Los Angeles

Though Downtown evokes images of yellow-eyed car thieves and knots of bums battling for cans of Whiskas, in actuality it also offers a proud, skyscraping vista. For all the beauty and none of the sketchiness, hang at Elevate, opening this week for private parties and to the public (with no cover) on August 10th.

A 21st-floor lounge/bar/club, Elevate's one of LA's loftiest rooftop party spots -- open walled to make you feel at one with the cityscape, but ceiling'd to protect you from meteors/bird feces. At the heart of the airy space is a huge dance floor surrounded by removable booths and Tetris-like couches, where you can drink, nosh on small plates, or reflect on playing Tetris. Like the Optimus Prime of nightclubbing, Elevate can retract huge glass windows to join the entire 7,000-foot interior with its already-enormous balcony (no word yet on whether the space can make Shia LeBeouf crap his fruit-of-the-looms by taking the form of a truck).

Like Skybar to Asia De Cuba, Elevate's got Takami, an adjoining sister restaurant debuting later this month, but whose sushified appetizer options Elevate's already got previews of. So drink your drink and survey the land: if you're still worried about Downtown's perceived sketchiness, toss a roll to the sulking masses below and perhaps your car'll be there when you descend.