Is Kent Skating On Thin Ice?

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Holiday spirit lives in downtown L.A. Ice-skating in Pershing Square is a riot. Anyone who goes,  and sees how much fun it is, could not begrudge our broke city spending money for the holiday rink that's called "Pershing Square Downtown on Ice."

Christmas eve, I jumped on the Red Line --which lets out right there-- and skated for an hour at sunset. it'll set you back $8 for the session and the skates (which, for rental skates, are pretty nice). I fell three times. They have skating 'lifeguards' to help you up instantly, which --to me-- is more comical than falling.  A fallen skater can get back up on his/her own pretty easily... but when you start to get help from 2 people pulling you in different directions, look out.

For Olympic recruiters, I will confess to being in the middle of the pack. Older and younger skaters were better and worse. It's been a lotta years since the lessons, but once you're back at it, it's just like riding a bicycle:  when you fall, it's gonna hurt.

Met Lotsa cool people-- David and Vicky and their crew, in from Pasadena (by coincidence, we all volunteered in the toy line at L.A.'s Midnight Mission, the next morning); the ice-guards, of course; and some gorgeous blond who stopped practicing spins in a corner, to hold my hand for a couple of laps. There are advantages to looking helpless.  

Pershing Square Downtown on Ice; now through January 17.

(Photo: The Bishop's Wife, 1947, RKO Pictures)