Lasker Ice Rink

The Staff was friendly and helpful, very attentive to those who fall on the ice. The rink itself was small but we enjoyed our time on the ice. The crowd was well tamed, and there’s a mix of people from every ethnic and non ethnic background. The facility however, could use a thorough cleaning. The bathrooms are filthy with waste left in the toilet bowl for hours. A stench that hits you in the face walking through the bathroom door. Also the condition of the rental skates are very poor. They have a moldy smell and don’t fit quite properly. My family would have had a better skating experience with skates that fit properly. We had to stop every few moments and adjust our skates. I ended up exchanging the pair I had because they were completely uncomfortable. They had a hard lump in the foot bed. The second pair I had were more comfortable but I still had a hard time skating in them.

What’s more winter break than some fun loving time with your sweetie (or kids, if that applies to you) at an ice rink in Central Park? I am not sure how my boyfriend decided on his own that we should do it-​maybe it was the strong cocktails* beforehand-​but ice skating we went.
The rink is one of two in Central Park, and most certainly the less popular, aka less crowded, of the two. Being more out of the way of major touristic spots of the city, you can tell this is much more of a locals rink. Located at the very northern end of the park. There are two small rinks side by side, apparently one for open hockey, and the other for public skating. Over the holidays, they had extended hours, but during the winter months it seems like there are limited open skate hours. Though the rink is small, there is no wait and it was not packed to the point of being not enjoyable.
The value is also excellent-​$ 7 for unlimited skating and $ 6 for skate rental if you don’t have your own, about the cheapest ice skating you can do in Manhattan hands down. Bring your own lock, or rent one, and there are a generous amount of lockers for your belongings in a very large locker room.
Don’t expect anything too fancy-​this isn’t the place to go to practice your speed skating, triple lutz or hockey stops. It’s made for enjoying a casual glide around the ice. Bring someone you love and take it in. After all, what is winter break without doing something completely corny and expected? I’ll add it to the list along with baking cookies and warping presents while listening to Christmas music.
*I do not in any way endorse drunk skating-​however one nice drink is enough to keep you warm and fuzzy on the ice.

A lot of people are writing reviews saying that this rink is full of teens and kids, but what skating rink isn’t. I have yet to see a place that has nothing, but experienced adult skaters.
This is a good use of space as it’s a pool in the summer and a rink in the winter.
I thought it was easy to get to once we found parking. I thought the price was quite fair considering I only had to pay to get in since I have my own skates.
They clean the ice enough so it is easier to glide on. The guys who work there were really nice and encouraging– I fell once and two of them were there immediately. No one was going fast or doing any stunts that would intimidate people.
The only thing I didn’t like was the ramps you have to walk up/​down to get from the lockers to the ice. I saw a few people struggling with that part.
I think it’s very family friendly and perfect for beginners as it’s not crowded.

Nice rink in my neighborhood. It’s small, but it didn’t strike me as smaller than any other spots. It’s a bit less crowded than the downtown rinks, and definitely cheaper.

As much as I’d like to give this place a 5 star review, their policies and regulations prohibit me from doing so. First, let me start by saying this rink isn’t bad at all, it’s great for children, and sized very adequately for its location.
I took my nephews here for their first time ice skating last night and while they enjoyed themselves, I’m the one who didn’t. When we first walked in, we hit the sales booth. I wasn’t bothered by the 6 dollar fee for the children to ice skate, or the price for the rentals. What ruined things for me is how they charged me and my girlfriend a 7 dollar fee just to get in with the kids. What type of shit is that? How do you charge a parent/​guardian to take their child ice skating, mind you I didn’t even get on the ice.
Another thing that pissed me off is the rudeness of some of the skaters. I’m watching on and seeing people falling, while some of the skaters will just stand there instead of helping out. This new generation of children I swear. Then you have these fake ass professional ice skaters going 20mph around the rink while everyone else is trying to enjoy their time.
I’m glad the children had fun, but once I had to pay a parental fee just to get in, I was about done with this place.
Overall is wasn’t too bad. They learned how to skate and it was great lighting, the music definitely wasn’t appropriate though.

