SUNSHINE ICE SKATING: We're not going to pause and walk "the holidays seem to come earlier and earlier" route. Everyone knows this, people have been saying it for years, it is fact. Heck, your mom was probably saying it two or three decades ago; ask her. What we marvel at is when holidays abut each other, a bit "Nightmare-Before-Christmas"-style. And when the holiday ice rinks start to open before we've finished off our Halloween candy and tossed the jack o' lanterns in the green bin, well, we call that abutting to the max. Not that we mind; if the holidays must start minutes after Halloween wraps, we like when they begin with a little fresh air, a little physical exercise, and the chance to don mittens. Yep, we're talking about the holiday ice rinks -- you probably guessed that from the headline -- and we're here to say that not one but two major venues are set to open in Southern California over the post-Halloween weekend.
FIRST UP... Is skating at the Irvine Spectrum. This rink is set to debut on Thursday, Nov. 1 and will pirouette right through Feb. 18 of next year (so it'll include another major holiday that is well-suited to ice skating, Valentine's Day). Thanksgiving and Christmas are closed, so check the schedule before making for the 5. And north of Irvine? Santa Monica is ready to get chilly with its annual ICE. It's not too far from the beach -- not as close to the water as the Hotel Del Coronado's annual rink, but pretty close -- and it opens on Friday, Nov. 2. It's got a tighter schedule though, note; ICE melts away on Jan. 21. Either way, the holidays are arriving, for sure, so stow that leftover glow-in-the-dark make-up and find that scarf and your gloves at once.
UPDATE: The Irvine rink has met with a slight delay "by a few days." If you can't wait to get your skate on, ICE at Santa Monica is still set to debut on Friday, Nov 2. Brrrr.
