Farewell Citi Pond

The dismantling of Citi Pond, 'load out' as we call it in events-speak, is underway in the park. When the season's last skaters reluctantly left the rink at 10pm on Sunday evening, the Pond crew turned on the boilers and the ice began to melt.

It's a bittersweet time in the park. Over the next eight days, the symbols of our winter season will disappear, but it means we are that much closer to a beautiful spring in the park. It's no easy feat to remove an entire winter playground in little more than a week, but the Pond crews work tirelessly, day and night, to stay on schedule so the park's lawn work can begin.

From our perch on Sixth Avenue, we have a perfect view of the load out progress:

Day 1: February 28, 2011

Day 2: March 1, 2011

Of course, our lawn is always at the mercy of the weather, but with a meticulously planned schedule that includes Pond load out, soil prep, and sod installation, we aim to have the lawn open to the public on or around May 1.