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pegkerrOn Friday night, I went to see the St. Paul Winter Carnival Ice Palace. The paper said that parking was available for $5.00. Hah. I paid $10.00, which just about cleaned me out of all my cash at hand. I had brought chemical hand warmers along for each of my gloves and felt smug for my foresight, but by the end of the evening I wish I had six others, for jeans pockets fore and aft and for my boots. I had my ticket already, thank heavens, because the line to buy them was horrendous.
First, I walked by the palace, and headed to the park in front of the Landmark Center where the ice sculpture competition was going on. Some were spectacular, but not all of them were completed, and not all of them were lit. I went into the Landmark Center where, to my delight, I found models of all the previous castles. I started taking pictures, but eventually stopped, because I didn't think they would come out very well, since the models were white-on-white. I bought a $35.00 ice palace jacket, very fetching.
Then I walked back to the Ice Palace and entered.
Here's the special section that was in the St. Paul paper which tells you all about it. You can see a map of the layout there. The central three towers face the XCEL center, where the NHL Hockey finals are about to take place (fortuitous timing, which both organizations are taking advantage of). There are arches beside the three central towers which lead to an area in the back, which has a stage for musicians. In the front area, there is another stage, directly under the central tower, a skating rink, a merchandizing tent, and a tent by Proex, a company that sell cameras and film. In front of the three central towers, there is a fountain of fire and water (the water is actually antifreeze), very impressive. (That's the thing that looks like a square at the bottom of the icon.) It is surrounded by ice sculptures. Circling the three towers in front is the "ring of thrones" (that semi-circle that looks like a necklace in front), where people can sit to have their pictures taken. Two huge video screens are set into the ice at either side, running video during the light show, videotaped speeches from dignitaries, and (alas) commercials. It's quite spectacular when it's all lit up, and during the light/sound show which they run every half hour (which ends, unfortunately, with the yodelling CanCan. I am not making that up). The blazingly bright colored lights are ever-shifting, and the effect of the colors through all that ice is marvelous. I read that they have over a million color variations, and they add strobe effects, etc., during the light show.
I found the fish block. It is installed right at the base of the fire fountain, directly in front of the central tower. You can see it quite clearly as a silohuette in the clear block, because it is backlit by the lights set in the fountain. I had a very curious feeling, looking at it there, seeming to float, suspended in the block, still and mysterious as people partied around it. What would that fish have had to say about all this? I asked more questions, and was told it was a walleye, but no one seems to know how/why the custom started. There is another block near the VIP entrance which also has a much smaller fish frozen into it (a perch, I heard), but in that case, the fish was not placed into the block and frozen there by the workers, but was actually frozen into the ice naturally when they hoisted it out of the lake.
I went into the merchandise tent and sweet-talked them into giving me a $2.00 cup of hot cocoa even though I only had $1.48 left. I watched the light show. I took pictures. I sat down on one of thrones, and got up again pretty quickly. Wet and cold! The temperature, I think was about 5 or 10 degrees F. But I am very glad that I went. I will be going back tonight, with Rob and the girls. I plan to buy one of the panoramic photos of the palace to hang in my office, along with a set of the picture postcards.
First, I walked by the palace, and headed to the park in front of the Landmark Center where the ice sculpture competition was going on. Some were spectacular, but not all of them were completed, and not all of them were lit. I went into the Landmark Center where, to my delight, I found models of all the previous castles. I started taking pictures, but eventually stopped, because I didn't think they would come out very well, since the models were white-on-white. I bought a $35.00 ice palace jacket, very fetching.
Then I walked back to the Ice Palace and entered.
Here's the special section that was in the St. Paul paper which tells you all about it. You can see a map of the layout there. The central three towers face the XCEL center, where the NHL Hockey finals are about to take place (fortuitous timing, which both organizations are taking advantage of). There are arches beside the three central towers which lead to an area in the back, which has a stage for musicians. In the front area, there is another stage, directly under the central tower, a skating rink, a merchandizing tent, and a tent by Proex, a company that sell cameras and film. In front of the three central towers, there is a fountain of fire and water (the water is actually antifreeze), very impressive. (That's the thing that looks like a square at the bottom of the icon.) It is surrounded by ice sculptures. Circling the three towers in front is the "ring of thrones" (that semi-circle that looks like a necklace in front), where people can sit to have their pictures taken. Two huge video screens are set into the ice at either side, running video during the light show, videotaped speeches from dignitaries, and (alas) commercials. It's quite spectacular when it's all lit up, and during the light/sound show which they run every half hour (which ends, unfortunately, with the yodelling CanCan. I am not making that up). The blazingly bright colored lights are ever-shifting, and the effect of the colors through all that ice is marvelous. I read that they have over a million color variations, and they add strobe effects, etc., during the light show.
I found the fish block. It is installed right at the base of the fire fountain, directly in front of the central tower. You can see it quite clearly as a silohuette in the clear block, because it is backlit by the lights set in the fountain. I had a very curious feeling, looking at it there, seeming to float, suspended in the block, still and mysterious as people partied around it. What would that fish have had to say about all this? I asked more questions, and was told it was a walleye, but no one seems to know how/why the custom started. There is another block near the VIP entrance which also has a much smaller fish frozen into it (a perch, I heard), but in that case, the fish was not placed into the block and frozen there by the workers, but was actually frozen into the ice naturally when they hoisted it out of the lake.
I went into the merchandise tent and sweet-talked them into giving me a $2.00 cup of hot cocoa even though I only had $1.48 left. I watched the light show. I took pictures. I sat down on one of thrones, and got up again pretty quickly. Wet and cold! The temperature, I think was about 5 or 10 degrees F. But I am very glad that I went. I will be going back tonight, with Rob and the girls. I plan to buy one of the panoramic photos of the palace to hang in my office, along with a set of the picture postcards.
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(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-26 05:53 am (UTC)Interesting stuff. The fish is indeed fascinating.
B
(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-26 06:39 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2004-01-27 09:42 am (UTC)I met the royals during the Saintly Cat show on Sunday (more in my lj) and I've some odds and ends of Winter Carnival stuff from them - you're welcome to have it for your writing (I think I'd like the Borealas medal back, but that can wait.)
I wrote you at work, but no response, ...
It is gorgeous!