Buddha Bar, New York

Buddha Bar - Buddha Bar’s dynamic, vast, three-room playground exudes a sexy Asian flair, jaw-dropping design, and a plethora of fashionable internationals sipping $13 cocktails. Sound like every other lounge in the Meatpacking District? Perhaps the concept would have been more novel if the owners brought the famous French nightspot stateside five years ago. In any case, it’s still worth a stop to gawk at the towering black-lacquered Buddha resting peacefully under the pyramidal skylight and the well-tressed crowd gabbing in floating VIP pagodas. Others gather under red glass chandeliers in the mural-accented lounge at the bar, at cocktail tables, and on opium beds. There’s no cover or list (meaning YOU can come inside for FREE), and there is a glass-encased standing lounge for smokers and a gift shop to purchase the bar’s eclectic, world beats soundtrack.