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Rooftop With A (rear) View (mirror)

INDOOR / OUTDOOR · COST: $$$ · FOOD: NO · DRINKS: YES

You can find some stunning views of the city scape at a rooftop bar… but you can also find some killer views on the upper floors of a big parking garage too. Pack a picnic or charcuterie board & drive up to the tallest parking structure in town. You can toss a table cloth on your car hood or just hold your drink/food with your hands like the good Lord intended.

The Overview

WHAT You Need
Makeshift Rooftop Bar In A Local Parking Garage

Instead of trying to get a spot at a swanky rooftop bar and wind up spending a fortune just to get a little tipsy, steak out a high rise parking structure with a decent view of your city. Pack a couple drinks and a delicious snack, park your car at the top, and enjoy!

WHEN to do it
Sunset Or Just A Sunday

Short of the parking structure closing and you being unable to enter/leave, twighlight or sunset tends to be the best time for this in my opinion. Granted, if the parking garage you frequent doesn't have a western-facing side (and you are a loyalist to saaid structure), then you'll just have to maybe settle for a view of the lights.

WHERE to go
....At A Parking Garage... duh.

Every downtown tends to have a public parking structure. Some are free, some cost a few dollars an hour, but either way the cost is incredibly low and should be affordable by any cheap-dater.
I suggest getting on Google Street View and scoping out the surroundings of the structure. This way, you can figure out if a Sunset beverage & bite to eat is possible, or if you'll have a downtown-view drink and scope some city lights.