Well, ya'll, we liked NY so much we will be going back for our 24th Anniversary! I say 24th! Where did the time go? And my husband and children are all still alive (just kidding!)

We will be there Jan 6-8th, and will be going to Beauty and the Beast on Broadway. I can't wait. Saturday late afternoon we'll be at that outdoor rink (not Rockefeller-the other one). Will anyone be there at all? Just wondering. It would be great to meet some of ya.

Geez, I just came back from there!!!

Enjoy Bryant Park! I still haven't gone there yet, but then again, I figured with the holidays and the fact that it's FREE, that it would also be massively crowded anyway. But given the timing of your visit, it probably won't be as bad.

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Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

Bryant Park is horribly crowded--except if you go in the early morning.
But there are plenty of neat little shops surrounding the rink (at least there were last Saturday on Sunday; don't know how long they will be set up).

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This morning, the all-news station reported that Bryant Park is only open for another three weeks.
They close very early because the Park is used for Fashion Week.

Closing date on the Bryant Park website is January 15th. (There's a webcam set up on the site, so you can check the crowds.)

Manhattan quiets down after New Year's. (NoVa - was it you who said New Year's Day is a good day to skate at RockCenter?)

Someone at Klingbeil's said there's an outdoor (seasonal) ice rink at the South Street Seaport, but I can't confirm that.
Anyone know for certain?

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I had to check the web - but the rink i'm talking about is the Wollman skating rink.

Sorry, i just didn't remember the name of it at the time i posted my blurb.

Gah!! ok i've seen crowded public sessions but boy does bryant park take the cake! no room in the middle even!

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Nah, you have to see Rock Center during the holiday week tourism crush.
You can't fall down--it's like riding the subway during rush hour: wall-to-wall people.

Here's a NY Times Article on Skating in NYC.

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I was thinking more cattle! (MOOOOOO!!!) I've done Rockfeller Center rink twice. That's enough for me, I think! (But I do agree... you have to try for it at least once in a lifetime just to say that you have skated there before!) BTW: Central Park can be just as crowded during the holiday season too! This is exactly why I only would do Central Park on the weekday morning FS session. It's worth the extra $$$ to shell out to skate w/o the huge crowds! They also won't let you in the center either... unless you have a private lesson! And trust me, even that was crowded too!!! No way in hell you can set up for a jump or spin even!!!

Should warn 'ya... there are TWO Wollman rinks in the NYC area. The one I *THINK* you're thinking of skating at is at Central Park. That one is in Manhattan and is owned by Trump. The other one is Kate Wollman (aka Prospect Park) rink and that one is in Brooklyn. (Guess how *I* learn about that? )

Just thought I give 'ya a heads-up!

__________________
Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

Photo of our synchro team at Wollman Central Park:
http://i93.photobucket.com/albums/l7...cw/trophy2.jpg

Miraclegro, congratulations on your anniversary! Sorry I won't get to meet you then- We'll be at a synchro competition at Lake Placid that weekend.

Wollman Central Park is generally crowded on weekends. The early part of the freestyles are not too bad, from 6:30 to about 8 am. There's plenty of space on weekday freestyles 6-10 am. ($20)

On weekdays:
Sky Rink freestyle sessions are not crowded after 8am.
Prospect Park public is very empty from 8:30-10am 9$5)
Aviator's public is usually not crowded 11:00 am-3pm ($8)

Hope you have a good time!

Bryant Park was so much fun. When I was there I was able to skate with former New York Ranger Adam Graves. It was a blast and it wasn't that crowded. Now when I went to Rockefeller it was packed and I almost got killed by all the n00bz. That was a disaster waiting to happen. I wouldn't have gone, but since I had never been there I figured what the hay.,

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Sooo, Jazzpants,

You're saying..you went to the wrong rink?

No, luckily!!! LOL!!! But when I first started skating in Manhattan, I needed directions to get around Manhattan and I wanted to skate at Central Park. I had a rather interesting dialog with the bus driver trying to get the right bus line..

Me: How do I get to Wollman Rink?
Local: "Which Wollman rink"
Me: "The one in New York?"
Local: "There's more than one Wollman Rink in New York."
Me: "Oh, dear! The outdoor rink?"
Local: "Do you want the one in Brooklyn or Manhattan?"
Me: (Relieved to finally sense an "out."): "Manhattan!"

I went to the one in Central Park twice (once at the really crowded public session and the other at the much nicer FS session.) dbny invited me to skate with her at the other Wollman rink in Brooklyn the following year before going out for dim sum.

__________________
Cheers,
jazzpants

11-04-2006: Shredded "Pre-Bronze FS for Life" Club Membership card!!!
Silver Moves is the next "Mission Impossible"
(Dare I try for Championship Adult Gold someday???)

Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

My friends who skate at Wollman Central Park tell me that the freestyle is everyday, including weekends, from 6 am- 10am. On weekends, it starts to get crowded after 8:30 am with lots of little kids. (But if anyone is going tomorrow, they will open later because of the holiday.)