With the installation of the artifical (=”synthetic”) ice rink on the Rockefeller Plaza in front of Disney’s Hotel New York last winter (check out our report from last October for details) everything had been set up the first time ever for a year round operation of the “Rockefeller Rink”. Gone are the noisy go-carts respectively the fun-bikes that had taken over the area in the past years. Certainly the ice rink is the aesthetically (as well as regarding the noise if compared to the go-carts) much better option (even so the wide open water surface with the detailed map of Manhattan underneath it that originally took the place of the ice rink in 1992 is still missed by long-time fans).
The only problem: with the synthetic ice rink not offering any cooling effect to those skating (since it is assembled out of special “plastic” elements) the numbers of skaters has been rather small during the hot weeks of summer. To help cool the guests down while skating (and give them more of a traditional ice skating experience) the resort has installed a large fan above the rink at the edge of the fountain that sits elevated between the rink and the central lobby building. Said fan is not only creating a pleasant draft of air but also sprays a water mist off and gives guests the impression of a cooling effect (similar misting fans are used e.g. in queue lines many parks in Florida).