Skating in New York

Why so romantic?

Is it the hand-holding that becomes inevitable because you don’t want to fall? The cute winter outfits paired with red cheeks? The snack bar hot cocoa? The memories of watching figure skating on the Olympics and thinking there was nothing cooler than skating to some Elton John song and receiving medals and flowers because of it? 
Whatever it is, I romanticized ice skating to no end. We must go, I said! Then one day, by the powers of awesomeness that is Brooklyn, I FOUND skates on a trash pile. And they fit, which is to say, that I made size 5 ice skates fit my size 6.5 feet no matter how much my blood circulation was cut off. It was a sign, I thought! Free skates! 

Every woman for herself...

No, that isn’t just my awesome cheekbone or blush, that’s a face fail. BIG TIME. The lesson learned is that you NEVER go back for a boyfriend who has fallen on the ice but is probably ok. He’s a dude, he can take care of himself even if he DOES weigh less than you! But nooooo, I’m maternal, I have to check on him. I go to turn around and  it’s one of those swooping slow-motion deals straight out of a movie. 
SMACK. The side of my face/head hits the ice full-force and I see stars. I literally see stars! OWWWWWWWWWWW. I cried like a baby, as my head pounded. I get escorted off the ice (winner! winner!) and get to sit in the first aid station. I apply ice like there’s no tomorrow. I can’t think straight and I can’t remember my social security number at first. I ride in an ambulance! I sit in the ghetto Brooklyn ER for HOURS with homeless people and lots of dudes who were clearly in fights, before getting a CAT scan. I go home and look like I was beat up for days to come. 
Then I put the ice skates on MY trash pile. 

Brand-spankin' New Ice Skating Rinks!

This year, New York sees two, count ’em two, new rinks! One on the ground of the American Museum of Natural History and one at South Street Seaport. In other words, tourists like skating and the city should cater to them because they drop those dollars for a precious New York experience. 

Oldies but Goodies

Although the new rinks may attract the crowds, New York is chock-full of old standbys that will give you the same experience: crowds, lines, expensive skate rentals and/or admission prices. I’m convinced that ice skating is much like a parade: you have such high hopes, it’s going to be so much fun, and then you realized you are just moving around in a circle for the former, in a straight line for the latter. It gets old pretty fast, but it’s a traditional winter activity, so you have to do it!

Central Park

If you have to choose one skating rink in all of New  York with “a good view” as one of your requirements, it should be Central Park’s Wollman Rink. The buildings surrounding the rink at the southeastern tip make for a very dramatic winter scene, one so worth seeing that I bought a jigsaw puzzle of it over 15 years ago. The puzzle was pretty ugly, but it’s what probably started the whole romanticizing-ice-skating idea in my head. It was called “Skating in Central Park” and was depicting a scene from yesteryear. Doesn’t that just sound beautiful??? I was sold.

More New York Winter Fun