3. There Was an Ice Rink in the New Yorker Hotel

Retractable ice rink in the Terrace Room of the New Yorker Hotel. Photo via Joe Kinney at the New Yorker Hotel Archives

Under the bandstand of the Terrace Room of the New Yorker Hotel was once a retractable indoor ice skating rink that could move in and out as needed. The ice rink was constructed out of connecting swaths twenty feet long and four feet wide, refrigerated to keep cool. The Ice Follies of the New Yorker Hotel performed to the live music of Benny Goodman daily while guests ate and imbibed at lunch, dinner and supper.