Features Dec 14, 2011 at 4:00 am

There Is No Ice at the Capitol Hill Ice Rink

The rink fits together like puzzle pieces.

Comments

1
Wow, you are quite the grinch arn't you?

I am from the midwest, and while skating on actual an ice rink or on at a lake is quite wonderful, that is something I would never expect to do in Seattle. I really have to laugh that you would expect ice in this kind of weather? Really?!?!

In my opinion, it is quite remarkable that you are able to be outside and skate without freezing your little ass off the whole time... Although an arena is cheaper, it is not outdoors.

The price, well yes, it may be a little expensive, but it is nonprofit so I feel fine paying a pretty penny for the community.

At any rate, you went to the rink to write about how dissapointed you were... You went already angry... Obviously you were not going to enjoy it.
2
Wow, you are quite the grinch arn't you?

I am from the midwest, and while skating on actual an ice rink or on at a lake is quite wonderful, that is something I would never expect to do in Seattle. I really have to laugh that you would expect ice in this kind of weather? Really?!?!

In my opinion, it is quite remarkable that you are able to be outside and skate without freezing your little ass off the whole time... Although an arena is cheaper, it is not outdoors.

The price, well yes, it may be a little expensive, but it is nonprofit so I feel fine paying a pretty penny for the community.

At any rate, you went to the rink to write about how dissapointed you were... You went already angry... Obviously you were not going to enjoy it.
3
I have gone with my kids and they love it. I know the organizers and the fact that they could not do real ice this year is very true. There were several large issues, the biggest being the power available in the park.
For kids and people out to just mess around with friends for a charitable cause - it's a cool thing to do.
Sounds like Jenn needs some Holiday cheer in her life.
4
Jen Graves seems like kind of a jerk.
5
Incredible! the business community gets together a non-profit organization to bring a little happiness to Cal Anderson and it gets destroyed here.

I guess no good deed goes unpunished.

No wonder nothing good ever happens on Capitol Hill.

6
Amazing! 15 or so local businesses get together and form a non-profit organization to bring a nice thing to Cal Anderson Park for the holidays.

My understanding that bloggers have been going after the fake ice here because it is not good enough.

I for one appreciate the sentiment that the community is trying to show real ice or not.

I guess no good deed goes unpunished.

Bah-humbug!

7
i'm from MN. i miss skating outside. used to do it daily as a kid. literally, every single winter day. oohhh sweet nostalgia. .... anyway, the thought of trying to skate on plastic sounds like pure evil. maybe even satanic. SO...THANKS FOR THE HEADS UP AND CONSUMER REPORT, JEN GRAVES! the price of living out here, means ice skating indoors. which isn't all bad.
8
She's not being a grinch, she's just pointin' out that it won't as easy to fall on your butt and crush your tailbone.
9
Seriously -- chill out Jen Graves. It's hard to sympathize when someone is ranting about the cost ($12!) of a nonprofit holiday ice rink. I'm guessing since it's nonprofit, the price closely reflects the actual cost to run the rink. I'm also guessing that bringing in real ice would raise the cost significantly. You can't have it both ways. And what's more, try to lighten up. Nobody likes a sourpuss.
10
While @4 is totally right, @1 seemingly hasn't a clue how good/cool municipal urban ice rinks usually run: made of real ICE outdoors, even if it's 50 to 70 degrees out. Like the one at rockefeller center, or at union square in SF (or the ice in Key Arena even). Hire a generator FFS if there's not enough power at the park.

The bigger offense, and clearly what set her and anyone else off- is watering down good coffee: That's unforgivable in this town..

11
It's twelve bucks for an hour, people. You can spend seven for unlimited time at the Seattle Center on actual ice. I hardly think Jen is a grinch for pointing this out.
12
don't you have better things to spend several paragraphs on? The owners of the rink were incredibly accommodating and did their best to right the 'issue'. maybe it's overpriced. maybe it's not real ice but goddamn you're whiny which, in the current social climate, is a far worse evil than not getting real ice from daddy this Christmas. when did the Stranger turn into such a obnoxious, over-privileged rant rag?
13
I went, and I totally agree with Jen. I had no idea what to expect, but the skating experience here was actually painful! My feet were throbbing and my calves burned from trying to glide on a surface that was not at all slippery. I went with three adults and a kid, and we all said the same thing.

