The Lobby Bar at The Bowery Hotel

While the rate at which the Bowery has changed over the last 10 years causes consternation among anti-gentrification white knights, it bears remembering that before there were Bowery Bums, the Bowery was the only destination that mattered for young people out on the town. The Bowery Hotel has picked up that long-abandoned torch and now stands as a beacon to the party animals and serious drinkers alike who flood the avenue on their way to the latest restaurant/gallery/club. At its heart is the lobby bar, a respite from the madding crowd, kitted out with massive leather armchairs, Persian rugs and taxidermy, evoking a Victorian club from some far empire outpost.