Lasker rink is a nice small decently priced rink in Central Park. The rink is very small. Very small. They have split the space into two rinks so that hockey can be played on one side.
There are small pool lockers and locker rental which you can hold your shoes in.
There are lots of children and little people skating. Skating at Lasker is more like skating through an obstacle course. There are kids flying, falling and stopping. You must avoid them or you will fall too. It is almost like a video game, except, it is real. No matter your skill level, skating at Lasker can be a fun experience. It is a great place to catch a housewife… literally… :-/

First up, I’m reviewing this place from the point of view of the public «General Skating» session — I have friends who have tried the various hockey leagues and rave about it. I’m also the kind of skater that is trying to improve by spending time on the ice, I’m not holding onto the edge of the rink. If the above matches yourself, then avoid this rink like the plague.
The problem with the rink is that it’s not very wide, and they try and run small kids lessons in the middle. As a result there’s very limited room on the «straights» of the rink. There were times when I had to come to a complete stop just to wait for a blockage of people to clear — half a lap later and I’d be waiting again. People tend to crowd in areas not moving (maybe watching the hockey, or taking photos of each other) and as a result, it just doesn’t flow. Worst of all, the «skate guards» who are meant to make it all flow and prevent this sort of thing, while also helping those who fall, were too busy chatting to their mates.
If you’re looking for a decent place to do a public general skating session, then head to Wollman (despite being more expensive, it’s much larger), or Bryant Park… but I wouldn’t bother with Lasker. I’ve given Lasker 2 stars though because I imagine there may be times when it’s better, and time on the ice is at a premium in Manhattan — so it’s still better than nothing.

Lasker Ice Rink is on the north end of Central Park. In the summer, it’s one of the pools, in the winter, it transforms into an ice rink. There’s actually two separate rinks, one that seems solely dedicated to hockey and the other is open to public skating according to their schedule. The downside is this place is not free to skate in, but you must pay $ 6.50 to gain admittance. Another $ 6.50 to rent skates from what I saw, so I suppose it’s just as cheap as Bryant Park if you don’t have anything.
The great thing about this rink is the fact that it’s not nearly as crowded as other ice rinks in the city. I think the reason by this is likely due to its location and the fact that you’ve got to pay to even skate with your own stuff. I enjoyed skating here because it gave me enough space to practice some tricks, hockey stops, etc without the fear of falling down in a crowd of 200 people, praying that they can stop before they slice my face with their skates.
They also have an incredibly large locker room that is nicely heated so you can always head inside if you need to warm up.

A friend who had initiated going here flaked because she got sick. Facing a long day of work with my Friday night plans suddenly bust, I felt like a kid who’d just been told that Santa Claus is not real.
By the end of the day, I decided to enjoy the fresh air of an outdoor rink alone. I called to make sure it was still open in light of the weather. A human answered the phone and my question at (917) 492‑3857, so I assume the other number on the Parks website (
) is also good: (917) 492‑3856.
The current hours are:
Monday 10:00 a.m. — 3:45 p.m.
Tuesday 10:00 a.m. — 3:45 p.m.
8:00 p.m. — 10:00 p.m.
Wednesday 10:00 a.m. — 3:45 p.m.
Thursday 10:00 a.m. — 3:45 p.m.
Friday 10:00 a.m. — 5:15 p.m.
7:00 p.m. — 11:00 p.m.
Saturday 1:00 p.m. — 11:00 p.m.
Sunday 12:30 p.m. — 4:30 p
110^th Avenue was well shoveled and the park paths were immaculate, so access was cake. The zig-​zagged roof of the Lasker structure had a plume of steam spewing from it, giving it the appearance of an industrious fun factory.
I couldn’t believe that I once swam 25 miles in the same space! Snow was piled all around, and shovel marks in the sides of these powdery mountains suggested that NYC park employees manually shaped them with their shovels.
The ice was divided into one lobe for local hockey teams, and one for the masses. If anything, the division accentuated the largeness of the space. The Zamboni circled around, glossing over the ice as snow began to fall. In the background, a lively hockey game was taking place with a healthy audience cheering on the players.
The rink takes cash only, so bring it unless you want to use the fee ATM. This is the outlet store of Trump’s assets. I paid $ 12 for entry and skates; half of what it takes to get into Wollman. The rentals looked like hand-​me-​downs, the cracked linings antiqued to an ochre hue. There were no hockey skates for guys or girls, so I had to make do with toepicked blades. At least the casings were rock solid and provided ankle support (with some shin pain later).
I gravitated to the side of lockers utilized by women during pool season, only to find a bunch of males there with hockey bags and equipment, stinking the whole place up. One screechy voiced adolescent told his mom to wash his pants. Another said to a teammate, «You a HOMO.» Retort: «Your MOTHER.» Charming.
Later, I found that the other side reeked slightly less of jock stench and pre-​teen homophobia, so I moved my ugly street boots to an unlocked cubbyhole there, defying anyone to steal my shitty shoes.
The concession stand added the smell of french fries to the general odor of feet, sneakers, and hockey jocks. A soft pretzel was $ 2. Chicken tenders were $ 4. Cheese fries were a whopping $ 3.25, which put them out of my budget. A slice of cheese pizza was $ 3, which is all I had left in cash since I’d purposely left my wallet at home to keep from wasting money on CRAP. I asked to see it, and a shifty eyed teen lifted a metal pan to reveal two junior-​sized triangles on a weak looking plate. Mumbling excuses and curses, I consulted the vending machine and learned that its only substantial $ 1 item is veggie flavored Sun Chips. Whoever priced these snacks is an evil genius, because the things you really want — from Doritos to Skittles — are all marked up by a quarter or two. Avoid the pizza chips and Burger King «cheese fries.» When the machine gets stuck, one of the boys will shake the machine for you.
The ramp down to the ice had a comically steep grade and was super shady. Also hazardous were the skate guards, who expressed themselves by skating backwards the whole time and weaving dangerously, completely unaware of fallen toddlers or assholes skating the wrong way. The falling snow blanketed the raucous environment with quiet beauty, but also made the ice a bit dodgy on the straightaways.
I had collisions with a 17 year old boy, a giggling teenage girl, and a 9 year old boy who gallantly broke my fall (this was awkward, I’m glad his parents weren’t around). You’d be surprised how few people LOOK around when skating. The best defense is to reach out and shove the oncoming child (preferably the head) as hard as possible. Sounds counterintuitive, but if you don’t do it, you’ll both fall, or just the kid will, as you promptly blade over their grimy little hands.
Could have done without the shitty pop music or families skating slowly four abreast. At least when the clock struck 9, the commoners sloughed off, and only real skaters remained. I was probably the oldest one, save for a woman in white polyester pants and Bavarian style jacket who had the dreamy look of a retired figure skater but none of the talent.
Each flake froze in place when I skated in the direction of the snowfall. I was there for three hours and now my whole body aches, but in a good way. It was a proper time; beat the hell outta sitting for a crappy blockbuster at an AMC or having a cocktail.

