Ice Skating in New York City

[Edward]

Wired New York - Ice Skating in New York City
http://wirednewyork.com/guide/skating/

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Lasker Rink and Pool
Central Park between 106th and 108th Streets
For information on hours and admission fees call 212-534-7639
Admission $4.50, skate rental $4.37, locker rental $6.53 ($4 refundable on lock return)


Wollman Rink
Central Park between 62nd and 63rd Streets
Skate Rental and Lockers available
For information on hours and admission fees call 212-439-6900
Admission $11, skate rental $4.75, locker rental $10 ($6.75 refundable on lock return)


The Ice Rink at Rockefeller Center
For information on hours and admission fees call 212-332-7654
Admission $8.50 (weekdays), $11 (weekends), skate rental $6



Young skaters at Lasker Rink in Central Park.

[LuPeRcALiO]

nice pic

[enwhysee]

are the rinks still open?

[Edward]

They were on Sunday, I saw people skating.

[Edward]

Skating at Rockefeller Center rink. December 2004.

[Edward]

I just added Ice Skating in New York City page.

[NewYorkYankee]

Accident claims putting skating rinks on thin ice

New York 1

December 22, 2004, 10:01 PM EST


The city's skating rinks are pockmarked and rife with speed demons -- or else dozens of claimants have ventured onto thin ice.

According to nearly $100 million in accident claims brought against the city by 27 people since 1998, the Wollman Rink in Central Park and three other privately operated venues are poorly maintained and overcrowded, leading to "horrendous" injuries among skaters.

Among the larger claims:

$10 million sought by a Brooklyn mother of six who says a bumpy surface near the exit of the Kate Wollman Rink in Prospect Park on Feb. 17 caused her to trip, breaking a leg.

A $10-million claim by Kenneth Rubenstein, an Upper East Side man, who says he fell "violently" to the ground at Wollman Rink in Central Park on Jan. 3 because of "overly crowded and otherwise dangerous and unsafe conditions."

Rubenstein could not be reached yesterday, but city officials said his claim had progressed to a lawsuit.

A $2-million claim by a Staten Island man who says poorly maintained lace-up skates and crowding at the Kate Wollman Rink led to a Dec. 1, 2002, fall in which he broke his right leg, requiring surgery. Joseph Miley Jr. could not be reached yesterday, but his attorney, Christopher J. Robles, said Miley was out of his job at a cable installation company for more than a year. The action is pending.

The Brooklyn mother, Sarah Kassai, 42, said yesterday that she had taken her daughter Michelle, 5, to Propspect Park to introduce her to skating, but that she fell as she exited the rink.

"Now I have a metal rod with four screws in my leg," Kassai said yesterday from her Midwood home. "I'm a young mother and there isn't a day goes by that I'm not in agony." The claim remains outstanding.

The city has paid out virtually nothing in response to the claims, which were made public this week by City Comptroller William C. Thompson Jr. That's because most are taken over by insurers representing rink concessionaires like the Trump Organization, which operates Wollman and Lasker rinks in Central Park.

The claims cited by the comptroller's office concerned the two Wollman rinks, Lasker and the World's Fair Ice Skating Rink in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.

Because those claims -- some of which become suits, others of which are settled -- are typically not made public and because the injured have up to three years to file against private operators, the $100 million, city officials say, "is probably just the tip of the iceberg."

"We review and investigate any of these claims as they are filed. In many cases, we then forward the claims to the vendor's insurer and, in others, the claims are withdrawn," said Jeff Simmons, a spokesman for the comptroller's office.

There's probably an ice skating-related suit filed against the city every week, said another city worker, who compared their prevalence to the "slip-and-fall" sidewalk injury action the city has tried to squelch through tort reform.

The city's commissioner for Parks and Recreation, which "concessions out" the rinks, says ice skating is a potentially dangerous activity, and people need to accept blame for some of their own accidents.

"I think it's a shame that people go out to participate in a sport that has some inherent risks and don't take some responsibility for their own slips and falls," said Commissioner Adrian Benepe, who was not commenting on any of the specific claims.

"The rinks are absolutely safe, and if they weren't, people wouldn't be going there in record numbers. If there were unlimited lawsuits and a lot of large settlements and awards, you might ultimately have to say, 'Who needs this? Let's close the rink down.'"

At the Wollman Rink in Central Park, crowds regularly have been running to near 1,500-person capacity this season -- but that generally makes it safer for skaters, since people can't skate as fast, said manager Barry Weisselberg.

Wollman, which like Lasker at the northern tip of the park is operated by the Trump Organization, has signs posted at the entranceway and on the patio reminding skaters they take to the rink at their own risk. A loudspeaker reminds them of safety rules every 90 minutes or so during resurfacings. And skate guards at edges of the teardrop-shaped rink are increased during peak hours.

Yesterday, some skaters at the rink said they thought conditions could use some improvement.

"There were a lot of little people falling down," said Caren Epstein, 19, a Columbia University student who visited with boyfriend Jesse Browner. "It's easy to run over fingers."

Battery Park couple Ricardo Pignatari, 30, and wife Juliana Roccha, 25, said they were surprised beginning skaters were allowed in without helmets.

"I saw a girl fall by the wall," Pignatari said. "She fell and almost hit her head. People who have no experience are mingling with the others without any protection at all."

Tourist Mia Klitgaard, meanwhile, on site with children Benedikte, 6, and Zakarias, 2, said conditions seemed safe to her.

"I can't see any problems," she said. "Everybody's going the same way, and that's a good thing."

[NyC MaNiAc]

I've never ice skated at Rockefeller Center.

Would you say it's a very touristy thing to do, or do some of you fellow New Yorkers participate in ice skating there?

[TLOZ Link5]

Touristy.

[NewYorkYankee]

How about at Wollman TLOZ?

[TLOZ Link5]

Originally Posted by ILUVNYC

How about at Wollman TLOZ?

Maybe a bit less touristy.

[NewYorkYankee]

Well, where do NY'ers ice skate then?

[Edward]

Wollman Rink in Central Park is the best option.

[Edward]

Skating at Lasker Rink in Central Park. January 2005.

[NYatKNIGHT]

Nice, it's always entertaining to watch little kids play hockey.

Edward, you post a photo from Lasker Rink every Jan. 17?