Places to Party

Step beyond the legendary Bar Room at New York's '21' and you'll discover an amazing ten private dining spaces spread over five floors. These include the infamous wine cellar, reached through a secret door made of bricks, where bottles were hidden during the Prohibition era.

Today this holds the Private Wine Stock, fruits of a practice, dating back to the 1930s, of regular customers purchasing a bottle of wine to be stored and opened later on a special occasion. Dusty bottles of Bordeaux and Burgundy are identified as owned by Presidents Ford, Nixon, Elizabeth Taylor, Ari Onassis and Ivan Boesky.

Then there's the Puncheon Room, lined with paintings given by guests during the Depression in lieu of payment of their bills. This has just been stunningly redesigned and is the perfect place to host up 350 guests for weddings, corporate events and any special occasion. Soft decor and high tech audio-visual features combine to make a truly contemporary space.

But hands-down the most unexpected is the Orchid Room: a monochrome, mirror-lined Art Deco space with orchids in fluted vases and pen-and-ink botanical paintings. Classic, yet chic, it's the perfect place to invite your friends and have a party to remember.