The sidewalk in front of Seattle Central is more slippery than this surface when wet. I think it might be more fun if they let people wear their sneakers instead of skates. The skates just seemed to stick in the plastic.

I really wanted to like this place, especially because the people working there were so nice. But there's no way I'd go back. We didn't last 15 minutes, that's how much it hurt.
14
the fake ice goes perfect with the fake grass at the ball fields next door
15
When I write home to people in Chicago about how bored, boring and whiny people in Seattle are I have to thank the writers at the Stranger most for being such an obvious and convenient way to illustrate this point. Thanks again, Jen Graves, for never letting me down. The kids in Chicago will have a good chuckle over this one.
16
This article gives me holiday cheer, Jen. I appreciate that you didn't hold any punches but you also wrote it with a little bit of humor.
17
Fake ice goes perfect with the fake grass at the adjacent ball fields.
18
I think the whole point here is that they lied to us. They said it was an ICE rink and it is not. If they had said "Cool futuristic interlocking plastic with fruit based lube upon which you can skate like a slow but awesome badass" I think people would be stoked. But don't tell me one thing and give me another.

It's not about this being better or worse than ice, it's that we were lied to, and we don't like that.
19
Dear Jen,

Thanks for spelling my name correctly, people often use an "e".

Off to check on a group of 66 kids out on the rink. A refreshing change of tone awaits!

All the best, Harpur Davidson
20
Jen is right. It's not so much skating as grit-your-teeth shuffling. Sad to watch. And to those of use who grew up skating... extremely disappointing.

But you all should cut Hunters some slack. There were all sorts of good intentions and they didn't know how miserable the artificial surface really was.

They didn't lie. They just did not know. Given the time constraints - the whole thing was simply an inspired last minute thing - and the fairly large technical and bureaucratic headaches trying to do something like this in a pubic park that has zero facility for it, I think they deserve some marks for at least trying.

But I suppose everybody could continue to pile-on and shit on them so they won't ever try anything fun ever again. That'd be awesome.
21
LOADS of places have outdoor ice rinks with real ice in temperatures similar to ours. The UK is full of them. They typically have a restaurant AND A BAR attached as well. You know, like civilization.
22
I really thought it was going to ice. I thought the price was high, but it was a great idea. I'm as bummed as Jen. My kids fucking hated it.

I'm not so sure with the fake ice and $12 per hour that George Bailey and Santa Claus brought this to Capitol Hill out of a love for all things Christmas. This seems more like a crass little scheme in retrospect.
23
I am stunned at how many idiots turned out to defend this nonsense! @1, 4, 5, 12, etc. Really folks? You must be involved in the face plant of a project in order to be so butt hurt over this article. Sorry your little rink was a huge failure, but thanks to Jen for warning the rest of us not to waste our time with it.
24
Great write up Jen Graves!! What is your next article going to be about? Maybe your trip to the mall where you tell all the children in line that Santa Clause isn't real?

I spent about an hour at the plastic polymer rink this last Sunday. I did not skate because I am horrible at skating. I've skated on actual ICE once, and will never do it again because ice or plastic polymer, I will find a way to hurt myself. But that is me, I am top heavy. I did however witness about two dozen children making their way around the plastic polymer rink. Some were slowly crawling along as they clung onto the wall, some were speeding by as if they come there every day. Just like an ICE rink. All of them had big smiles on their faces and were obviously having a good time. All of their parents, if not on the plastic polymer with them, we're on the side laughing, taking pictures, and obviously happy that they were out doing something fun with their children. Just like an ICE rink. I bet you if I stopped any of those kids and asked, "So what do think of this plastic polymer?", they would have no idea what the hell I was talking about.

And because Jen Graves didn't, I will mention as others have that this is a non-profit, community focused effort. If Jen Graves saw Tiny Tim Cratchit collecting money for an orphanage, she'd probably kick out his crutch just to make sure he was in fact handicapped before telling him that she didn't have any change.

If you are looking for something fun to do --> that is local --> that will support your community --> and best of all will put a smile on yours and your kids face, then you should go to the the Capitol Hill (plastic polymer) Ice Rink. I will be there Friday with my daughter.

