As much as I loved the image of one of the great wits of the Algonquin Round Table lounging on a bed of ice, the bartender was referring to a brand of gin, one that's made in Brooklyn and named after someone who knew a little something about the pleasures of distilled spirits.
The city now owns it, as a quiet retreat for writers and artists, with a schedule of poetry readings, etc. Very informal, many tables, lounge chairs, shelves of free books, free Wi-Fi, café, two balconies, across the park from the Hessisches Staatstheater.
As Joel Spolsky CEO of Stack Overflow said in a recent interview, "If you want to attract and keep developers, don't emphasize ping-pong tables, lounges, fire pits and chocolate fountains.
Canadian Affair (canadianaffair.com) has a week's fly-drive to Vancouver and the Okanagan valley from £496 including flights from Gatwick, and car hire Hotel Zed (doubles from £84 room only, hotelzed.com) is a colourful new boutique hotel in downtown Kelowna with a table tennis lounge and complimentary roller skates.
A bar, with a pool table, and lounge is located next to the front desk, where it's not uncommon to see people drinking and smoking -- cannabis included.
Perhaps this is what you're seeking but if not, consider booking the table or lounge area for a time during lunch that isn't so busy or rushed.
Plans for the tasting room include a long bar wrapped around communal trestle tables, more lounge seating and billiards tables, but until the construction is complete you'll need to head to your local beer bar to find Boomtown brews.
The hotel had done its best to fill the space with a huge turquoise coffee table, a sofa, lounge chairs, a dining table with four chairs, a glass-topped writing table, a large credenza — and, of course, the king-size bed.
Friends told me I was mad to buy this place for precisely that reason, but it makes no difference as I mainly use the floor for entertaining, so I'm either sat at the dining table or lounging in the sofa area on the other side.
Fashionable table tennis lounges like SPiN New York have found a niche in Manhattan in recent years.
