Monday, November 30, 2009

Cool fact about the skating rink at Campus Martius Park

Here’s more proof of the magic of moviemaking.

Have you ever seen a movie in which a scene takes place at the skating rink at Rockefeller Center in New York City? It’s a pretty common image. ‘Elf’ comes to mind, but no matter what movie, the place always appears to be huge, like a sprawling pond bigger than a hockey rink. 

In contrast, the rink at Campus Martius Park in downtown Detroit has always seemed small to me when I visit in person. When you’re skating, it feels like you’re constantly turning. (Trust me, it starts to burn the thighs unevenly.) The size of the rink – and the steep $7 fee to skate – have been my only two beefs with the Campus Martius rink since I first went a few years ago.

But here’s a little nugget I found interesting: the rink at Campus Martius is actually bigger than the world-famous Rockefeller Center rink! Dimensions of the Rockefeller Center rink are listed at 122-feet x 59-feet. I can’t find measurements of the Detroit rink listed anywhere, but according to the Campus Martius website, it’s bigger.