SKATER’S HIGH
Reporter tests new rooftop rink in W’burg
By Kevin Duggan You can skate in the sky!
A slick synthetic ice
rink is now welcoming
skaters on the 23rd floor of the
William Vale hotel. The Vale Rink,
which opened in late December
on the rooftop of the swanky
Williamsburg lodge, will offer
Brooklynites a surface for skating
and a dramatic skyline backdrop
for the winter months.
Instead of ice, the rink uses
Swiss-engineered synthetic
panels called Glice, which Alpine
scientists have designed to feel as
close as possible to its frozen water
counterpart. The surface does not
need water, electricity, or cooling,
which makes it easier to maintain
and more environmentally friendly
than traditional ice rinks, claims
the company.
This reporter was eager to give
the rooftop rink a try as soon as he
heard about it.
On a chilly recent afternoon, I
arrived at the Vale’s top floor. A
heated tent offers space to relax
on cozy sofas while sipping hot
chocolate, coffee, or a hot toddy,
but I was ready to go straight to
the rink.
Admission costs $20 for adults
and $12 for kids, which includes
rental skates. I signed a waiver
and strapped on my bladed shoes,
and was ready to go. I hadn’t
Blades of glory: Brooklyn Paper reporter Kevin Duggan glides at high speeds around
the Vale Rink, high above Williamsburg. Photo by Caroline Ourso
gone ice skating for years, so I
was off to a rocky start, flailing
and struggling to stay upright,
and providing ample amusement
to photographer Caroline Ourso,
who was watching me from the
sidelines.
The fake ice looks just like
the real thing, but feels harder
and slightly more slippery. The
blades of the skates do not cut
into the material as deeply, but
the surface is only two percent
less glideable than a standard ice
sheet, according to the company’s
website.
After a few minutes, I got
the hang of gliding across the
glice, and before I knew it I was
transported back to my childhood,
COURIER L 42 IFE, JANUARY 17-23, 2020
skating around the frozen lakes of
the Swiss Alps.
But a quick look at the skyline
reminded me that I was not slicing
my way among snow-capped
mountains, but was 200 feet
above the streets of Williamsburg.
Fortunately, visitors need not fear
skating over the edge — the rink’s
waist-high fence is located a safe
six feet from the roof’s higher,
more substantial glass fence.
Vale Rink at the William Vale
111 N. 12th St. at Wythe Avenue,
23rd floor, in Williamsburg, (718)
631–8400, www.thewilliamvale.
com. Open Wed–Thu, 2–10 pm;
Fri, 2 pm–midnight; Sat, noon–
midnight, and Sun, noon–10 pm.
$20 ($12 for kids).
LORD OF THE RINKS
More places to skate in Brooklyn this winter
Ride the rails: Brooklyn skater Beatrice Domond shows off a “crookedgrind
shoveit” move at Vans Skate Park 198.
Courtesy of Vans Room and
’boards
Free indoor skate park
now open in Bushwick
TBy Jessica Parks hey’re keeping the
wheels in motion!
Brooklyn’s skateboarders
have a new spot where
they can grind, ollie, and catch
some air without being chased
off by the Man. Vans Skate Park
198, an indoor skating arena
located in a former Bushwick
warehouse, is now offering its
ramps, rails, and half-pipes to
up to 50 skaters at a time. The
space, built by clothing and
skating brand Vans, has already
built up excitement among
the borough’s skateboarding
community, who need a warm
winter spot to gleam their
cubes, said one local thrasher.
“It’s really great because
during the winter, it’s surprising
there aren’t a lot of indoor
parks,” said Beatrice Domond.
“Everyone is really stoked on
this, it really needed to be done.”
The park may also feature
music or cultural events, but it is
primarily a space to skate, said
a rep for Vans.
“We built this with the
intention of being skateboarding
first and skate park first,” said
Justin Villano. “But as we
continue to grow, we really want
to do as best a job as we can to
keep our ear to the ground and
listen to what the community
wants, and then we will tailor
the programming around that.”
The indoor course
incorporates nods to some of
New York City’s iconic skate
parks, including a replica of
Brooklyn Banks, a skate park
that sits under the Manhattan
side of the Brooklyn Bridge.
The new skate park will
operate as a public skating space,
encouraging skateboarders of
any ability level to stop by and
glide along its concrete surfaces.
But in order to prevent heavy
crowds from cramping each
other’s skate style, skaters must
reserve a spot ahead of time for
one of the park’s multiple daily
sessions.
For now, public skate
sessions are available Thursday
through Sundays, with the
noon to 2 pm slot on weekends
reserved for young shredders
ages 6–12.
Vans Skate Park 198
(198 Randolph St. between
Gardner and Stewart avenues
in Bushwick, www.vans.com/
space198). Open Thu–Fri at 2
pm, 4:30 pm, and 7 pm; Sat–Sun
at noon, 2:30 pm, 5 pm, and 7
pm. Free.
By Bill Roundy Brooklyn is pretty chill!
In addition to the
new skating spot high
above Williamsburg, Brooklyn
offers plenty of ground-level
opportunities to get on the ice.
Here are three more spots where
you can strap on the skates!
Downtown
Brooklyn’s newest ice arena
opened just last week in MetroTech
Plaza Downtown. The Rink at
MetroTech Commons is fairly
modest in size, but there are rarely
more than a few people on the ice.
The space, operated by Brookfield
Properties, also offers private and
semi-private skating lessons from
the husband-and-wife Olympic ice
dancing team of Melissa Gregory
and Denis Petukhov, which start
at $40.
Rink at MetroTech Commons (2
Metrotech Center at Downtown,
www.therinkatmtc.com). Open
Mon–Thu, 2–8 pm; Fri, 2–9 pm;
Sat, 10 am–9 pm; Sun, 10 am–7 pm.
$15 ($5 skate rental).
Industry City
Sunset Park’s nightlife hub
offers an ice skating rink in an
outdoor courtyard, right beside a
half-dozen spots to cool off with
a drink afterwards. The rink hosts
special theme nights, and this
weekend will go retro with all
’80s music on Friday and Saturday
nights. The rink is usually closed
on Mondays, but will stay open on
Martin Luther King Day (Jan. 20)
from 10 am–6 pm.
Industry City Courtyard 5-6
(220 36th St. between Second and
Third avenues in Sunset Park, www.
industrycity.com/ice-rink). Open
Wed–Thu, 4–8 pm; Fri, 11 am–8
pm; Sat, 10 am–8 pm; Sun, 10 am–6
pm. $10 ($6 kids; skate rental $9).
Prospect Park
The two rinks (one covered, one
outside) at Prospect Park’s LeFrak
Center offer plenty of opportunities
to glide across the ice, even while
curling and hockey leagues meet in
the evenings.
LeFrak Center at Lakeside (171
E. Drive in Prospect Park, enter on
Ocean Avenue between Parkside
Avenue and Lincoln Road, www.
prospectpark.org). Open Mon, 9
am–5 pm; Tue–Thu, 9 am–7 pm;
Fri, 9 am–9 pm; Sat, noon–9 pm;
Sun, noon–5 pm. Admission $7.50
weekdays, $11 Sat, Sun, Friday
nights, and holidays. Skate rental
$8.
Skate from New York: Industry City
opened its ice skating rink in early
December. Industry City
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