'Skate every day of the week' — A guide to NYC’s roller-skating renaissance

Roller-skating has a storied, almost century-long history in New York City — from children in the 1930s skating in Central Park to the disco era of the 1970s and 80’s, when it became a keystone of African-American culture and rinks spread out across the city.

But in the early aughts, beloved rinks shut down one after the next: Skate Key in the Bronx, then The Roxy in Chelsea, followed by the self-proclaimed birthplace of roller disco itself, Empire Roller Skating Center in Crown Heights, which closed its doors for good in 2007. Today there’s still just one dedicated, year-round indoor roller rink on Staten Island.

But the pandemic seems to have brought a reversal to that years-long trend, at least in the warmer months. There are more than a dozen places to skate on any given day of the week, from Rockefeller Center to Rosedale, Queens, making it easier for a new generation of skaters to fall in love with the sport. WNYC's Gwynne Hogan has more. You can read the full story on Gothamist.com