It’s an interesting notion; the bar up above. A place where you can sip and look up at the sky. Or down at traffic a mere two or even nineteen floors below. It’s al fresco consumption without the threat of passersby and their strollers or swinging Gap shopping bags. There are no SEPTA busses to blow exhaust in your face. No bosses to pass by you at happy hour on their way home from the office when you’ve called out sick from work. Unless, of course, they, too, stop in to sip from above.

With summer here, I’ve found no greater a place to get away from it all when you really don’t want to get away from anything. It’s reality with a little less of it. It’s a private club that’s actually public.

It is the sky, or balcony bar, and it comes in all different shapes, styles, and altitudes.

CITY TAP HOUSE

Restaurant Details

City Tap House 3925 Walnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19104 215-662-0105 www.citytaphouse.com/ Hours Sun-Thurs: 11:30am - 10pm Fri-Sat: 11:30am - 12am Brunch Sun: 11am - 3pm Cards: YES (all)

I went to City Tap House, (a University City monstrosity that boasts 60 draft beers and 120 seats), to sit outside. “Here for drinks and apps? You can grab a seat by a fire pit,” said the hostess. And so we passed the “reserved” pit and settled into one of the five others – “settled into” being a bold exaggeration.

I get it; fires are hot, can spread, can burn, can attract lawsuits, and so a restaurant doesn’t want you to sit in the fire, and it was probably fire code that the built-in stone benches were stationed almost two feet from the fire pit’s counter. Catching up with two old friends? Even small groups will have to split up between the two sides of the pit, and you’ll be sitting six feet away from the opposing bench. And that’s one loud conversation, especially when the people behind you are attempting the exact same thing. Thinking of sharing one of City Tap House’s four mussel dishes? Try managing that at a fire pit. Even if the person next to you wants to split them, you’ll be dripping tomato sauce and olive oil across your lap as you reach from the counter to your mouth. The fire pits simply do not work well for anything but a huge group that’s only there to drink and steal a fry from each other, and even that requires a formidable reach.

And so we promised to order sandwiches and were led to an umbrella-shaded table. While the staff knows what they’re talking about it, I care more about my empty Saison Dupont or Onmegang Rare Vos glass being brought back to the tap, and my water being half-full (such an optimist) at all times. And why did a bacon and blue cheese burger, a Caesar salad, a side of potato fingerling hash, and a chicken pesto sandwich take close to forty-five minutes? I was occupied, though, staring up at the quirky Radian apartment building that looks as if it was punched by a giant in a few places on the north-facing side, thus pushing out huge knuckle-lines of material on the our south end. And gazing over the top of West Philly roofs. And finding amusement in the abandoned parking lot look-alike that took up most of City Tap’s deck. With cotton stuck in the weeds, nonetheless. Ah… city nature.

How high: two floors up (but the first is doubled in height, so technically, three floors up)

What you’ll see: roof tops, the glow of the sunset that’s mostly blocked by the building

Good for: dinner, groups

CONTINENTAL MIDTOWN

Restaurant Details

Continental Midtown 1801 Chestnut Street Philadelphia, PA 19195 (215) 567-1800 www.continentalmidtown.com Hours Lunch Mon - Fri: 11:30am - 3:30pm Dinner Sun - Wed: 5pm - 11pm Thurs - Sat:5pm - 12am Brunch Sat-Sun: 10am - 4pm Cards: YES (all)

Continental Midtown has the nature aspect down pat – kind of. And who would think of “trees” when they hear the name “Continental”? Anyone who has been up on their roof deck. That’s the thing with Continental – everyone knows it, and since it’s always been there and hasn’t changed much, it’s not such a “hot” place save for a pre Sex and the City II showing or an attempt at impressing a girl on a first date. I usually don’t think about it. Until last weekend when it was really, really, really hot and our a/c-less, stuffy house wasn’t suitable to host a pregame. Next thing I knew, I was bumping into familiar faces (and the cocktail waitresses, and the bus boys – literally) among a three manicured-tree-clad deck. And people weren’t just indulging in martinis; I spotted equal parts beer, wine, and cocktails being had by the mostly twenty-somethings and a few thirty-somethings that were still in the twenty-something mindset. All, of course, were dressed to impress, standing around the bar or lounging on plush armchairs under the covered side.

And if you arrive before those who are just looking to drink and mingle, you can enjoy your crispy calamari salad or lobster mac-and-cheese beneath the trees and stars without the threat of being bumped by tight-skirted hips, should that be a concern.

How high: three floors up

What you’ll see: buildings

Good for: happy hour, dinner, late night

STANDARD TAP

Restaurant Details

Standard Tap 901 N 2nd Street Philadelphia, PA 19123 (215) 238-0630 www.standardtap.com Hours Mon-Sun: 4pm-2am Brunch Sat-Sun: 11am-3:30pm Cards: YES (all)

But if you want draft beer (you won’t find any at Continental Midtown), visit an old favorite with an updated three level deck – Standard Tap. While there is “NO MOVING THE TABLES,” there are plenty of local beers and simple but sufficient apps, salads, and entrees. And because everyone’s sitting at tables, you feel a little obligated to order food, especially when it’s busy. But bring your glasses or prepare to strain your eyes to see the distant chalkboard listings. There are no menus. Or explanations.

