‘Tis the season to take to the ice with the New York City skyline as your backdrop!
There are just so many places to skate in the City. My favorite is the Wollman Rink in Central Park. The rink is big and the view is amazing. (Psst…I’ve been spending Wednesday evenings running in the Park and the rink hasn’t been crowded at all!) It’s open until 10:00pm on Wednesdays and Thursdays and 11:00pm on Fridays and Saturdays, so you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy dinner at Webster before heading out. The rink is on the Fifth Avenue side of the Park. Take the A, C, or #1 Train uptown to Columbus Circle and walk east. If Wollman looks familiar, if might be because it’s where scenes from Serendipity and Love Story were filmed.
If you want the other “New York” skating experience, head over to Rockefeller Center on Fifth Avenue. The rink is smaller and limited to 150 skaters so there can be a wait. But you’ll get to skate right under New York’s most famous Christmas Tree and be admired by a throng of tourists not as brave as you are. Instant fame! And it’s where Will Ferrell goes skating with Zooey Deschanel in Elf, a great holiday movie filled with fun and silliness.
For a different experience, try the Winter Village at Bryant Park. The rink is right next to the Outdoor Holiday Fair, where you might pick up a unique gift or two. It’s at 41st Street and Sixth Avenue, right behind the New York Public Library and an easy walk from Webster.
Growing up in New York one of my favorite stories was Hans Brinker or The Silver Skates, a tale of an ice skating race in Amsterdam. A few years ago I learned that most Dutch children never heard of the story. Guess it was something Disney made up. So disappointing!
But I’ve never been disappointed ice skating in New York. Why not give it a whirl?
