Searching for an ice rink in LA? A new skate rink Ice at Santa Monica opened in Santa Monica on November 16th. I fell in LOVE with the place when I recently visited! Let me share my experience with you…
- Access/Transportation: 10/10
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Access to Ice at Santa Monica was smooth as ice (no pun intended)! From UCLA, I was able to take Bus 20 from Wilshire straight to Santa Monica 4th Street. The ice skating rink was a 5-minute walk from the bus station in a safe area near the 3rd Street Promenade. The overall transportation time from the UCLA dorms was only around 30 minutes!
- Price: 7/10
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No need to buy tickets beforehand! You can buy an all-day admission ticket (12pm-10pm) with a skate rental for $20 at the rink and a locker rental for $5. These are average prices for a skating rink. The cashier was also flexible with payment methods and accepted Apple pay, debit cards, credit cards and cash.
The lockers can fit around two backpacks and three shoes, so make sure to share it with a friend to split the cost! I recommend sharing one locker per 2-3 people. Even if you don’t have a bag, I recommend renting a locker for shoes since there are no shoe racks.
- The Skate Rink: 7/10
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Let’s get to the meat of the review: the ice rink. Although the skate rink was crowded with little children and high school students, I think it was mainly due to the hype of the opening of the skate rink, which should die down soon. Even with the crowd, there was still enough space to avoid bumping into other people. If you are a fast skater, you might feel frustrated with the lack of space or the slowness of family skaters. If you are an average skater like me, the pace of the skaters at the rink is just right! There are handrails throughout the rink for beginner skaters too so don’t worry if you’ve never skated before!
- Food: 8/10
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This place was prepared with all the right food! Catered by downtown Santa Monica restaurants such as Ugo Cafe and Stefano’s Pizzeria, the rink served pizzas, gelato and hot chocolates! They were reasonably priced and freshly made. My friends and I were able to enjoy a hot chocolate and cold gelato while taking a break from skating.
- Instagram-Worthiness: 10/10
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This skating rink was super Instagram-worthy! With pretty Christmas lights everywhere and wall decorations, my friends and I were able to take lots of cute photos. It’s a perfect way to introduce holiday spirit to your Instagram feed. Make sure to take both videos and photos to capture the 360˚ view of the wholesome skate rink!
In sum, I loved this skate rink and would recommend it to beginner skaters who want to skate slowly with a small friend group. It’s easily accessible with one bus from Westwood, so there was no need for expensive Ubers or complicated Metro routes! In addition to hot chocolates, you can take amazing photos to kickoff the winter holiday season. Make sure to check it out before January 16th when it closes!