Professional networking Charlie Palmer Steak IV at the Knickerbocker Hotel The birthplace of the dry martini (1907) is a longtime go-to for rubbing elbows with corporate regulars. The bar's glowing, wavy-glass display of top-shelf spirits is all business. Or choose a spot at a highboy or cadet blue corduroy settee to talk trade in this calming, legendary room. The early-rate deadline for Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies Awards is Friday, September 5, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Apply today.