It is officially October and, for some, this means frolicking through pumpkin patches, romantic apple-picking dates and getting prepared for Halloween. For winter enthusiasts, however, this means the potential (and hopeful) start of Boston’s newest and most anticipated project of the year.
According to "The Boston Globe” and “Boston Patch,” the city signed a contract with a subsidiary of TD Garden’s owner to construct a new 11,000-square-foot ice skating path and food market on the desolate plaza of red bricks surrounding City Hall. Normally, the space is used for large events that happen every once in awhile, usually during spring and summer, but in the winter, the space usually goes to waste for long periods of time.
In his “Boston Globe” article, “For City Hall Plaza, a Less Ambitious Plan,” journalist Dan Adams reported on September 7, 2016, that the plan for Boston’s new winter wonderland was officially official. The city plans to open the park to the public on the Friday after Thanksgiving this year, and keep it open until February. Adams reports that the first phase of the plan includes, “a beer garden, an ice-skating path, and 40 to 50 holiday market vendor stalls — temporary shacks dubbed ‘chalets’ — to be installed on the plaza along Cambridge Street, beginning in late October.”
While another “Boston Globe” journalist, Andrew Ryan, brought up concern about taking business away from Boston Common’s famous “Frog Pond” ice skating rink in his article, “Boston’s Rockefeller Center?” he explains that these two different attractions will be set in two completely different areas, attracting completely different people. While the Frog Pond has stolen the hearts of lots of young, local children, the new ice skating rink seems like it would be a more fitting atmosphere for adults and students. As “Boston Patch” journalist Alison Bauter explains in her article, “City Hall Outdoor Market, Ice Skating Rink Set to Open This Winter,” “At the free outdoor holiday shopping market, visitors can experience seasonal delicacies and interactive attractions in a celebratory winter atmosphere... with a mix of local and international vendors and food and beverage offerings housed in individual chalets."
Renovating City Hall into a winter wonderland may just be one of Boston’s best ideas in recent years and is bound to impress people of all ages.
