Another crisp winter eve and an opportunity to earn that rich cup of hot chocolate. Now normally, I am in the belief that the snow covered days in winter are better spent on a fat couch under a fuzzy blanket, but that will not earn me the cocoa. And so it is off to the charm and sport of the Fleet Skating Center in downtown Providence.

My friend and I arrived just after dusk and at the end of the previous skating session. We parked right on the street above the rink and walked down to the ice (although by the looks of it you could park at Union Station and walk under the street).

The zamboni was just finishing the smoothing of the ice. We got our tickets and then walked to the other side for our rental skates.

Now my ice skating experience is quite limited but I was pleased by the ice skates. The last time I remember renting ice skates, they were white and completely lacking in ankle support. Although still armed with only a thin blade under my foot, I found that the ice skates at Fleet Skating Center provided me with the ability to steady myself.

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Little children swirled by in their helmets and steadied themselves with milk crates on their ice flight. My friend and I took baby steps, slowly shifting weight from one foot to the other until we gained confidence and could tag along with the pace of the bright jacket, rosey cheeked kids.

Even though I had cringed at the sight of snow from under my fuzzy blanket, and maybe cursed it a couple of times in the twenty minutes it took me to find and defrost my car, I could not have asked for a better view.

Seven in the evening on a Saturday night in Providence, and there is no traffic, no honking of horns, no confusion.

The skating rink plays their music, couples hold hands, children race and people slide and sweep by on their skates. The ice is shining under the lights of the rink and the evening darkened surroundings glow under the soft decorative lights that adorn the trees and reflect the snow. It is as if all the warmth of the holidays are still being held.

The zamboni comes back to clean the ice periodically and makes for a good time to sip that well-earned cup of hot chocolate.

There is a snack shop and restrooms available. Prices begin at $5 for admission and $5 for skate rental ($3 admission for children under 12 and adults over 65). There are also specials for lunch and after work skating session ($3 admission, $3 rental, Monday-Friday noon-2pm and 4pm-6pm) and Wednesday night special for college students ($3 admission, $4 rental 6pm-10pm). The Fleet Skating Center is located at Two Kennedy Plaza across from the Biltmore and can be contacted at (401)331-5544 or www.Fleetskating.com.

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