Updated at 11:55 p.m. Dec. 13, 2016
Hundreds of visitors to the Hotel del Coronado had a magical time Monday — and not just from skating on the seasonal ice rink overlooking the beach.
A little after dusk, they witnessed a rare moonrise over the hotel’s main Victoria red turret. (The full moon was Tuesday night.)
“Skating by the Sea” continues daily through Jan. 2, said Omar Lopez, one of several rink guards. (Think lifeguards for skaters.) The price is $25. The experience is priceless.
Lopez, 24, is an Eastlake resident who learned how to figure skate as a kid at the University Towne Centre rink.
His job is to maintain the ice (including filling in holes) and making sure everyone is safe and having a good time. About seven to 10 employees of Ice Rink Events run the show daily. (The rink occupies what’s usually the Windsor Lawn.)
The contractor installs rinks of all sizes around the country and even boasts of a 34,500-square foot outdoor rink in Mexico City’s main public square — accommodating as many as 12,000 skaters a day.
Lopez, who otherwise works in special events for a TV station, has been doing the Hotel Del gig for three years — in six-hour shifts broken up by coffee or hot cocoa breaks every two hours, he says as Christmas music plays over speakers.
“Most of the people, they’re really nice,” he says. “So it’s not difficult.” (Although he admits to encountering drunken skaters.)
The best part of working the rink in its 12th season?
“I can skate for free all day,” he said.
