The Ice Is Being Laid at DC’s Newest Ice-Skating Rink

The first layer of ice has been applied to the new skating rink at Washington Harbour
in Georgetown, the city’s first ice rink with a view of the Potomac River. Four to
five more sheets will be applied before the ice is done next week in advance of the
grand opening Monday, November 19, according to a spokesman for MRP Realty, which
owns the complex.

After that, the rink will be open seven days a week, from noon on weekdays and from
10 AM on weekends. Closing time will be 9 on weekdays, 10 on Saturday, and 7 on Sunday.
Skating fees range from $9 for adults to $7 for children, seniors, and military; skate
rental is $5. There will be a skate shop adjacent to the rink. Spokesperson John Dalton
says the rink will be available for private events Sunday through Wednesday evenings.

Even if this winter is as mild as last year’s, not to worry. “It can be up to 65 degrees
and we’re still fine,” Dalton says. The rink was built by Clark Construction—which
was “quite a process,” says Dalton. If size matters, the rink is larger than the ones
at Rockefeller Center in New York and the Sculpture Garden at the National Gallery
of Art. It also has the advantage of being almost surrounded by restaurants: the soon-to-open
Farmers Fishers Bakers, plus Tony & Joe’s Seafood, Nick’s Riverside Grill, and Sequoia.

Carol Ross Joynt