If you see “Squid,” on the menu, don’t you wonder how it’s made? Fried? Grilled? What kind of cheese is in the grilled cheese? What are the stuffed peppers stuffed with? What comes with the flounder? In a time when the best known restaurants hesitate to call bacon simply “bacon” — Standard Tap bucks the trend. Don’t feel bad inquiring about every item on the menu, but prepare three back-ups incase you won’t like the waitress’ answer. And yes, there are trees, and shade, too.

How high: three floors up

What you’ll see: buildings, the top of some Northern Liberties rooftops

Good for: snacks, dinner

XIX

Restaurant Details

Nineteen (XIX) 200 S Broad St 19th Floor Philadelphia, PA 19102 (215) 790-1919 www.nineteenrestaurant.com Hours Mon-Wed: 6:30am - 11pm Thu-Sat: 6:30am - 2am Sun: 7am - 11pm Cards: YES (all)

If relaxed, dare apathetic service isn’t your thing, experience just the opposite at XIX. Nineteen floors above the masses, atop the Hyatt at the Bellevue, you are surrounded by some of the most attentive service, beautiful people, and elegant décor in the city. But what’s more is their balcony seating, where you can snag a table with a party of four or less, or just stand and block those parties. During happy hour, the age of the crowd is a mix of middle-agers, recent college grads with champagne taste, and all those in between who know a nice thing when they see one. The dinner menu has more appetizers than entrees, so you can manage to enjoy the a view worth a fortune without spending one. Gazing at the sunset, you’re likely to be next to a man twice your age in a business suit. But hey, maybe the altitude will go to his head and he’ll buy you a hefty glass of Malbec or a cocktail made by one of the bartenders who all really know their stuff.

How high: nineteen floors (hence the name)

View: eastern Philadelphia, New Jersey (if only they’d serve a sunrise breakfast)

Good for: happy hour, dinner

APO BAR + LOUNGE

Restaurant Details

APO BAR + LOUNGE 102 S 13th St Philadelphia, PA 19107 (215) 735-7500 www.apothecarylounge.com Hours Tues-Thurs: 5pm-12am Fri-Sat: 5pm-2am Cards: YES (all)

Totally deserted save for one other couple on a Tuesday night - yet always hopping during happy hour - the outdoor space is for drinking only. Or drinking and nibbling on the mini soft pretzels that mimic APO’s green hospital cross that hangs outside of its entrance. And the salt, despite my drinking companion “swearing” that I flicked some in his eye when I shook my vodka/strawberry/rhubarb drink’s condensation from my hand, served their situation well. Give me Goldfish or peanuts (though not spicy ones like XIX has at their bar) - I don’t care. But I’d wager to say that providing a salty snack will boost my consumption by at least one drink per bar, much to the bar’s pleasure, and much peril to my sorry state the following morning.

Sitting on the deck, you can see (and hear) the energy from 13th street. You can watch diners in Bindi. Laugh at people stumble out of cabs. APO is the only up-high-drinking-spot of its kind on the block, so take advantage. And come late August, you can score upcale diner food on the first floor, now closed for renovations.

How high: two floors up

View: overlooking 13th street, lots of buildings

Good for: happy hour, late night

VANGO

Restaurant Details

Vango 116 S 18th St Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 568-1020 www.vangoloungeandskybar.com Hours Mon-Sun: 5pm-2am Cards: YES (all)

Vango, the sibling of Byblos, boasts a downright good-looking entrance and interior. The lighting, for example, is more unique than it has to be for a club that doesn’t have a cover, but I think Vango is confused. It’s not cheap. The cocktails, for almost the same price, aren’t crafted with care like at APO or Franklin. But Vango also doesn’t cater to you at as at other upscale lounges where you don’t care if your cocktail is just an expensive well drink since you’re main concern is showing that by being there, you have some extra cash. Vango does have a redeeming feature: its sky bar. Then again, to get up to the 3rd floor, you’ll need a drink in hand, which you may only find out after you’ve squeezed through the crowd and waited in line for 10 minutes just to get to the bottom of the stairs.

Once you make it upstairs, the sky is yours. So are the white linen covered couches, perhaps already occupied by guys in tight shirts and their counterparts in heels, and the beds, if you’ll spend on bottle service. The place is gorgeous, with downstairs tables separated from the masses by lattice-like partitions and the sky bar that truly does serve a full portion of sky, so in the summer, it may be worth shelling out $9 on a glass of wine that came from a $9 bottle. Until the leaves start to fall, come one, come all. Drink in hand, of course.

How high: three floors up

View: barely obstructed by surrounding buildings

Good for: late night

Emily Callaghan is managing editor of Table Matters and a graduate of Drexel University. Her work has appeared in Philadelpia Magazine, The Philadelphia Inquirer and TheSmartSet.com.

Article photograph from Jukie Bot, via Flickr (Creative Commons), Eat Drink Philly" photograph from suvodeb, via Flickr (Creative Commons), "Philly" photograph from camardella, via Flickr (Creative Commons).