool hall, you’ll find a nine-room boutique hotel and restaurant with a secret. For most visiting the mountain-town of Revelstoke, the delicious smoky smells of the acclaimed Quartermaster restaurant that waft through its big industrial doors are enough to lure you in. But it’s the secret little boiler room that really captures us.
Tucked away beneath the restaurant, this speakeasy bar (boiler room) offers an intimate setting for those wishing to enjoy a curated selection of whisky, spirits and cocktails, all while marvelling at a 100-year-old coal-fired boiler. It’s moody and mysterious – just the way we like our hidden bars to be. If you need us, you’ll know where we’ll be!
What’s better than spending a whole day at a brewery? Staying there overnight. You can now do just that at the DogHouse, a 32-room hotel on the site of Scottish company BrewDog’s Columbus, Ohio, beer factory. The rooms, not entirely surprisingly, have a masculine vibe – some like the Brewmaster Suite (pictured) overlook the sour beer works – with plenty of suds on offer throughout the stay. It starts at check-in with the lobby bartender ensuring guests enjoy a welcoming ale, while two fridges – one in the room and the other in the shower – are loaded up with the company’s best-known craft beers and seasonal specials.
Oh, there’s an in-room tap, too, that can be hooked up to a growler of whatever bevvy your tastebuds desire. Of course, while you’re here, it would be churlish not to do a tour of the facilities and the huge interactive craft beer museum. We’ll raise a glass to that.
A visit to the Hudson Yards is like visiting a city within a city. This Vatican of Manhattan is the newest cathedral of commerce to grace the underdeveloped west side, where posh pilgrims can find one of the most lavish shopping malls, event spaces, and public work of art the city has to offer.
High end shopping like Fendi and Cartier and fine restaurants like Milos and Belcampo first are just the beginning. The first Equinox Fitness Hotel, as well as a state of the art concert hall complete with a retractable roof. Don’t forget to check out The Vessel, where intrepid guest can climb the over 150 intertwined open air staircases for views of the city found no where else.
Yellow sand, salty water and summer beach vibes don’t exactly spring to mind when we think of New York City, but The Ramones were on to something when they decided to “hitch a ride to Rockaway Beach.” Nestled into the Rockaway Peninsula in Queens,this arty-vibe beach is growing in popularity, which makes a nibble and drinks at the Rockaway Beach Surf Club even more appealing. What started as a place for surfers to store their boards is now a beach club with a difference. Rockaway Beach Surf Club embraces the destination’s chilled-out urban beach vibe.
Welcomed by the phrase “Live. Surf. Die”, the club is devoted to the local neighbourhood and hosts a number of cultural and art events within its on-site gallery. Visitors to the club can chow down on some tacos with a side of chips (obviously!), while sipping a fresh watermelon juice or a delicious cocktail or two. It might not be quite the luxury poolside hangout you’d except of the term “beach club” but we’d be happy hitching the next ride to this NYC beachside hangout.
There’s a point on any trip from Australia to New York when you wonder if it will ever end. Usually that happens as you are fanging through LAX trying to make your connection; it comes back two hours into that same connecting flight when you realise you’re trapped for another 200 minutes. Believe us when we tell you there is a better way. Jump on a Hawaiian Airlines flight from Sydney or Brisbane to Honolulu then schedule a few days of sun and surf to overcome jet lag.
Head to O’ahu’s North Shore, catch a few waves at Waimea Bay, snorkel with turtles, check out the cute galleries and shops of Haleiwa and eat pounds of shrimp at the famous food trucks. Just as you’re settling in to this new existence it’s back to Daniel K Inouye International Airport for the onwards flight to New York. It’s still two almost-10-hour flights, but a stopover in paradise makes it all worthwhile. Avoiding customs at LAX is an added bonus.
The premise behind Pelican Brewing Company is a simple one: beers by the beach. It’s a winning formula, and one that the team has down pat – after all, they’ve been serving ice-cold froffs here for more than 20 years now. The location, perched on the shoreline of the Oregon coast, is phenomenal, and visitors can stroll the dunes, take a dip or go crabbing before knocking back a few craft offerings.
There’s a selection of crowd favourites – including pale ales, stouts and pilsners – available to drink year-round, but it’s the seasonal varieties that impress the most. Our top pick? The Jamaicito, a mojito-inspired lager with hibiscus, mint and lime, best enjoyed on the outdoor terrace with a plate of calamari.
The spirit of the 60s is alive and well at Timber Cove. Although the hotel’s dramatic A-frame structure has since been moved and expanded to make the most of the outlook, the owners were careful to remain true to Richard Clements Jr’s original design, built in 1963.
There are 46 rooms, each with a rustic modern vibe and features like fireplaces, Crosley record players, and local wines and coffee. It’s right on the Sonoma coastline – a 2.5-hour drive from San Francisco – so you’ve got 400 wineries to explore, as well as hiking trails, cute towns, surf beaches and heaps more. You don’t even need to leave the hotel. Hit the outdoor living room, with fire pit, pool table and ping pong, or join the guided Saturday walks.
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