If you require ice for your "ice skatin skillz", please jump on Debbie Downer Jen Graves' zamboni back to New York to find a frozen puddle.
25
I'm not going to read this whole thing because I simply don't give a fuck. But fake ice doesn't sound as enchanting as the real deal.
26
Krebs, please let us know how your daughter enjoyed the day tromping around on the mystery lubricant, in this report please discuss whether you would rather have spent the afternoon real ice and then donated $10 to a local charity.
27
"Krebs"- great response and a reasonable one at that! Jen, back off a bit! This rink isn't for the professionals.
As a mother of two, yes a little disappointing that it is in fact, plastic polymer, but we have been up there three times in the last week. My children could not be happier and continue to ask to go back. The friendly staff have been incredible helpful and delightful.
Cheers to a Happy Season full of Laughter and Smiles- hope you're experiencing that Jen?
28
"Krebs"- great response and a reasonable one at that! Jen, back off a bit! This rink isn't for the professionals.
As a mother of two, yes a little disappointing that it is in fact, plastic polymer, but we have been up there three times in the last week. My children could not be happier and continue to ask to go back. The friendly staff have been incredible helpful and delightful.
Cheers to a Happy Season full of Laughter and Smiles- hope you're experiencing that Jen?
29
My kid is 4, and hated it. He's not studying string theory, but he sure as hell knows ice from linoleum.
30
The model boat pond in South Lake Union park was frozen over Tuesday morning. You might be able to skate on that pretty soon if it stays cold.
31
Fake Ice? That is an abomination.
32
@31 Well, all we need now to make this abomination worse is for someone to trademark the term "Real Ice" for their crappy plastic polymer surface.
33
@TwentySides - After Google indexes that first sentence of your comment to me, you are probably going to have a lot of creepy guys linking to your "the Stranger" profile after they have typed horrible things into the search engine. Something to think about….

So I won't be reporting anything to you. I already know that my daughter won't care that it’s not ice. She will be having fun with her Dad. I won't care because I am having fun with my daughter. I also won't care because I don't have to drive to the Science Center or Shoreline. All I have to do is finish up my breakfast at Oddfellows and walk across the street. With this in mind, why would I drive somewhere, to pay $7 to $10, then donate $10? That's at a minimum 30% more expensive then The Capitol Hill (Plastic Polymer) Ice Rink. So according to your recommendation TwentySides, the most cost effective way to have fun while donating to a good cause is to go to the Capitol Hill (Plastic Polymer) Ice Rink. Good idea.

My point is simply that this article makes this place sound so horrible. I've been there, seen people having fun, enjoying themselves, and skating. It's awesome. If you are going to be crushed because it is not ice, well then get in your car and find your way off the Hill to somewhere that has ice.

And allow me to correct myself. I made a mistake in my previous comment. Jen Graves did mention that this is a non-profit. I don't know how I missed it. She graciously reserved 19 words of her 1,266 or so word article to state that fact.
34
Don't you get dirty if you fall? That's crazy.
35
I hate ice skating because I have weak ankles, poor balance, and an intense fear of falling on my tailbone, but even I knew that this "ice" rink was too good to be true. It's a temporary rink on public land run by a business association just out to get people into Capitol Hill businesses during the holidays. Of course whatever they did was going to be shitty and overpriced.

The second I heard about it I thought, "what's the catch?"
36
Boy, do I ever want to watch someone try a hockey stop on that stuff.
37
@4- You're a jerk.
38
Who cares about the price difference? Seven bucks vs twelve? So for a family of four that's an extra $20. Who cares about $20?

If there was a recession on, and maybe a lot of high unemployment it might matter that you can get the same thing (or the real thing) for less money a mile away.

But nobody is out of work and we all have tons of spare cash, so jacking up prices is no foul. Party on, guys, like it's 1999.
39
@15, when I write to my friends who've moved away from Seattle about all the assholes who have moved here recently, bitch constantly and,yet, continue to stay, even though wherever they came from is so much better, I'll include your comment as an illustration. Thanks, Dick.
40
I feel the same about so called pot pie that is only a biscuit or cracker floating on the top of a soup or stew. That is not a pie. A pie has a crust that completely envelops the filling.

