Did you know that every Tuesday through April you can skate at Rockefeller Center for just $7.50? Prices typically go up to $14, but this special is in honor of the rink's 75th anniversary (and if you go tonight, our favorite Social Vixen AK-47 will be there). And did you know the rink was sort of accidental? more ›

Bryant Park has just announced their annual Winter Film Festival (that's right, outdoor movies aren't just for balmy summer nights), and they've got a pretty sweet lineup. On January 23rd they'll be screening When Harry Met Sally, followed by Groundhog Day on January 30th, on February 6th it's Edward Scissorhands, and there will be one more TBA on the 13th. All movies start at 7 p.m., but we recommend getting there early to fill your hot chocolate up with some contraband cinnamon Schnapps. more ›

The holiday season is upon us, and with it brings all sorts of adorable things: festive sweaters, Yuletide logs, the occasional marriage proposal. Yes, indeed, tis the season for surprise proposals, like this one, at the touristy of all wintertime tourist destinations, Rockefeller Center's ice skating rink. more ›

If it's not cold enough for you outside, why not hit the ice? While the failed Polar Rink is closed after one year in business, all the usual suspects are open for skating season. Here's a roundup (please note that Wollman Rink is now charging a spectator fee! Egregious!): more ›

The Museum of Natural History tried something new this year: an ice skating rink. Opening in November, their Polar Rink is made up of "scientifically engineered" artificial ice which isn't getting very good reviews. One reader tips us off to the dull blades and sub-par synthetic skating surface, declaring ever so bluntly: "the Polar Rink SUCKS BALLS...goddamn it's a piece of crap. The super-dull rental skates don't help (and btw - THERE ARE NO LOCKERS, so you either take your chances with your bag stowed under a bench, or skate with your shit with you.) SUCKS. FAIL. DO NOT WANT." The folks over at Yelp seem to agree, the rink got 7 (of 7) one-star reviews over there (the lowest possible rating), with most complaining focused on the plastic-like surface that makes it impossible to do much more than shuffle around for a few defeating moments. more ›

South Street Seaport may be amidst some redevelopment confusion, but at least their ice rink is finally open to the public! Housed on Pier 17, Seaport Ice should remain open til sometime in March depending on the weather (admission is 5 bucks, with an extra 7 if you're renting). It will welcome your skates seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and on top of that, there's even a 3,500 square-foot tented warming area that includes a snack bar. The best part is still yet to come, however, we hear that the Seaport Music Festival folks will be bringing bands to the rink! more ›

The Museum of Natural History opened their first ice skating rink yesterday in their 149-year history. To help celebrate, children from the St. Joseph’s School came by to help christen the artificial ice with their blades, and later President Ellen Futter threw the switch to light the place up, "transforming it into a magical winter playground surrounded by trees covered in twinkling lights...with magnificent views of the Rose Center." Also, check out that 17-foot-tall polar bear! more ›

Clearly jealous of all the media attention bestowed upon the forthcoming ice rink at the Natural History Museum, the South Street Seaport has announced today that they're going to have an awesome ice rink too, you know. The Seaport Ice rink will be opening on November 28th (running through February 28th). 8,000 square-feet of ice will be open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week, with admission rates at $5 and rentals at $7. So for $12 you can skate in circles while overlooking the East River, which used to have free ice skating once upon a time. more ›

Exciting news coming out of the Upper West Side: the Museum of Natural History will soon unveil an ice skating rink of its own, The NY Post reports. The 12,000-sq-ft rink has more to do with the future than history, as its made from "an artificial surface that doesn't melt or require refrigeration or maintenance," and it's been "scientifically engineered to allow skate blades to glide as smoothly as they do on real ice." Though the museum has been hush hush on the project, the paper noted that it will be located on the Arthur Ross Terrace, and only open during traditional skating season. Unsurprisingly, community board members are in full support of the newest addition to the area, and didn't foresee any problems "with sound or lights at night." Maybe they'll even include some ice sculptures of dinosaurs? Until then, here are some of the other rinks around town have already opened for the season. more ›

You’ll recall the big stink surrounding the city’s demolition (pictured) of the 1930s-era Art Deco Purchase building by the base of the Brooklyn Bridge in DUMBO – preservationists fought to save it, then the city tore it down to make way for the oft-delayed Brooklyn Bridge Park. The land the building occupied was supposed to be turned into a beautiful Euro-style piazza and skating rink by fall 2009, according to estimates by the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy. Unsurprisingly, that’s not going to happen for at least five years because the DOT, which still owns the property, needs it to do repairs on the bridge. City Councilman David Yassky, whose district includes the park, tells the Post:

We all know how the bureaucracy works – a few years will become five years, and then 10 years, and then you can kiss that section of the park goodbye. This land was promised for parkland, and it should stay that way. Surely DOT can store its equipment somewhere else nearby.

