LeFrak Center at Lakeside — Attraction in New York

waste of millions of dollars, never will go again (b"l)! built stupid, managed like a Brooklyn post office.

went with three kids on Dec 22, 2013, was a large crowd but not more of the ordinary weekend crowd.

1. had to wait more than half an hour just to buy tickets and get in with about 6 families in front of me (like 20 ppl) , never happened to me even in the worst places to wait so long with this number of a crowd inside, and people in the line!

2. I called all day to the number listed, to ask if there open ? and if the sharpening store is open? (I called a week before to ask if they sharpen skates), after two hour hours of continuous dialing, finally got an answer that the shop is open all day, btw it was a 212 number with a girl sitting in a different location that knows nothing !!! bcs the place doesn't even have a sharpening store !

3. very small space for changing, compared to the overall size of the establishment and to other rinks. Front lockers are blocked when people sit on the benches. they are ridiculous close.

4. rented two pairs of skating shoes, usually you give in your own shoes in replacement and vice-versa when returning, this place they don't and they just say go ! deal with your own shoes, I wonder how long before they run out of skates, bcs they have no way enforcing the return of skates lol lol lol (its Brooklyn after all)

5. electronic lockers- who needs more complications in life??? took me 30 minutes to buy a locker with the machine that doesn't even say which way to swipe the card, oh' and needed to stand in another line for that ! finally got a locker $5 (everywhere else its for free just bring your own lock) so... it was so tiny could fit only 3 pairs of shoes, and we had a load of coats and a carry bag and some snacks.

6. was told that i can check-in a bag-ok great im okay paying another $5, went to the check-in counter.... was told to go outside and buy the check-in option at the cashier, but I was with skating shoes already on, and the cashier is on the concrete area outside!!! too bad- they told me.

7. when at the cashier on the concrete, ....saw kids walking around on the concrete with the rented skating shoes....this place is really a zoo! either they put soft floors where they need to, or block off the area !

8. next, found a corner on top of the lockers to put my son's skating box which he brought, in an instant a guard told me you can't do that ! so had another placing issue to deal with.

so far it was almost closing time and i hadn't go on the ice yet !

the planning and the layout of the building was completely stupid, there is a lookout on the second floor with a nice view , how do you get there? just take the steps, right! - wrong !!! you need to walk out all the way around and up a ramp about 10 min.

9. very fancy ceiling ok - nice why not ! nobody is paying for it anyway it was made free of charge or taxpaery's money whatever, at least install speakers that are clear !!! I couldn't understand a word of the announcements that where said over the speakers. reminds me of the manual subway announcements.

is this just another Bloomberg blood thirsty way of a money machine ? and it took 5 years to built ! it will be a dump before...

The rink itself is okay, the prices are reasonable compared to the Manhattan ones, and since they don’t hold any hockey games, you can virtually stay all day skating... if you don’t freeze over, as it is an open ice rink. But the ice gets resurfaced with the Zamboni only in the morning (9am), and then again at 4pm on busier days, so if loads of people are on it, the ice will get shredded fast, and stay bad for long periods of time.

The worst thing is that the staff does NOT sharpen the rental skates, even tho they supposedly have the machine to do so. The unsharpened blades are difficult to skate on, go every each way, and are a very dangerous thing to be renting out to a bunch of inexperienced skaters. Just check the blade before you put it on! Google what it’s supposed to look, and feel like, and why it’s super important for them to be sharpened, if you don’t already know. Seriously, this is a health hazard! If the people running the ice skating rink had any common sense and an inch of integrity, someone should be in trouble over all of this. I’ve also seen plenty of their rental skates with rusted blades, and have never seen anyone ever use a disinfectant spray to any of the returning rentals. It’s such a shame, but the overall level of absurdity and negligence of their staff is really unbelievable. If you have your own ice skates, guess you’re okay, but don’t think you’ll ever be able to have any sharpening done at their shop. I’ve went to sharpen three times now, was there mid their working shift, but was told the guy left early, twice, and waited for a full hour for him to come back from his “quick half-an-hour lunch break” the third time, only to nonchalantly pretend to try to sharpen (the dude was utterly clueless, turning the room’s light on and off, pretending to be operating the sharpener, I kid you not!), and asked me to come back another day, while handing me back skates that weren’t even my own.

So I guess if you know how to skate, have your own skates, and get them routinely sharpened elsewhere, and you don’t mind skating outdoors, you’re all good, and prospect park’s ice rink might be a good option for you. But, if you are a beginner, and would like to avoid concussion, sprain or being bruised all over, from grossly rusted and dull rental skates, perhaps...

If you are a parent or school leader planning a group trip to Lefrak Roller Skating Rink, I strongly encourage you to reconsider. I have been bringing students here for years with no major issues, but our most recent visit (Sept. 5th) was completely disorganized and unsafe.

Waiver & Payment Issues: The new waiver process is confusing with no way to verify which parents have submitted forms. My requests for a paper option went unanswered. Communication around deposits was unprofessional—emails came late, and we were expected to make last-minute payments after office hours.

Safety Concerns: During our short 12–2 p.m. session, floor staff were sent on break, leaving hundreds of students with minimal supervision. Multiple students were injured, and I had to put on skates myself to help keep order. Instead of welcoming the support, I was told to leave the floor because I didn’t have a wristband—despite being a school administrator responsible for student safety.

Policy Changes Without Notice: Students were not allowed to retrieve their sneakers to buy lunch or walk safely to the cafeteria, forcing some to skate across unsafe areas or walk in socks near active construction. This new policy was never communicated beforehand and put students at risk.

Facilities: The water fountain was broken on a hot day, leaving the café overwhelmed trying to provide water for hundreds of thirsty children.

Sadly, after years of patronage, this will be my last time booking a school trip here. Until Lefrak improves communication, supervision, and child-safety protocols, I cannot recommend this rink for school groups or families...