CityScape — Attraction in Phoenix

Terrible & Uncomfortable, this sad practical joke of a skate rink should be avoided at all costs. Dont overhype your expectations because this isnt anything like skating at Rockefeller Plaza. This is more like its neglected and psychotic orphan suffering from dwarfism.

The rink is about the size of a slightly larger than normal Arizona home swimming pool. Worse yet is the gigantic tree the designers placed smack in the middle of the rink taking up more precious skate space. What you end up with is an over crowded rink with a speed limit that is slower than walking. Whats crazy though is that even if itnisntncrowded, the condition of the ice is so terrible and shredded theres no way you can actually glide on the ice. It literally looks like a crappy ski run at SnowBowl when the winter is ending. The rink's ice is full of grooves and powder because there doesnt seem to enough room to run a zamboni over it.

If you can get over the crowds, the bad ice, and the small rink, you wont get over the plastic ice skates they give you (whole sizes only). These skates are made of a super hard and stiff plastic with zero internal cushioning. I paidn $15 only to last just 15 minutes on the ice. Thats $1 per minute of skating pain and suffering.

My advice, avoid this place like the plague that it is if youve ever ice skated before and enjoyed it. This might be good as a date night for teens...

People are bundled up, skating in an outdoor ice rink while Christmas music plays --- "what, I'm in Phoenix" you may ask? Yup, every year Central avenue becomes an ice rink which is beautifully lit at night and filled with happy people from every age group skating from levels of oh-my-god-I-cant-let-go-of-the-rail mode to semi-professional. Now fanciful decorations adorn the outside spaces, including upside down white umbrellas and lighting fixtures. This all provides a great backdrop to try out one of the local bars and restaurants in the CitiScape area, and if you need some pain reliever to fight off a headache or beer to keep the party going elsewhere, a well-stocked CVS is right in the area. During the summer months, once per month the city blocks off Central avenue and projects a movie for everyone to watch. This has turned into a great community center and source for local businesses to tie into the larger entertainment venues. There are some lesser known historical features of this center as well, including a wall with names of people that were pivotal in the growth of Phoenix and the surrounding area (see the bridge crossover on the West side of Central for the names). There are plenty of parking options in local underground and above parking facilities, including two directly...

IMPORTANT- there is an underground parking structure, if you finish your business within 1 hour of getting your parking recpeit you can ask the close businesses to stamp your parking ticket therefore voiding your parking fee. Anything longer and you'll pay based on how long you parked for. Don't try to fool the system though as each ticket is time stamped and you need the stamp on your ticket to void the fee. Cityscape does have the right to decrease or increase the time limit, so make sure to ask about the time limit before you go about your business. Cityscape is a great place to sit down and eat to pass the time. This plaza has a good mix of food and many activities are within walking distance. The atmosphere here really is something, you get a real feel of city life just chilling and listening to the ambient sounds. You can honestly spend your whole day here doing homework or working on files/papers. Dates aren't bad here either since there is a comedy club, bars, and a bowling alley. Morning food has the breakfast club across the street, and Starbucks. Lunch has Five Guys, pizza studio, and many fast food places within walking distance. No matter the time of day, there is something to do....