While it is a bit pricey, this is definitely worth checking out at least once!…read more My husband and I met our friends here and the four of us had a blast! We booked our tickets in advance, which is highly recommended. They are very efficient with the time slots that you book, however they're also lenient if you're running late. My husband and I arrived a bit early, but our friends were pretty late. None of us had any issues! At check in they give you a colored sticker that indicates which time slot you are signed up for. Every 15 minutes they call out a new sticker color, asking them to get off the rink as their time slot is finished. After checking in, you get your skates and then head into the area with benches and lockers. The lockers are FREE to use, which was a relief (lol). It can get a bit crowded in this area, so just be prepared for that. We had a 3:30pm time slot, however they were resurfacing the ice on the rink at that time so we weren't able to start skating until about 3:45pm. While I was originally annoyed with this, it ended up not being an issue! When they called our sticker color, we decided to just stay on longer to compensate for the late start and nobody noticed. HOWEVER, we only stayed on an additional 15 minutes then chose to leave as the rink was becoming increasingly crowded. The rink itself was a lot smaller than I imagined, but we still had plenty of room to move around! It had been years since I'd been ice skating, but I picked it up again quickly. I even taught my husband as it was his very first time ever! And I'm proud to say that neither of us fell the entire time!! I will say that if you're not an experienced skater, expect to fall at least once. There were TONS of people, including kids, who had no clue what they were doing and were falling down left and right. They were even causing others to fall, like a domino effect. I had to swerve a couple times to keep from crashing into people as it got way too crowded and inexperienced skaters kept randomly stopping on the path. All in all, this is definitely a bucket list item worth checking off!

You have seen this rink on television and/or in movies many times. It is smaller than you think…read moreand it gets very crowded. (Just FYI, the rink at Bryant Park is easily three times as large and half as crowded.) Make sure to make a reservation online ahead of time. The rental skates were, thankfully, in very good condition. The ice also stayed in good shape, probably because it was so cold outside. I enjoyed the experience but it's a one and done.

Visiting Bryant Park Winter Village this year, a lot is similar to previous years, the skating rink…read moreis still in the center of what normally is the grassy lawn in warmer months. Adjacent is rink maintenance and skate rental building to the south east edge, and indoor food court/lounge tent to the north east edge. Mostly food vendors are located in the stands directly around rink. The main Christmas tree is closer to the NYPL building on the east side of the park. What's fairly new this year is the addition of bumper cars on ice, you can purchase tickets in advance online though I'm not sure how much. Although the total Winter Village is set up between October 24, 2025 and March 1, 2026, the majority of this year's seasonal Holiday Shops hosted stalls between first week December thru first week January. For those skating, you can receive 10% off your skate rental if you pay with an eligible Bank of America credit card. For more info: https://bryantpark.org/activities/holiday-shops

This market was huge! There were so many great vendors to choose from, including food and gift…read moreshops. My favorite was the honey vendor, which had different honeys and honeycomb. I thought this market was a lot better organized than the Union Square Market, and the vendor booth setup was nicer. It was really packed Monday during the day, but I felt like the vendors were spaced out decently where it didn't feel too bad, although it was still pretty congested. I would come back again if I am in NYC during the holidays!

This is one of two ice skating rinks I've visited so far in NYC and it's my favorite (for now!)…read more I've been twice - once on Christmas Day (was EXTREMELY crowded) and again on January 4th. The most recent visit was much more pleasant as it wasn't crazy crowded with tourists. First, if you are an NYC resident, GET YOURSELF A LIBRARY CARD! Either the New York Library, Brooklyn or Queens - doesn't matter as long as you have a physical copy of one of these. If so, you can buy same-day tickets at the ticket booth for $16!!! This includes your skate rentals and you also get a cup of hot chocolate with this price. Such an incredible perk for those of us who live here! **If you have your own skates, you're allowed to bring them in! Not sure how that affects the library card price, but I do know that it does decrease the regular price cost as you can skip the $12 rental fee. As for the rink itself... This is the biggest one I've been to so far! Which I find to be important as it's easier to dodge the people who don't know how to ice skate when there's more space to move around. There are lockers for rent where you can put your stuff which are $8, however they're a bit small. I was able to stuff our backpack, two pairs of women's shoes, a metal water bottle, one of my husband's Timberland boots and one of our friend's sneakers, but it was a TIGHT squeeze. All of this barely fit. **We put one of each of the guy's shoes in the locker because who would steal one Timberland boot without the other one? These lockers are first come, first serve and it is an absolute NIGHTMARE to find an empty one on crowded days... However you are not allowed to have a purse or backpack on the rink, so keep this in mind if you're planning to come on a peak day! The staff was always very helpful, which we appreciated. Also, I want to make note that one of the staff members told me that they don't sharpen the blades of the skates, which makes them VERY slippery if you get on the ice as soon as the Zamboni finishes up. Besides hot chocolate, they have hot apple cider, coffee beverages and an assortment of snack food you can order if you need to refuel after being out on the ice. They even have some vegan options, which was great to see (as a vegetarian, we love a good vegan option)! When planning your visit, I recommend checking their website to see when they will be resurfacing the ice rink. The first time we went, we did not take this into consideration so we only got about 30-ish minutes of skating before we had to hop off the ice for them to resurface it. However, the second time we went with local friends who suggested we show up right as they were finishing resurfacing the ice. This was absolutely perfect! We got about an hour and 15 minutes or so of rink time before hopping off for them to bring out the Zamboni again. I know that we will definitely be back in the years to come! I love ice skating and this outdoor experience was the best one I've had so far.

