Photo of the Week #22 – Ice Skating at Rockefeller Center, New York City

Autumn is officially upon us and the ice skating rink at Rockefeller Center will be opening for the 2011/2012 season in mid October through early April. The rink is an iconic part of New York City’s holiday season with the GE Building (formerly the RCA Building) serving as a backdrop. And, of course, there is the huge, majestically decorated and lit Christmas Tree that is erected during the Christmas holidays.

There is just something New York about a visit to Rockefeller Center and especially to the ice rink, whether you take to the ice or not. The rink has been a fixture of the New York scene since 1936 when it was set up as a temporary attraction to the new Rockefeller Center district. It never went away, its temporary status became permanent and each year throngs of locals and tourists are drawn there. The rink is small at only 122 feet long and 59 feet wide. It accommodates a mere 150 skaters at any given time. But, to New York City, it’s as American as apple pie and mother.

This photo was taken on my first digital camera, a very simple, unsophisticated and not very high-resolution device I bought to get my feet wet in digital photography. But, it makes the image. Whenever I’m in NYC during the winter, this is always one of my must go places. Even though the air may be cold, it warms me up to revisit it time and again