I went to this rink for the first time on Saturday in hopes of finding an alternative to Bryant Park, which gets so crowded on the weekends. Unfortunately, I doubt I’ll ever go back. I can’t imagine what the bathrooms were like before they were renovated, because they were disgusting the other day — broken toilet, no hot water, no paper towels, an entire wall of urinals in the ladies room covered with black trash bags. Once you put your skates on, you have a really long walk through the building, around the end of the rink, down a steep ramp, and along the side of the rink before you get to an entrance. It’s more dangerous to get to the ice than it is to skate on it! There are piles of ice shavings by the entrances that are so slippery under your blades that your feet are likely to shoot out from under you at every step. Once I got onto the ice — which took a while because people kept blocking the entrance — it was somewhat less crowded than Bryant Park but it hardly mattered because the rink is so small and narrow. Now I know that any public rink has a lot of people who are not experienced skaters, but there seemed to be a LOT of people who could not skate at all and were just standing on the ice blocking everyone’s way, as well as all along the walls. The rink is cut in half so that one side can be used for hockey, plus a large area of the ice (much larger than in Bryant Part) was blocked off for lessons, leaving such a narrow skating area that you can’t maneuver around the beginners and are forced to skate incredibly slowly. I’m hardly an expert, all I can do is go forward and a little bit backwards, but I found it frustrating as heck to skate here. All in all, my friend and I both had a pretty miserable time, I felt badly for suggesting it to her. In the future I’ll go back to braving the crowds at Bryant Park.

I’m an ice hockey player and I’ve skated all five outdoor Manhattan rinks. Lasker is one of my favorite rinks, because it is geared towards serious users. There are two rinks and like Wollman, it is run by Trump. But unlike Wollman, the entrance fee is a much much more reasonable $ 5. If you bring your own lock, you can use the lockers for free. Otherwise, you’ll have to pay something like $ 5 to rent a lock. I got onto the ice when there were relatively few people and the ice was great (it was the middle of December), better than some indoor rinks I’ve been to. Alas, a fleet of schoolkids came onto the ice and my wonderful skating experience quickly evaporated. I imagine that if there is a light crowd, Lasker is a great place to skate if you want to get away from the city and enjoy some quiet moments. Compared to Wollman which at the very south end of Central Park, Lasker is at the more remote and quieter north end. There is a concessions stand inside with hot food and a small area with lockers for changing into your skates. When I was there, some elementary age kids were practicing with their hockey team in NY Rangers style jerseys. I had a great time hanging out and watching the kids scrimmage. It was almost like pond hockey.

A bit small but reasonable prices and great location! If you go before noon its usually not crowded. It’s way better than the Rockafeller rink.

