Volume 22, Number 30 | The Newspaper of Lower Manhattan | December 4 – 10, 2009
Battery Park City’s new ice rink is near the new Goldman Sachs headquarters.
Ice rink opens
A few kids laughed and skated around the brand new ice skating rink at the Battery Park City ballfields, Wednesday afternoon, the fourth day the rink was open.
Theo Simko, who is in 7th grade at Hunter Middle School, had been skating since 2 p.m. with his friends Musa Jamished, 12, and Caitlin Harris, 13, as they waited for some friends at I.S.89 to meet them. It was their first time at the rink, and they took advantage of their half day at school.
“It’s a great resource to have…I used to go to I.S.89, and I wish I was still there now because it’s right here, and it’s fun,” said Simko.
“It’s very nice,” added Harris. “I live close by, and it’s more convenient to get to than other rinks.”
The rink near West and Warren Sts. opened on Sunday and will stay open through February on the fields.
Bob Sorensen, project coordinator for the Rink Management Services Corporation, said that though the weather has been keeping people away, he has a feeling things are going to get very busy over the next few weeks. “People are already planning birthday parties, lessons, and group sessions,” he said.
Marcus Ormsby, a skate host, said that the rush has mainly been after the schools let out and the kids go home to drop off their backpacks. “There were about 150 people here on Tuesday,” he said, adding that hundreds of kids and parents showed up on Sunday when they first opened to the public.
The 200 x 85 foot rink was made in the Netherlands, and is open 7 days a week, 1 p.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturdays, and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays. A grand opening ceremony will take place this Saturday. Admission is $10 and skate rental is $3. For more information, visit www.BatteryParkCityIce.com
— Helaina N. Hovitz
