How often can you go ice skating in California?? Apparently, this year there are 4 options where you can take your date: Redondo Beach, Santa Monica, and now 2 more in Downtown LA (rink #4 is Cheap Date Idea #42). Today, Thursday, Dec 3rd, marks the grand opening for the LA Kings Holiday Ice, located on Nokia Plaza in LA Live, right across from the Staples Center (same location for Cheap Date Idea #30). Boasting a rink size of 70 feet by 50 feet, the capacity is rated for 200 skaters.
The opening ceremony commences at 6 PM, then the tree lighting is 25 minutes after. The rest of the evening includes various performances by singers/bands, Santa Claus, Coca-Cola ice-skating polar bear, the LA Kings mascot, figure skater, skating team, and more. This outdoor rink will be lit up by the 11 giant LED screens, the 75,000 lights that adorn the 50 ten-foot angels, and 150 surrounding trees with 265,400 snowfall LED lights. The best part of this event is that it's FREE and open to the public.
If you can't make it today, the rink will be open daily until 11 PM through New Year's Eve (Dec 3-31). The best time of the day to go is when Santa Claus is in town of course! You can skate with Santa every day at 6:45-7:45 PM, and an extra hour on weekends at 3-4 PM. General admission is a mere $10, which includes 1 hour of fun and skate rental. Get a $1 discount by showing a student ID or a Metro pass. Speaking of which, take the bus into Downtown if you can, otherwise parking is $5 for the first 2 hours and another $5 for each additional 1/2 hour.
Approximate cost of creative date idea = FREE + $20 skating + $5 parking.
Actual value of the cheap date idea = Priceless.
Click here for map
UPDATE 12/08/09: 2-for-1 "Locals" discount coupon for LA Live ice skating available through local paper (click here for more info)
UPDATE 01/01/10: This ice rink is open for one more day on New Year's Day!
UPDATE 12/02/10: Ice skating is back in season! The price is now $12 for unlimited skating. Other rinks usually limit the time to 1-2 hours, so it's not bad if you love to skate. Click HERE for the schedule and more info. Unless you are not fond of crowds, a good time to go is this Saturday, Dec 4th, for the Annual Holiday Tree Lighting Event. Enjoy this winter sport until New Year's Day!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
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