In New York City, we have five boroughs and sadly at this time, only three indoor rinks survive: The Roxy in Manhattan; Skate Key in The Bronx and The Home of Roller Disco, "Empire Roller Rink," in Brooklyn.. Twenty-plus years ago, when Larry and I started at The Roxy (that's where we met), we had 25 rinks in the 5 boroughs of NYC (and that is not counting New Jersey, where I am from originally). Most of us would go to our usual haunts on the "regular days" and on other nights, we'd flip a coin and wait to see if it was: "Skate Key, Empire, Sweet Ruby's, Christophers', Paul MacGreggors, Waverly, Roxy, Metropolis, and so on ... Do you know how long that could take? Fortunately most of our rinks were open late, such as Roxy (usually a 2AM closing was "early; and on Saturdays, we had "Sunrise at The Roxy," starting at 8PM and closing with Champagne Breakfasts at 6AM. And then we would skate home!). Many said the best skaters in NYC hail from The Roxy.

"Back in the day," (let's say 1980), The Roxy was "The Studio 54 on Wheels" at the height of "Discomania." The Roxy was the East Coast Mecca for Roller Disco. It had a velvet rope, where discriminating bouncers would decide who would get in and who would not. Every night of the week, The Roxy "rocked and rolled", with one of the most expensive, state-of-the-art, stereo-audio systems installed in the country. Celebrities were welcomed: Ali McGraw, Ryan O'Neal, Farrah Fawcett, Matt Dillon, Chaka Khan, David Lee Roth & Eddie Van Halen, James Brown (the football player), Erik Estrada (from CHIPS) and Charlene Tilton (from "Dallas") all loved to skate. Pop Diva Cher was a frequent visitor, while her daughter Chastity attended NYU nearby, and would often skate at Roxy and Empire, (pictures in People Magazine even featured Cher skating with Bill Butler) but we had so many others, and too many to mention. I have those pictures somewhere in storage. When time permits, I'll set my sights on finding them and then put them up in the Photo Gallery for you to enjoy. By doing this, all members can not only enjoy them, but also have the opportunity to add to their personal albums by copying those in the gallery.

We also welcome our members to share your pictures in the Photo Gallery, by scanning them and sending us the photos by email attachments. Or you can send them to us (we will guard them with our life) and scan them, then FedEx them back to you, the very next day! And those of you who know us, know we keep our word!

The Roxy closed in 1986 for three years. There was no indoor skating venue for us in Manhattan! When it re-opened under new management, they reduced the original rink to a dance floor that was approximately half of its original size. The new club was a dance club named, "1018" for its address (10th Avenue @ 18th Street). But for a while there was no options in their schedule to enjoy skating.

At the same time, Donald J. Trump had already made a name for himself as a real estate devloper in Manhattan. From his offices on the 26th floor, he could see a decrepit, ice rink that laid in ruin and disrepair for four years. He called then-Mayor Edward I. Koch and said, "I bet I could do a far better job in repairing Wollman Memorial Rink and have it ready for operation in four months. The Mayor laughed. They all laughed. But he did it. A letter campaign ensued (now all my friends laughed!). "How about making the rink operable and even more profitable for the entire year-round for city kids, adults and tourists? After all, you own The Plaza Hotel, across the street!." Then I wrote: "There's no indoor rinks in Manhattan, now. The last rink closed recently (The Roxy). There's plenty of rental skates there. I have plenty of skaters and my skate club and the entire NYC skate community that will support you!" .... What happened? Well, actions speak louder than words. "Why not?" was the reply!