The great thing about New York City is that it offers its people and visitors a ton free and fun things to do.  I recently discovered that Bryant Park has a reading room where people can go and just relax and read a book or magazine for free!  What a lovely way to relax after work or during your lunch break.  What is even better than being able to escape the city in such a pretty place is the history of the Bryant Park reading room.  It dates back to 1935!

The original Reading Room began in August of 1935 as a public response to the Depression Era job losses in New York.  So many people had no place to go during the day so the New York Public Library opened the “Open Air Library” to give out-of-work businessmen and intellectuals a place to go to enjoy reading materials without money or a library card.  Patrons were simply asked to sign in and out.  Eventually the Reading Room was closed in 1944 due to an increase in jobs and World War II.

The Bryant Park Corporation has recreated history by recreating the Bryant Park Reading Room. It is modeled after the original with the additions of custom-designed carts for an extensive and eclectic selection of books, periodicals and newspapers, kid-sized carts and furniture for children to use. There are even reading programs and events at the reading room where authors come to read and talk about their books.  The one I am most excited about is on Wednesday, June 16th from12:30 pm - 1:45 pm when Kelly Cutrone, PR genius and star of Bravo T.V.’s Kell On Earth, will be speaking about her latest book!   

Just like the original reading room, the programming, publications, and environment are available to everyone for free, without any need of cards or identification.

 The Ice Theatre of New York will be hosting their annual Benefit Gala and Performance at the Chelsea Piers Sky Rink on Monday, October 26th.  The festivities will launch the company’s 2009-2010 anniversary season, as well as celebrate ITNY fortieth year of bringing the beauty of ice dancing to New York City.  In its forty years, ITNY has enjoyed success both big and small, including becoming the first ice dancing company to be funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.  The annual Benefit Gala and Performance at the Chelsea Piers Sky Rink, hosted by Olympic skating champion Rosalyn Sumners, will also honor choreographer Lar Lubovitch and Olympic Silver Medalist and ice dancer Paul Wylie who performed at the opening of the Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers.   Wylie will be in good company as past honorees of ITNY include Nancy Kerrigan, Vera Wang, Scott Hamilton, two-time World champion Aja Zanova Steindler, and two-time Olympic gold medalist Dick Button.  Lubovitch, is being applauded for his contributions to ice dancing choreography.  He is an Emmy, Tony, and Grammy award nominee as well as an accomplished choreographer.  Lubovitch’s work, Tilt-a-Whirl, is set to be featured at the Performance. 

Proceeds from the ticket sales will go to the Ice Theatre’s New Works and Young Artists, an outreach program for public school children in Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens, as well as Ice Theatre’s 2009-2010 performance season.   

                     Above: Performers from ITNY gracefully dance on ice.

I have always felt that ice skating/dancing is one of the most beautiful forms of art that has been given to us.  I have tried in vain to attempt to skate casually and I always end up slipping, sliding, and ultimately falling while eight year old future Olympians do toe loops and triple axles around me.  I have a great respect for the athletes who perform gracefully on the ice and make it look so effortless.  Congratulations ITNY for forty years of performance!  May your future be as solid as the ice you skate on.

For ticket and further information, please call Ice Theatre 212.929.5811, or visit http://www.icetheatre.org