3.5 Stars: experience 4.5 Stars: facilities…read more 2 Stars: additional (expensive) fees 1 Star: entrance signage, ticketing, directions from staff (vocal/crowd control) Took advantage of winter in NYC & finally went to Wollman Rink! It's surprisingly very close to the subway R/N 5th Avenue stop, about a 8-10 minute walk. Used my NYC/Queens/Brooklyn Library Card & got free admission (up to 2) on the Arts & Culture sight. You have to choose a date & screenshot the ticket, but the entrance time is open all day (mine showed only available dates for the following week - so plan accordingly). This is a great program and hopefully New Yorkers take advantage of these Library cultural partnerships - HOWEVER things are not entirely low-cost & you still need to pay even before getting to the ice. It's $12 for skate rental (exact change, cash preferred at the ticket office) & $8 for locker rental (you need a phone, good wifi & credit card/apple pay at the lockers). I was scared for a teen tourist who left her new Doc Martin boots over in the corner, refusing to pay. First - finding the entrance to the rink is confusing. You come across the exit, but there's no A-frame or signage & the poor guard is constantly stopping people. You have to walk further down around the path, or through the viewing area to the entrance. At the entrance, there two ticket kiosks, a ticket booth with staff & one attendant. That one attendant at the "entrance" isn't there to scan your ticket, he's there to point at a QR code to scan & electronically sign a waiver. You also need good Wi-Fi because after filling out the form on that website, it'll email you the link, you have to go into your email & tap that link. The entrance attendant barely makes announcements, there's a group of people standing loosely around him & at first you're not sure if people are in line, undecided, waiting for their group... He lets me go in to the 2nd scanning point however my culture ticket with a barcode actually needs to be exchanged up at the ticket booth. So I head back up. After watching tourist families debate the pricing & a child needs to have one adult with them (free), but the other parent needs to pay. They can pay for their skate rental there, but they need to pay for their skate training walker thing inside. Finally, I'm in past the empty corralling lines. It's be great if there was 1 giant sign at the front entrance with numbered directions about the whole entry process and costs. AND multiple A-frames with the QR code for the waiver. I came on a Tuesday, open 10 AM - 2:30 PM; and it was busy enough for the space & facilities there, short lines outside. I can't imagine how it is on the weekends. The facilities are very up-to-date & clean, bathrooms also (& routine cleaning). There's actually good signage for skate rental, café, exits, a little gift shop, skate school meeting counter. FYI, if you are a half size shoe size, you need to go up - bring thick socks! My skates were very old, the hard shell tongues had a slight crack, but there was black felt lining all in the inside - which was well worn & spilling off up the edges of the shoe. The shoelaces were long & old, but overall the skates did their job. There's slim "carpet covered?" benches (bed bug central??) for you to change out of your shoes. 2 attendants/guards are posted in the area, but lots of sign's saying "the rink is not responsible for lost or stolen items." The small lockers are a good size - pretty deep, can fit probably 4-5 pairs of shoes. The music outside at the rink is just loud enough that it's annoying if you're sitting there watching, but on the ice it's OK, or maybe you're concentrating so hard that you tune it out. I got there around 12:30 PM. Don't know about the different qualities of skating ice. It was fairly rough by that time of day. A small center area's blocked off by cones for experienced skaters, with very shiny smooth ice. The ice at the entrances of the rink & around the edges at the walls weren't very level & were extra slippery/wet. The ice rink staff were very attentive & moving around the rink, quickly went over to a boy that fell & was holding his knee. Glad for this unique experience & offering from NYC Parks/Central Park. Expect to add on an additional half an hour or more for the whole ticketing/check-in process.