Words exist for a reason. you cannot just make up sh*t and call it a donut.
41
LOS ANGELES has real ice fer crissake!
http://laparks.org/pershingsquare/schedu…
42
So does Seattle! What do the Thunderbirds skate on?
43
a nice idea to raise money for the park or whatever the proceeds are going to. but they should be up front about the fact that ITS NOT AN ICE RINK. honestly, why didn't they just leave the lube at home and call it a roller skating rink?
44
Kind of besides the point but if you think weak watery coffee tastes like tea, you've been drinking the wrong tea.
45
@42 - ice, but in Kent.
46
This sounds like a case for the occupy wall street movement. Maybe Jen should organize a hula hoop drum circle on the rink then refuse to leave.

The police would be forced to mace everybody then Phoenix Jones could appear and  mace the police. The police would have to mobilize there mounted  division, oh wait they don't have one, they ride bikes and Phoenix Jones is not a real super hero.

So what. Enjoy the illusion and stop being a party pooper.
47
"...a 'special plastic polymer' that gets sprayed periodically with a 'lubricating solution'..." also describes Dante's hot dogs.
48
I read this as a review by someone who was excited about the idea of going to the ice skating rink ... and then disappointed about the actual experience.

She makes it clear that there were good intentions, and that the people she spoke with about the ice rink were nice people. I also sensed a feeling of regret that her expectations were shattered: she *wanted* to like her experience.

Honestly folks, this is just a review. A review of one person's experience. After reading it, if this is something you still think you'll enjoy, by all means, hop to it! If not, then don't. I appreciate being forewarned, if only so I won't have the same expectation and subsequent letdown.

For the record, I agree: good intentions all around, but call it something else. For those of us who have nostalgic memories about ice skating, this calls for a different description. For kids making their first memories, I'm sure this review won't affect them in the slightest.
49
1. is probably a sock puppet for the org, guys. There's enough thinly disguised corporate buzz phrases in that carefully worded (but double posted) comment to smoke it out.

Whether or not anyone has an actual problem with the synthetic rink, I think it's good for the community to know that the alleged ice rink in Capitol Hill is not actual ice and costs $12 an hour. I'm sure many people would be upset about that.
50
Perfect!

There are some nice parallels going on in this story:

The imitation ICE-2000 panels snapped together over the basketball court. These guys just can't help themselves. "There are weirdos playing bad basketball and smoking pot! Game of s-k-a-t-e?--who are these people? COVER IT IN PLASTIC AND TELL THEM THEY LIKE IT!"

The fakerink kinda mirrors the current Ballardizing of Pike/Pine, acting as a haven for those who'd never set foot on Capitol Hill even five years ago. I love it.

There's a guy named Harpur Davidson. Harpur Davidson, for real!--who will remind you it's with a U--who works for his father-in-law. Evil rich developer Christmas Carol shit! Real quick, right before lunch with the Land Baron Council, Harpur creates an account on Strangerblog to do a little damage control on the unflattering piece by the local paper's intrepid young female reporter. He gets a couple square bit players from the office to e-comment too, but they fuck up and double post, revealing their confederacy. No matter, HarpUr has 66 children lined up to plasti-skate, and e-announces as much. Sure, the kids are from a fancy school that only has seven kids from the neighborhood, and the outing turns into a massive police manhunt complete with helicopters...but don't worry about that. Situation squashed, bro. Harpurized.

It's too much!

I wasn't against this thing when I heard about it a couple weeks ago. Even when I learned it was a product of the dont-get-its who are largely responsible for the Chadification of the neighborhood. It's a lost cause, frankly. I want to be angry, but fuck it. When I saw the final product, I almost felt a little sowwy for the poor poor real estate people with "good intentions" though.

But no. Shuddup with that. It sucks, just admit it!
51
How could they have brought this thing in when none of them had seen or skated on it? That's just stupid. Also, not receiving the MSDS is kind of scary. I don't get why so many commenters seem personally hurt by this article; I thought it was funny. Finally, someone suggested losing the lube and calling it a roller-rink, which made me remember how much I loved that as a kid (from the PNW, where the lakes most decidedly do not freeze). Maybe not as Christmasy, but probably more fun.
52
Thanks for the heads up. You saved me $12.
53
I guess their intentions may have been good, but the people that set this up clearly have NO CLUE what is going on in the wallets of parents in this neighborhood.

