The InterContinental hotel chain has opened a new location downtown, and its main selling point is the view. Fair enough ? it is pretty impressive.

The 73-story building (the tallest on the West Coast, if you're counting the spire rising from the roof) is occupied by hotel rooms on floors 31 to 68. Above that are the common areas, all with glorious views. Sora, on the 69th floor, is a sushi restaurant with a conveyor belt running along the windows, which is a cute idea. Next door is Dekkadance ? I don't support the name ? that is essentially an upscale buffet. One floor up is the lobby bar, which specializes in vodka and serves a menu that's clearly all about indulgence: duck-fat fries, foie gras, caviar ? that kind of thing.Going up to the 71st floor, we find La Boucherie on 71, a restaurant that is not for the common man. Most of us can't afford it, but the tableside butchery sounds exciting!

And at the very tippy top, on the 73rd floor, is Spire 73, an open-air bar dotted with both fountains and fire pits. It has the tallest restaurant view in the city (sorry, 71Above) and a big menu of small plates. This is the one I'd recommend for a big night out: you'll get the best view with the least damage to the bank account.

900 Wilshire Blvd., downtown; (213) 688-7777, dtla.intercontinental.com.