The Best Skating in New York City
skating, people watching, European Christmas market, and more
The Pond at Bryant Park is a winter wonderland, an exquisite use of public space, and is the best place for skating in all of Manhattan, perhaps New York City.
Bryant Park is an oasis of European elegance amid the shadows of surrounding New York City skyscrapers. It was also voted as one of the top twelve public squares in the United States and Canada by the New York based Project for Public Spaces in 2005. Being the only large-scale public park in midtown Manhattan, it is a largely sought-after location for office workers at lunch, stylish beautiful people, laptop-clad bohemians taking advantage of free wireless Internet, and of course tourists.
The football-field-sized lawn is bordered to the north and south by six seasonally planted flowerbeds and twin gravel promenades. The promenades are lined with London plane trees, the same found at the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris, and metal slatted tables and chairs add to the park’s European feel.
The Park is located behind the majestic marble New York Public Library. It was built at the beginning of the 20th century in Beaux-Arts design, a time when the style itself was flourishing. A noted feature of Beaux-Arts is its grandiosity, and therefore it was a favoured style for courthouses, museums and railroad terminals. Another celebrated example of Beaux-Arts design in New York City is the renowned Grand Central Terminal.
Now that you have an idea of the setting, Bryant Park over the holiday season is a brilliant urban example of utilizing public green space during its off-season to create a hub of activity. From October 27, 2006 to January 15, 2007 the lawn has been converted into an Olympic-sized ice rink, also known as The Pond at Bryant Park, much larger than the puny Rockefeller Center ice rink and less expensive than the Wollman Rink in Central Park. New Yorkers appear hungry to spend their time outdoors physically active in the middle of winter, and in a different form than running to catch the subway. Admission is free, but if you do not have your own skates, rentals cost $8.75.
Surrounding the rink is a Christmas market influenced by the European tradition. Artisans and designers from around the country and abroad sell their creations. If one takes a moment amongst the crowd to notice the diversity of people the venue attracts, the sound of skates on ice, the elegant music combined with hysterical laughter, and the smell of hot cocoa, it can make you giddy.
The mid- February bi-annual Fashion Week at the park is the reason for the rinks’ early closure. The good news is, the rink is portable and will be back next year.