Back to almost normal operations, they held the Mid-Atlantic competition this year again and had a…read morelot of competitors join from across the nation. Wow the ice wasn't the best of conditions and it was really humid and somewhat foggy inside, at least they gave enough time for competitors to have a 15 minute warm up roughly before their sessions. They moved all the benches for some vendors and to get more space inside.

I went there to see an ice dance show. I've never been to this sort of facility before, so I don't…read morehave much to compare with. The seats were basic: just benches. They did serve fast food there, but I didn't try it. There was a horrendous restroom line at the end of the show - chronic problem with women's restrooms in public places. It was quite informal. There was no assigned seating. Even though the show I saw featured an international celebrity, it was very low-key, and a hockey team walked in as soon as the show was over. It definitely feels more like the kind of athletic facility that parents take their kids to for skating lessons, rather than a formal arena. I didn't see any major maintenance issues. It was pretty easy to get to from the subway, using the M23 bus. One thing I didn't know was that the bus had a special stop at the end, which would've been more convenient. I got off at the corner of 23rd and 11th Ave., but I should've stayed on for one more stop.

My greek lil bro is quite the adequate ice skater. I, on the other hand, am definitely not. So for…read moreour annual ice skating outings, I make it my personal mission to find the newest, most obscure skating rinks in an effort to 1) impress him and 2) limit the potential number of skaters there...thus saving myself from embarrassment. I was able to do so with the ice rink located at the Standard Hotel. The 3K sq ft ice rink, made from REAL ice, is a pop-up rink (only in the Winter...obvs), wedged between the Standard Grill and the entrance to the Standard Hotel. The basic logistics are as follows: Open 12p-12a on weekdays; 9a-1a on weekends. $12 admission (adults), $6 admission (children), $3 skate rental, $5 locker rental. FYI - Bring your own lock to save on the rental - OR just throw your shoes anywhere (literally nobody rented a locker...except for us). The moment we walked up to the rink, one thing was EXCEPTIONALLY obvious - LOTS OF CHILDREN! There were pretty much no adults on the rink that didn't also have a flailing child next to them. Lilb and I agreed to skate - but not before the much needed double bourbon shot spiked hot chocolate purchased @ the food booth conveniently located there...more than likely catered towards parents. Also on sale were amazing smelling crepes & crispy thin french fries that my dieting lilB may or may not have been drooling over. The Standard Ice Rink is the perfect rink for beginners - because you'll either feel like an absolute pro among all the little kids learning...or you'll actually fit right in with all the little kids learning ;) They also have these amazing penguin ice skating helpers for the little ones to push around! Come check out the Standard Ice Rink when you want a break from the tourists (Wollman's), exorbitant prices (Rockefeller), or cray long lines (Bryant Park)!

A great, cute ice skating rink! A little small (it's around 30 ft by 60 ft), but it's very quaint…read moreand has a great ambience! We didn't partake of the amenities, but there is a heated relaxation section with hot chocolate, with blankets and couches! The cost was a flat rate, and plus rentals, it was $17. And you can skate for as long as you want. It wasn't crowded at all on the Saturday night that we went. Recommendation: there are free lockers, but they don't provide locks, so if you want to be extra safe, bring your own tiny lock. But I left my locker closed, and I felt comfortable with it. Also, great service! You can get hands-on skating lessons there, and the instructors are great!

The best place to get your gear…read more I was surprised at the pricing here. They're very competitive and cheaper than paragon or even Amazon for kids skates and they sharpen your skates the first time for free. Definitely come here to support a local biz. The guys working here are fantastic and have everything to set you up for skating and ice hockey

Excellent Service! The staff are very knowledgeable, professional and very kindly accommodating!read more

The ambience here is amazing. Eight of us came here for cocktails for afternoon cocktails and…read morelittle nibbles. Great music, fun lights. The salted cucumbers were really delicious. We ended up eating 5 orders of them! And some French fries. The cocktail called "Something blue" is not good. It's too strong (I know it sounds funny but it's so true) and the flavors didn't go well together. I'd still come back though. And order other drinks.

What a winderful experience at The Standard Plaza! Like a visit to London with an inspired menu,…read morewith both vegetarian and meat based options for every palate. My favorites are the Faux Gras with a delicious mushroom mousse and yummy fresh bread, and the lamb pasty was done to perfection. Our server, Nadine, was so attentive and helpful. Check it out, it's a warm and fun time on a cold night in NY.