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Lower Plaza Review

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Lower Plaza

Address: Between 5th and 6th Aves. and W. 49th and W. 50th Sts., Midtown West, New York, NY, 10020 | Map It
Phone: 212/332-7654 for the rink

Category: Squares
Location: Midtown

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Fodor's Review:

At the complex's center is the sunken Lower Plaza, site of the world's most famous ice-skating rink October through April (it's a café in summer). Skaters swoop or stumble across the ice while crowds gather above on the Esplanade to watch the spins and spills. Hovering above, the gold-leaf statue of the fire-stealing Greek hero Prometheus —Rockefeller Center's most famous sculpture—forms the backdrop to zillions of photos. Carved into the wall behind it, a quotation from Aeschylus reads prometheus, teacher in every art, brought the fire that hath proved to mortals a means to mighty ends. The Lower Plaza provides access to the marble-lined corridors underneath Rockefeller Center, which house restaurants (everything from the high-end Sea Grill to pizza parlors), a post office, and clean public restrooms—a rarity in Midtown.