Comments (0) Best Old-School Roller Rink (1950) - 2010
Moonlight Rollerway
5110 San Fernando Road
Glendale, CA 91204
818-241-3630
Modern skate culture belongs to the Rollerbladers and skateboarders of the world. For those of us old enough to remember Xanadu and the pleasures of the vintage roller rink, however, quad-skating will always hold a romantic, even Proustian appeal. Today the roller rink is nearly an extinct species. But luckily for local nostalgists, there’s the beautifully preserved Moonlight Rollerway in Glendale. The Moonlight opened in 1950 and, 60 years on, is showing its age in only the most flattering ways. Its original hardwood maple floor, still without a single nail in it, glistens invitingly. A vintage Hammond organ provides the soundtrack. There’s even a snack bar from which to indulge in a corn dog or popsicle. Aside from a few contemporary arcade games, there’s not a detail that would have been out of place in 1980. And if it’s been a while since you laced up the quad-skates, don’t fret: The Moonlight offers easy, one-hour classes to help get your roller-disco groove back. Olivia Newton-John would no doubt approve. 5110 San Fernando Road, Glendale, (818) 241-3630, moonlightrollerway.com. —Dexter Fishmore
