My favorite place to be in the world is any skating rink, but especially this one. The paradise of the Yale Whale: peaceful, sunny, quiet, warm, with ice like glass. The soaring architecture and old wooden seats remind me of the West Orange, New Jersey rink I grew up in. Here is the only place I can fly on my own volition. Feeling blades carve into ice sooths, balances, and thrills me no matter what kind of day I'm having.