"What It Is: The new rooftop bar on top of the Freehand Hotel in Kips Bay Perfect For: Date Night, Impressing Out-Of-Towners, Outdoor/Patio Situation When we went to go check out Broken Shaker at the Freehand Hotel, there was a line to get inside. But it was warm out, and we had some things to read, so we decided to wait. And, 40 minutes later, we finally made it into the elevator. Was the wait worth it? Yeah, it sort of was. Rooftop bars tend to be crowded, clubby, and overpriced - but Broken Shaker wasn’t too packed, the views were very nice, and it felt less like a typical rooftop bar and more like a big, cool bar that just happened to be on top of a building. It felt like a casual 1970s beach house party in someone’s penthouse apartment, and we’ll most likely be back several times this summer. The Verdict: As annoying as it will inevitably be to get in here, we’ll be coming back to Broken Shaker the next time we feel the need to be on a rooftop. This is going on our Bar Hit List." - hannah albertine, bryan kim, katherine lewin, hillary reinsberg, chris stang, matt tervooren
