Because we sometimes need a reasonable excuse to wear sunglasses while we eat.

● Bistro Campagne (Lincoln Square) - Allow the gated side patio -- with its fountain, trees, and lush flowers -- to transport you to France in this predominantly German neighborhood.
● ZED 451 (River North) - Share apps as you mingle across this rooftop deck's various lounge areas -- from the bar and swank lounge furniture to the honest-to-God patch of grass -- and gaze up at the shimmering condo towers of River North if you need a break from your chatty crew.
● Cafe Ba-Ba-Reeba! (Lincoln Park) - The back patio is not only a reprieve from the claustrophobic effect brought on by the constant crowd, but the stunning artwork and flowers make the small plates somehow bigger.

Pull out your card and make reservations now.

1. The Violet Hour (Bucktown/Wicker Park) - Reserve the third seating at this intimate hotspot. For $60 a person, you get unlimited sparkling wine and three cocktails (or beer or wine) from their NYE cocktail list. There will be an appetizer menu floating around, but food is not included in the price.
2. Province (West Loop) - Ring in an organic New Year. The early seating package (5:30 to 8 p.m.) inside this LEED-certified building includes three courses at $36 per person for food only; for the later seating, you get a glass of sparkling wine and your choice among five appetizers, five entrees, and three desserts for $65. There's a couple of wine packages to choose from, too.
3. Pops for Champagne (Near North Side) - If you're looking for an open-bar package with Piper-Heidsieck Champagne and passed hors d'oevres prepared by Chef Andre Brochu, then slap down $130 and indulge here. The Ava Logan Quartet will be bebopping downstairs in the intimate jazz lounge from 6 to 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. to 2 a.m.

As the staunchly cigar-chomping city of Chicago has tragically joined the puritanical fray by banning the act of lighting up even in bars, rooftop drinking establishments have taken on a whole new exigency. And so comes the Dana Hotel & Spa’s sexy Vertigo Sky Lounge. But while the hotel itself is all understated Zen chic (they even have Nirvana Suites, which definitely ain’t homage to the late Mr. Cobain), its new sky-high nightlife hotspot (opening in August) will slouch decisively towards the decadent.