At Wollman, Skaters Enjoy Warm Winter Weather
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RELATED: Photos from the Central Park Conservancy Skating Party
Bundling up, sipping hot chocolate, and wearing fur coats and hats were rituals missing last night from the Central Park Conservancy’s annual skating party. Instead, hundreds of supporters of the conservancy got a welcome treat: warm weather that made it easy to enjoy the sights and sounds of one of the park’s treasures, Wollman Rink.
“This is our favorite party of the year,” Lydia Pucci said as she laced up her granddaughter Natalie Cumming’s skates. Ms. Pucci receives an invitation because she is a Conservator of the park, a giving level requiring a minimum annual donation of $1,000.
The warmer temperatures this year gave attendees a chance to show off their skating attire: There were sparkling skating dresses and skirts, as well as T-shirts and jeans. Ms. Pucci’s granddaughter, Natalie, 11, wore what she described as “comfortable but chic” attire: an Old Navy jacket and Abercrombie & Fitch corduroys, with a houndstooth scarf from Santa.
Juliana, Josie, and Jackie Ruggieri wore matching shirts with the word “love” printed on them, at the suggestion of their mother. “We thought it would look really cute,” Josie, 9, said.
Mary Ben Lee Apatoff, 6, was dressed for cold weather in a sweater and pants purchased in Salzburg, Austria, which she has worn skiing and sledding there. She also wore a matching headband from Cozy’s Cuts for Kids.
Among those greeting friends of the park were the president of the Women’s Committee of the Central Park Conservancy, Betsy Messerschmitt, and the co-chairwomen of the Women’s Committee group Playground Partners, Carol Herring and Jennifer Saul Yaffa.
“I help the park raise money for playgrounds because the park is why families choose to live here,” Ms. Herring said.
In terms of places to live, the party’s sponsor, Related Companies, offered two suggestions by handing out coloring books with stories revolving around two of their buildings: the Harrison, on the Upper West Side, and the Brompton, on the Upper East Side.
agordon@nysun.com
