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Pershing Square's annual holiday ice skating event
returns each year with larger crowds and more fun.
The annual downtown Los Angeles city event, Downtown
on Ice, has become a success, and offers hope for
bigger things to come.
Jon Jerde studied the
Pershing Square situation to help put a positive
spin on a spot that once experienced blight. In the
heart of the downtown financial and work center in
L.A. homeless once occupied Pershing Square, an LA
Parks venue, in a not-so-tourist-friendly manner.
Jerde has similarly turned city downtowns around.
And while some lament the fact that the Downtown on
Ice annual event does so well, yet seemingly not
much else, the growing numbers of attendees make
this event a great kick-start to help interest grow
in a center plaza surrounded by high-rise buildings
in the heart of downtown.
Constructed by an ice
events management company contracted by the City of
Los Angeles, the ice skating rink has grown in
popularity during the 10+ years it has been around.
Adding to the quality of this well-managed event is
the free concert series that also attracts guests to
explore. Just a jump off the Metro's Pershing Square
exit, guests who take the Metro save $1 on their
admission to an affordable ice attraction. Over
350,000 people attend annually.
The
approx. 40-by-60-foot open-air ice rink
built on a 5-acre parcel next to the
civic center is designed to bring
residents and tourists together, giving
them something special for the holidays.
The man-made ice is created with a
wooden stage and metal refrigeration
plates. Workers install special coils
connected to a large refrigeration unit,
and freeze gallons and gallons of water
that are sprayed onto the plates and
frozen, one layer at a time, until they
form a 2-inch-thick sheet of ice. In
recent years, the respected and
well-known skate professional, Willy
Bietak of Willy Bietak Productions,
Inc., has taken the event up a few
notches so that it offers even greater
appeal.
With
anticipation that the event will be
produced for many years to come, the
Parks Department has stated it looked
forward to securing a long term contract
with a management firm that would come
in and build the temporary rink, then
man and rent it with quality staff.
The rink will be open from 10 a.m. to 8
p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, and
until 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Admission will be $6 for adults, $3 for
children 4 to 12 and free for those 3
and younger.
Location: Pershing Square 532 South
Olive Drive Los Angeles, CA 90012
Contact: Louise Capone (213) 847-4968
http://www.laparks.org/pershingsquare/pershing.htm
- November 20, 2008 thru January 19,
2009
- Skating 7 days a week including
holidays
- Concerts and events: Weekdays, Week
Nights and Weekends
- For information please call
213-847-4970
Pershing Square is funded by the
Downtowns Community, City of Los
Angeles, Department of Recreation and
Parks and L.A. County.
Location: 532 South Olive Street, Los
Angeles, CA 90013
Access the venue on the Red Line,
exiting at Pershing Square, Los Angeles.
Where to stay:
One of the most popular L.A. hotels near the venue
is the
Millennium Biltmore Hotel Los Angeles.
Other hotels in the downtown region include the
popular uniquely positioned glass building, the
Westin Bonaventure hotel. Check out their
weekend rates, which can drop over $70 per night, as
this hotel excels in business travel, but when the
business crowd goes homes, that leaves weekend
generally better suited for vacation travelers.
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