
1. The Asbury
The Asbury has earned world’s best cred. Here’s why: beyond the mod fixtures, it narrates the city. Retro photos over dreamy pillow-tops and bunks evoke history. But the heyday it illuminates is now. Hit the Soundbooth lobby bar, where locals queue for cocktails like the Manhattan Transfer. (Brooklynites flock here, too.) Then wander. From drag karaoke and DJ sets to films at the rooftop cinema draped in AstroTurf, The Asbury has the city’s pulse. Case in point: its 2018 reopening of the city’s beloved bowling alley-slash-concert hall, Asbury Lanes.