Skating Here Today (Saturday, 2/1/14), Gone Tomorrow

If you want to skate on Carnegie Lake or the pond at Community Park North, you better race on down there. Warming weather will bring the red flag out at dusk today.

From an email sent out by Princeton Public Schools:
 Princeton Recreation Department, Ice Skating Update: February 2, 2014
As of dusk today (2/1/14), all locations will be closed for skating until further notice due to rising temperatures.

Red flag = NOT SAFE
White flag = SAFE

For the most up to date information on ice skating, please call 609-688-2054 or follow the Princeton Recreation Department on Faceboook and/or Twitter.

Skating On Carnegie Lake

The ice is now thick enough to skate on, for the first time since 2009, according to a news item on the Princeton University website. It doesn't say if any of the ice has been cleared of snow. Today's (Tuesday's) town recreation dept. message at 609-688-2054 also includes Community Park North's pond (in Pettoranello Gardens) as safe. The pond at Smoyer Park, however, is not safe.

It's always good to check for the white flag, to make sure conditions haven't changed, and call the number above for daily updates.

More on this ice not-breaking story later in the day. Skating is only allowed during daylight hours.

Still No Skating on Carnegie Lake!

Major disappointment here. With temperatures likely to begin rising tomorrow, this seemed like the day that skating on Lake Carnegie and the town's two smaller ponds just might get the green light, which for ice comes in the form of a white flag. But no. The red flag hangeth still, and the recording at the town's skating conditions hotline, 688-2054, said conditions are still not safe today (Jan. 9).

Unlike the lake, the canal still has open water, because it has a stronger current.

But the lake doth beckon, with its vast expanse of smooth ice, made possible by a couple extended cold snaps, a heavy snow that then improbably melted during a one day heat wave, then froze smooth in recent days. With the ice still unsafe, there isn't much to do next to the lake other than make like a beaver and gnaw on some wood, and check the hotline again tomorrow morning.

If not tomorrow, then 2014 could well turn out to be like 2013, but we'll always have 2007 and 2009.

The town webpage for iceskating info is at this link.

Public Swimming at JW Middleschool

One stealth service provided by the Princeton regional schools is public access to the swimming pool at JW Middleschool. I went a few times with my daughter a couple years ago. Plenty of open lanes, and though the water is kept cooler than the YMCA pool, one can get used to it. Cost is $40 for ten swims. Hours are 8-9pm, M, W, Th, when school is in session. More info here.

Note, Feb. 21: I went last week, and found lots of free lanes. The life guard says sometimes there are swim team practices, but at least four lanes are always available for public lap swimming. The water was comfortable. It's kept around 78-80 degrees, compared with 85 for a warmer pool. There's very little hint of chlorine, which may have to do with the cooler water and very active ventilation system. Access the pool from the Guyot St. side, next to the newer gym.