The Reflecting Pool Isn’t a Skating Rink - Washington, DC
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 38° 53.348 W 077° 02.571
18S E 322822 N 4306457
"People walked and skated on the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall in Washington on Sunday. Officials there have discouraged the temptation." ~ AP
Waymark Code: WM10K1R
Location: District of Columbia, United States
Date Posted: 05/19/2019
Views: 10
County of site: District of Columbia
Location of site: East Potomac Park, bounded by: Constitution Ave. (US50), Independence Ave., Lincoln Memorial Circle & 17th St. NW, Washington
Built: 1919-22
"Welcome to the season of unauthorized public ice.
"With extreme cold blanketing parts of the East Coast this winter, the slick allure of ice has been too tempting to pass up for some. There have been plenty of opportunities for sliding, slipping and skating — even in places where it is risky and not allowed — from Boston to New York to the nation’s capital.
"In the past week, parks authorities in Washington reminded visitors that where there is ice, there is usually water, after a number of people trying to skate or walk across the surface of the Reflecting Pool on the National Mall broke through the ice.
"No one was injured. But with temperatures dipping to the single digits on some days and winds bestowing a chill that makes the air feel below zero even if you’re not wet, anyone who gets dipped into the water, even if just knee-deep, risks hypothermia, the National Mall and Memorial Parks said in a Facebook post over the weekend.
'“Ice skating can lead to a cold and dangerous swim,” the post added.
"The Reflecting Pool, more than a third of a mile long and over two feet deep in some parts, is a centerpiece of the capital’s National Mall, hosting millions of visitors a year. In the summer, parks authorities have warned people not to swim or wade in it. In the winter, the pool turns into an impromptu winter playground." ~ The New York Times, By Christine Hauser and Emily Baumgaertner, Jan. 8, 2018