$12/pp for an hour - so,what? this was a non-profit rink they set up for the Sinks and Dinks?
54
I appreciate the review. I would have been very disappointed if I drove all the way up to Capitol Hill from some (any) other part of town for some **ICE** skating - only to be greeted with an oily cutting board. Not Grinchy, thanks for the heads up. I'll go to Bellevue or Pac Center instead, and give my money to the charities I deem worthy.
55
"...or play up the artifice and call it the Capitol Hill Green Skating Rink..."

Yes, why didn't they? Seems this would solve the problem Jen has with trying to square her experience with her memory.
56
"Blatant lying at Christmas"

Oh, the irony!
57
I was all set to try the Cap Hill rink out until I read this article. I grew up in northern Minnesota ice skating nearly every day as a kid. You know... on ice. This is a joke. I'll be going to the Seattle Center instead. You know, where they have ice.

Thanks for the warning, Jen.
60
Jen is correct. Skating on plastic may be sort of OK, but it is not ice skating. Ice is ice. Ice skating on a cold winter night is (can be ?) a transcendent experience. Add a moonlit night, a frozen lake or river, and a some real snotty kisses with a pretty girl bundled up in down and wool, and you approach the sublime. So why not just call it something other than ice skating?
61
Why don't they just put up a lot of holiday twinkle lights, put down a non-oily snap-together cutting board surface and have a HOLIDAY ROLLER SKATING RINK?

I agree with Jen (who is NOT a jerk, @4) that the skating doesn't feel like ice skating; real speed is out of the question, as are any fancy turns. However, I skated there on Monday, and it gave me a good excuse to spend an hour with a good friend, laughing, being outdoors, getting a little exercise, and generally having a good time. It wasn't great ice skating, but it was in the neighborhood, kind of fun, I was very happy to be there and to try it. I strongly prefer ice to roller, but if real ice is out of the question with the resources and power available -- why not roller skating?

62
Okay, HarpUr just guaranteed that I will never, EVER go near that place, even if you promised me it would save every kitten born on earth from now until this green ball of goo explodes! Love how people figure that it's okay if it sucks, it's sucking for a 'good cause'.
Sure it sucks, but it's for a good cause
Sure it costs more, but it's for a good cause
Sure you get less time, but it's for a good cause

And their way of coping with it? Blame the skater. Typical Seattle. Not only that, but make snide remarks at them.
63
It's so simple, as noted: It is either ice or it is not. And the nice man with a Boston accent who operates the rink on-site? I wonder what people here in Boston, where I now live, would say about an ice rink with no ice? I can tell you: "What the friggin' f**k?! This is WICKED f**ked up, yo! What are youse guys, nuts?!

And so....
A skating rink? Yes. A roller skating rink? No. An ice skating rink? Definitely not.
65
When you're scraping your skates across that synthetic lubricated cutting board, close your eyes and think of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwvfYmpYd…
66
link above didn't work, but look up 'windy arm, yukon' on youtube and watch the first result!
67
I found the article to be unusually harsh and unfair. I think Jen really likes the sound of her own voice and had more fun writing a rant piece. This sort of cranky rhetoric is what gives Seattle a bad name. Lighten up people!
68
Jen's article is as fair, and her tone as moderated, as the circumstances allow them to be.

People living in a fake city full of fake culture get a little too accustomed to being surrounded by fake shit all the time.
69
Everyone keeps attacking Jen for attacking this "non-profit" but all the article said is the proceeds go into paying for "it." So if any actual profit is made after that then where does it go? It's not like they're telling us all the proceeds go to Northwest Harvest or anything. Could someone please tell us if this rink is actually generating revenue for any actual cause, and what cause it is?
70
Skating on fake ice is like walking on fake grass

Please wait...

Comments are closed.

Commenting on this item is available only to members of the site. You can sign in here or create an account here.


Add a comment
Preview

By posting this comment, you are agreeing to our Terms of Use.