A forlorn-faced Bill Murray sits at a bar stool, the Tokyo cityscape behind him. He is at New York Bar, the Tokyo Hyatt’s rooftop lounge, which makes an alluring cameo in the film Lost In Translation. The world-renowned bar plays host to live jazz at night, and boasts a $20 cover fee, providing a stunning view of Tokyo in all its cosmopolitan glory, and thanks to the movie, tourist flock to the locale in attempt to recreate the scene where Bill Murray chats up a much younger Scarlett Johansson.

The image of the hotel lounge is a classic one, and luckily Toronto’s Park Hyatt plays host to a very similar incarnation of the roof top bar, a place where tourists no doubt flock for that very same feeling of being on top of the world, or in a sub-par attempt to create a less-real version of the scene from Lost In Translation.

The Park Hyatt Roof Lounge provides an equally spectacular view, though from the 18th floor instead of the 52nd. The hotel foundation itself was erected after three years of construction in 1930, while the Roof Lounge emerged in ’47. Since then, it’s established itself as a prototype for hotel lounges to come, and a place where one may go to either relax with friends, or rub shoulders with celebrities. It’s strategically lit, casting flattering shadows and low-lights in all the right places, so even if you’re not famous, you will likely feel as though you are.

The lounge’s brand of music changes with the season, so during the Film Fest, there was a lot of upbeat and deep house in the background to appeal to a trendy, celeb-laden crowd. Right now it’s mostly jazz and swing, perfectly complementing the earthy fall/winter decor.

The space can get very crowded, and usually consists of out-of-towners, mixed with the average Yorkville frequenter. The décor resembles that of a classy '70s parlour, with retro-design wall-to-wall carpeting, and wood and leather finishings. There are a couple distressed leather sofas positioned in front of the welcoming fireplace, making one feel as though it’s a big, fancy living room, but with strangers periodically making out on your couch.

Cocktails are tasty but pricey, running you anywhere from $15 to $20 a pop. The tapas menu is impressive as well, featuring feta and oregano French fries, grilled veggie and goat cheese wrap-ups, and artisan cheeses. Also, a complimentary trio of spicy olives, dried apples and almonds graces your table upon ordering.

The Park Hyatt Roof Lounge has effectively institutionalized itself into our city’s social pastiche, and it’s easy to see why. Its upscale but unpretentious ambiance acts as a social lubricant (complementing its swanky list of wines and cocktails), and the patio acts as the proverbial olive garnish. Even if you know Toronto and know it well, to watch it in motion from so high up effectively unites the old with the new. If only for a moment, everything appears in perspective, and, if nothing else, you’re provided with a really great vantage point for adequately critiquing the ROM Crystal. Or, for the less concerned with architecture, a spot from which to test the theory that a penny, if dropped from atop a building, builds enough momentum to fashion a hole in the ground where it lands (though we really don't recommend this).

Photograph: Rick Madonik/Toronto Star

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