City Ice Pavilion @ Long Island City

Located in Queens on the roof of a Sleepy’s Mattress store is City Ice Pavilion.  Even though you’re across the street from a prison and right in the middle of a warehouse district, the location is pretty central to the city.  The rink is right off the LIE one exit from Manhattan, and two blocks from the 7 train.  For any New York hockey player, this is probably the second most popular rink, right behind Chelsea Piers.

The rink is very unique.  You may have noticed I said it’s located on the roof.  But it’s not outdoors.  It’s actually situated in a bubble, the same as what tennis courts use in the winter to stay open.  With all this considering, they still have decent lighting and netting hanging from the ceiling, but things can get a little dicey with high winds and precipitation.  There are times the weather causes the rink to close as a precaution.

Inside the bubble

In addition to this the ice quality is somewhere between a C+ or a B-.  This may be due to the constant use of the ice surface due to all the programming, the compressor size since it’s on a roof, or the warmer temperature found inside the bubble during certain times of the year.  But if you get used to the bouncing puck, then you’ll be able to skate fine.  Although the wait time during surfacing can be quite considerable since occasionally you have to wait for it to dry.

One interesting thing is the rink stays open almost all year, with only 1 or 2 week breaks.  But like I said, the constant programming might also add to the wear on the ice.  The silver lining is not only is the surface full NHL regulation size, but they also have a mini-rink in the back which you can rent for $10.  There are also a decent amount of bleachers available around the rink should you have an audience as well.

Only the rink is on the roof though.  The second level of the warehouse consists of a pro-shop, offices, lockers, and other random stuff.  This means you need to take an elevator or stairs to go between the rink and locker room.  The wait is not bad at all though, especially during late night games.  But the elevator can smell, although no worse than the locker will.  One the bottom floor is the a parking garage, and there is also ample street parking for the late night league games since it’s a warehouse area.

One thing this rink does very well is organization.  The rink constantly updates scores, reminds you about upcoming schedules, locks the locker room during games, tells you how long you can stay in the locker to drink beer, and even puts your team logo on the locker room door to know which room you have.  The price of the rink is also the cheapest in the city for ice hockey.  And with an ample pool of players, there are enough teams and divisions to make play equal.

If you’re an open hockey player, then times are about the same as all the other rinks.  During the week open hockey is scheduled for the lunch hour.  On Friday and Saturday nights you can find it from 10pm-11:50pm.  Price is $25 to skate.

Overall I would give this rink a B+ and recommend it to anyone looking to play.

City Ice Pavilion
47-32 32nd Place Long Island City, NY 11101