The fate of McCarren Park Pool turned around after being landmarked and given a $50 million gift from Bloomberg, yet its future look is still up in the air. Following the February 4th meeting, last night another Community Board meeting was held to discuss The Pool. This time architects Rogers Marvel and The Parks Department were on hand to present conceptual plans. Curbed has the reveal, but they note the renderings are merely "draft images and, of course, the redesign has to be approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission." more ›

Last night the first of two meetings to discuss the future plans of (the recently landmarked) McCarren Park Pool took place. The NYC Department of Parks & Recreation and architects Rogers & Marvel unveiled their plans and how they will spend Mayor Bloomberg’s $50 million. The initial press release listed: renovating McCarren Park Pool for swimming, creating a year-round recreation center, and preserving and restoring the historic bathhouse building and entry arch, as top priorities (based on a survey). more ›

Photograph of Mayor Bloomberg speaking at the State of the City address by Mary Altaffer/AP more ›

Hot chocolate's all the hype these days with Jacques Torres, City Bakery, Cocoa Bar, and MariBelle all pouring decadent brews at their downtown locales. And, while we have to admit that we’re more likely to stop in one of these spots below 14th Street, there are plenty of reasons for heading further uptown during this holiday season—say, for ice skating at Rockefeller Center, a trip to Central Park, or a visit to the Met. more ›

Everyone is buzzing about the Brooklyn Bridge Park development today. The latest is that the project (which has been stalled time and time again) could begin next month as a wrecking ball tears down a piece of the area's history. The Daily News reports:

If approved today, the $18 million construction phase would include the demolition of the historic Purchase Building [pictured] and the removal of portions of five piers, officials said. more ›

A look at some noteworthy television this week: Lincoln Center Tree Lighting 2007 (Monday, 5:30 p.m, WABC 7) Good Morning America’s Sam Champion and WABC’s Sade Baderinwa host the first televised tree lighting of the season. There will be some performances by Lincoln Center’s resident companies and some guest’s from channel 7’s owner Disney on hand for entertainment for the 8th annual Lincoln Center Holiday Tree lighting. America at a Crossroads (Monday, 9:00 p.m &... more ›

The New York Post is loving the NJ beauty pageant story, which includes allegations that a fellow contestant may have been behind the blackmail plot to get Miss New Jersey to relinquish her crown. Someone sent pageant winner Amy Polumbo a package of photos that were lifted from Polumbo's Facebook account and doctored to include sexually suggestive captions. The Daily News says that there is no breast-baring or drug-taking in any of the photos, but Polumbo will still have to appear before the NJ board of the Miss America competition to determine whether she can keep her crown or not. more ›

7:06PM First thoughts: Gael Garcia Bernal is so cute. Ryan Seacrest is an idiot, as are Joan and Melissa Rivers. But we want to know what Jennifer Lopez is wearing! (It turns out to be Marchesa.) more ›

We were reading New York Magazine's Fashion Week Food Diaries where models, a show producer, and a fashion editor submitted three days of their eating habits. The fashion editor is Elle's fashion news director, Anne Slowey, who we remember very well from Project Runway's season 2 ice skating outfit challenge. And the diary seems to clear up some things. more ›

You know how we know it's almost winter, besides feeling the chill in the air? The fact that Wollman Skating Rink in Central Park is opening today. This year happens to be the 20th anniversary of the rink's re-opening, thanks to Donald Trump's chutzpah and swooping in to take over renovations from the city (the city had been "working" on the rink for 6 years). Admission to the rink is $9.50 weekdays/ $12 holidays/weekend for adults; children 12 and under - $4.75/$5. more ›

It's Bryant Park-going plebes versus the fashion plates! The Daily News has an article about how Bryant Park wants the fashion shows out (or auf, if you like) this February, so the park can keep its free skating rink, The Pond, open. Dan Biderman, the head of the Bryant Park, says, "The public hates the [fashion] shows, except the public who goes to them, and they want the ice rink in the winter and they want the ability to use Bryant Park the way they always use it, sitting under the trees and reading or talking or eating." So true! The fashion tents, though glamorous seeming, are just huge blobs for the rest of us. However, Vogue editor Anna Wintour deigns to give the Daily News a quote:

"We need a very, very large place and we need something that's very central and convenient for all the press and media coverage that the fashion industry quite rightly garners, and nobody has come up with anything that's as good as Bryant Park."

With the proposed chill coming this weekend, we thought it would be a good to remind everyone that the city's ice skating rinks will be closing on April 2. Yes, the Pond in Bryant Park has been closed since January and Prospect Park's rink closed last weekend, but there's still the Abe Stark Rink at Coney Island, World’s Fair Ice Skating Rink in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, the Staten Island War Memorial Ice Skating Rink in Clove Lakes Park, and Lasker Rink and Wollman Rink in Central Park. And speaking of toe picks, has anyone seen The Cutting Edge 2 on ABC Family yet? more ›

Of course, after the storm of '06 hits we suggest snowball fights. Prior to the snowfall, however, we offer up the following... more ›

What do you think of Bryant Park and its sponsorships? Now, Gothamist loves the quiet of other city parks devoid of sponsorships, but Bryant Park is such a sliver of park so near Times Square, it would have been inevitable that some companies would try to get their foot in the door there somehow. Just as long as we can sit there in the warm weather months, we're happy. And besides, if parks uptown and in the outer boroughs could be cleaner and more frequented by virture of sponsorship, we imagine they'd jump at the chance.
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So far, the weather looks promising, but you can check on the day of at Gothamist Weather. And summer movies at Bryant Park start on June 21. more ›

"Splinter Group Announces Plan to Give Skating New Leadership" read the headline of an article in the sports section of the Times. It's a vivid picture, since I don't usually associate splinters or splinter groups with ice skating. more ›