Some coincidences are just too strong to ignore. Like when a pair of hotels debuts a pair of ice-skating rinks. At the exact same time. Thus, we were compelled to investigate Skating in the Sky at the W Downtown and The Standard Ice Skating Rink. By no means should you consider this a competition. Though someone will skate away with a humongous trophy.

Sizing Each Other Up
The W: 400 square feet.
The Standard: 3,000 square feet.
Edge: The Standard. But the 12-by-40-foot rink at the W is still enough space for your Black Swan interpretive Ice Capades show.

Peak Elevation
The W: Five floors up.
The Standard: Ground level.
Edge: The W. The Russian judge/cocktail waitress will appreciate the extra degree of difficulty.

Type of Ice
The W: A futuristic hybrid-ice synthetic rink panel polymer.
The Standard: Frozen water.
Edge: The Standard. There may or may not be a Zamboni. And we may or may not know where the keys are hidden.

The Scene
The W: Panoramic views. Titans of the financial world working on their short program.
The Standard: Waitresses in tight black snowsuits. Models/skaters in tighter black jeans.
Edge: The Standard. Imagine the rink at Rockefeller Center, but with fewer families from Tulsa, and more visiting European dignitaries.

Après-Skating Accommodations
The W: Skate-up, rinkside Ice Bar constructed entirely out of freezing-cold blocks of fake ice.
The Standard: Biergarten with Winter Oyster Bar. Cheese fondue.
Edge: The W. It’s hard not to appreciate a winterized version of the swim-up pool bar.

Drinks Other Than Spiked Hot Chocolate
The W: Kumquat Mules. Bourbon Hot Toddies.
The Standard: Hard pear cider. Bitburger Pils. Schnapps.
Edge: The Standard. Martini glasses and slippery synthetic rink panel polymer make terrible bedfellows.