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Business & Tech

Bryant Park: Not Just That Other Skating Rink

New York venue offers many attractions for holiday visitors.

It’s hard to deny that New York is a special kind of city at holiday time, starting with the lighting of the tree at Rockefeller Plaza and culminating with New Year’s Eve in Times Square.

It’s also hard to deny that it seems like everyone who was ever born is there too.

Luckily, there are other places where you can start feeling the holiday spirit. Citi Pond at Bryant Park in Manhattan is back for it's seventh season. Open daily from Oct. 27 to Feb. 26, admission is free as is use of the lockers for storing your items, but do note that skate rentals are $14.

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If you are not the surest skater out on the ice however, several events have been planned for the next few weeks including the opening of the Bryant Park Holiday Shops, complete with a performance from musical entertainers The Mistletones  on Wednesday, Nov. 23 (from noon to 4:00 pm). Nov. 29 sees the lighting of Bryant Park’s Christmas tree off in style, with special guests and exhibitions of incredible skating from some of the sport’s finest.

So you want to try some new holiday sights this year but still want the perks? That’s why we’ve chosen Bryant Park for this installment of Day Tripper, a weekly look at destinations that are out of town, but in reach, and worth the trip.

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DAY TRIPPER DIGEST

Estimated Travel Time: 50 minutes (if you don't hit a lot of traffic at an NYC crossing).

Why it’s Worth the Trip: If you caught yourself just once saying, during all of 2011, “Wow, has the year gone by so fast,” then you ought to consider spending the last month and a half of it taking in as much of the holiday scenery, lights and activities as possible. The rink at Bryant Park doesn’t have to be your only destination, but it will certainly make for one of many great ones along your route.

How to Get There from Here: Detailed driving directions.

You’ll Probably Get Hungry:  Guessing by the name, you probably won’t need to travel far to try the Bryant Park Grill, and if you’re planning on something tasty and slightly uncomplicated, try WichCraft for some sandwich magic. For something a little more mature, stop in to the Cellar Bar in the Bryant Park Hotel for a little bit of a nightcap. Also located in the hotel is Koi Japanese. Not too far away, you can hit Rosie O’Grady’s, but when you think about it, what kind of food can’t you get in New York?

While You’re in the Area:  Revisit the famous scenes from Ghostbusters at the New York Public Library (but please refrain from sliming the patrons), get your fill of cable-TV related tchotchkes at the HBO Store, walk up a few blocks to look at the new Zelda game for the Wii at the Nintendo World store, or finish some of your own holiday shopping at Lord & Taylor Department Store.

Something about those lights on the tree, no matter what your spiritual persuasion might be, can really lift your mood. For Linda Rapacki, it was a visit last year that convinced her of Bryant Park’s special allure.

"We were in the city in December of last year, me with my daughter and her friend, and we decided to head over to Bryant Park. It was so cool," she said. "They had a holiday shopping area that consisted of huts that were built all around the rink, so you could shop and, at the same time, watch what was happening on the ice."

At that time the presentation was with hockey players, but there are different performers, both musically and out on the ice, slated for the festivities. That the show aspect and the sales aspect were so seamlessly put together so one didn’t conflict with or cancel out the other made a huge impact on Rapacki.

Rapacki also appreciated that, even though the temperatures outside were nice and cold, outdoor heaters and seating kept things very comfortable.

"You can do some shopping at these gift stores, and they sold arts and crafts and these really unique items that were so great, and then you could sit down and grab a hot chocolate or a coffee or a hot toddy," she said.

"I’m not sure it will be the same this year, but last year they had the tree all decked out in blue lights. It was such a stunning looking setup," Rapacki said. “Those vendors in those huts, for me, really that makes all the difference.”

Visit Citi Pond at Bryant Park for more details.

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