Winter in Raleigh

By Harold

While we’re enjoying our first North Carolina snow storm (estimated accumulation: less than one inch; number of schools that closed early: every one within 200 miles), what better time to recap our trip earlier this week to Raleigh Winterfest, a skating rink next to the state capital building.

Like anyone who lives in the Northeast, I probably went skating at least once a year growing up. That wasn’t enough to master advanced maneuvers like skating backwards or stopping (isn’t that what the boards are for?), but it was enough practice to learn to stay upright going clockwise or counter-clockwise.

Check out the festive tree in the background. Shockingly, there was nary a menorah to be found.

That base of experience apparently doesn’t extend to the Southeast — despite the potential influence of having a professional hockey team nearby, I spent a lot of time skating clockwise and counter-clockwise around bodies of all ages that were splayed across the ice. Considering I don’t know how to stop, there were a lot of near-misses.

My short review of the experience was that it’s cheap ($6 for adults includes the appropriate footwear) and it’s cool to skate outdoors, surrounded by the biggest buildings in Raleigh. The downsides are the ice itself — it’s really small and really choppy (there’s no Zamboni in sight).

Laura - right as she's remembering that she always loves skating, until about 5 minutes in when her feet already hurt.

Actually, the best part are the free rickshaw rides outside the rink (the bikers work only for tips during certain promotional events). Our driver took us around the Capitol building and the surrounding parks. “I bet you can’t get this in New York City,” our driver said. We told him that actually you could. Finally it was conceded that we couldn’t ride a rickshaw in New York… while listening to that particular Norah Jones song that was playing on his radio. From then on, everything he pointed out — a view, a building — was followed by, “it’s not like in New York, but…”

But nothing. There was no reason for the inferiority complex. The fact is, we never took a rickshaw ride in New York, probably because it wasn’t free. And we certainly didn’t do it after skating on an outdoor rink. So I wholly endorse the Raleigh rickshaw experience.