For a couple thousand baht, you can look down upon all the green space you can’t access as you enjoy wagyu burgers, cold cut platters, and, in simpler times, all the cocktails you need to forget about Thailand’s increasingly questionable pandemic policies. 

 

 

Although this multi-faceted space housing Happy Endings, Pho Bo, and a branch of Chu-Ros sits at ground-level, dining here, you’re just close enough to make out Lumphini’s lush lanes, where you definitely don’t want to be walking, running, or biking right now. 

 

 

 

It’s new-ish, it’s chic, it overlooks Lumphini… but it’s closed until further notice. At this rate, odds are good Bar Yard reopens before the parks, though, so stay posted. 

 

 

Not to be confused with Red Sky, the Centara Grand Ladprao’s rooftop bar-restaurant is one of very few in the area that overlooks Chatuchak Park. On that note, hey, Chatuchak Market and all its spinoffs are still open!

 

 

We’re admittedly stretching here. While Viu used to be the spot to watch the horse races from a safe, air-conditioned distance, far removed from the hoi polloi in the stands, neither champagne brunches nor pony shows are happening at the moment. The Royal Bangkok Sports Club isn’t open to you anyway, peon. 

 

 

 

Ah, wait. It’s a bar. Even says so in the name. Never mind. 

 

 

Yep, okay, another bar. But it’s inside a mall, and those are still open, so you can still (sort of) temporarily escape our long national nightmare.

 

 

And since the malls are open, you can engage in one of Bangkok’s most popular extracurriculars: spending several hours just kind of sitting there in the food court of a luxury shopping center. From your safe indoor perch, milk your B115 plate of khao ka moo for all it’s worth as you soak up bird’s-eye views of Benjasiri Park.