My first time to Lasker and I am a native. It is a nice sized rink in a quieter part of the park. Not as scenic as Wollman or Prospect Park, it is less crowded than both. The ice-​house looks like a communist structure and the bathrooms were a little stinky though as a rink I like it better than Wollman which is too round for good skating. Crap city concession inside. Nice if you eat first and bring your own snacks.

Children and preteens and teens.
It is nice to go someplace without too much pretension and tourists. The locals do come here in droves and I can see that Trump really did improve the rink. Sadly, I did not fully enjoy myself for the three reasons stated above.
Today was a beautifully warm day. I was able to skate without a jacket, hat or scarf on in February. This also meant that dozens of parents with small falling grade school children were there. These children could somewhat skate and were so close to the ground that they would fall in front of you at the slightest whim. In droves were the preteen/​teen crowd as well.
The smell of bad perfume and/​or cologne would waft through the air. Pre/​Teens would gather in a choo choo train and skate dangerously in front of you. Then, a naughty boy would skate up and squeeze the hip and ass hugger jeans of one of the girl. To that, the girl would squeal and then slap him around — in front of you. This usually led to the boy falling over — in front of you. This could lead to an accident — involving you. Pre/​Teens also enjoy zipping around, barreling around, while waving their arms wildly.
I will give this place another chance on a colder day. There maybe less people out then and I might feel the local homey feel that everyone else enjoys.

Compared to Wollman Rink or Bryant Park, there are certainly less tourists and Lasker Rink is less pricey. There are two outdoor rinks around 106^th-​108^th street and Lenox Avenue in Central Park, easily accessible by the 2 or 3. For adults, it is $ 6 to skate and $ 5.25 for skate rentals. If you want to store your belongings, you can rent a locker for $ 3.25 + a $ 4 deposit that you get back. The locker area was clean and had a concession stand incase you wanted to warm up with a hot chocolate.
We were lucky to get on the ice right after the zamboni. To me there was an average number of people on the rink on a Saturday afternoon. Pop hits are played in the background and you’re surrounded by the beautiful park scenery, ultimately creating a great ice skating experience. There’s no limit to how long you can be on the ice, so we skated for more than 40 minutes before we decided to head out. I’d definitely advise heading here before any of the touristy rinks.

I played for Northpark Hockey here as a kid. Since Trump bought it, it’s a hell of a lot nicer. There are separate locker rooms for men and women now that aren’t disgusting, decent concessions and skate rental, and a special locker room for teams. It used to be so run down it was cool (not to mention playing against Giuliani’s son here when he was mayor and showed up to the games was SWEET). I suppose like the rest of South Harlem, it had to be gentrified. And it’s not half bad. All I really missed when I went back to coach my old team was the video game machines. I learned to play Mortal Kombat in between double headers back in 1997. ..

Just went to the Lasker Rink yesterday (01÷20÷08); and for it to be my first time ice skating, I really enjoyed myself. It was a beautiful, sunny (23 degrees) January day. It was only $ 9.50 [for admission & skate rental]. I went with my church youth group and for it to be the weekend, it was a very light day, in that it wasn’t overcrowded in the least.
Why the missing star? Two reasons:
1) They don’t do group rates on the weekend
2) The food stand is in the same room where the skate rentals booth is and where the locker room is… so it smells kinda funky in there. Not to mention the food is a lil pricey for what looks like food that was frozen and reheated. spent $ 2 on fries that were under a heating lamp and got cold as soon as I stepped outside (i mean that’s where the seating is… like you really didn’t expect me to eat in the locker room, did you???)
Nonetheless, I do plan on going back. Hey, I had fun… besides there’s a deli right up the street that sells yummy sandwiches (hot/​cold) v. reasonably priced.

I stumbled on Lasker Rink about this time last year. It was a beautiful sunny day in spring. I was walking around in a T-​Shirt. I saw the rink, and decided it was a great day to ice skate (how often do you get to ice skate AND be warm). I called a friend to join me and we had a great time. The rink wasn’t particularly great and was very bumpy (which I can’t hold too much against them since it was a 70 degree day — probably hard to maintain an ice rink in that weather). The main complaint I have is that the rental skates were grossly uncomfortable. I literally still have scars on the backs of my ankles from where the skates were rubbing. Admittedly, I could have made the choice not to keep skating when they hurt so much, but basically not being in pain meant not skating.

I love this rink. And Wollman– but too busy. Lasker has more hockey options– well, it HAS hockey options. A great place to get your skate on. I love people watching here as well. Can sit and watch people skating casually and recreation ally on one rink and then on the adjacent rink usually some hockey practice. Many options for lessons as well.