Downtown LA Will Have a New Skybar Towering 73 Stories High

As if you didn’t already know, there are big (like, really big) changes coming to Downtown’s already explosive restaurant scene, from out of town bigwigs to local folks expanding out. But none of the most anticipated new openings for the neighborhood plans to be as tall as the upcoming bar atop the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown Hotel.

To catch you up: InterContinental Hotel is landing atop the upcoming Wilshire Grand project in Downtown, making it the one of the highest hotel properties anywhere around. In fact, the building itself will be the tallest in the Western U.S. — no small feat consider the US Bank Tower and crown jewel restaurant 71Above nearby.

So what does that mean for the food and beverage programs on-site at the InterContinental? Much of the fine detail work is still be shaken out, but there’s already a big list of hits heading into the property, including a fine dining steakhouse that’s also 71 floors above the ground, plus a more casual three-square-meals eatery just a few elevator stops below.

But most exciting of all is the Sky Deck Bar & Lounge, an open-air outdoor skybar that rests on the 73rd floor of the massive building. Like, right near the tippy top of the whole property, making it by far the most elevated position for enjoying a cocktail anywhere in the city, and for many, many miles around. As you can see from the rendering above, there will be tall glass panels protecting guests from the wind, but otherwise this place is open to the stars and the evening sky.

Sky Deck Bar & Lounge is sure to become an almost instantaneous hit in Downtown, and make places like Perch overlooking Pershing Square feel downright tiny by comparison. Expect an opening sometime early this summer, with plenty of elevated cocktails to follow.

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