For years, I have been obsessed with anything to do with ice. Stories involving frozen tundras, ice skating, ice Pokemon – you name it. If it involves frozen water, I’m all there. That’s why I created Ice Park, a website where other ice fanatics can get together to appreciate everything to do with ice. When I think of my happy place, it’s Central Park in New York, completely covered in ice. Hence, Ice Park.
I will be constantly updating this site with all my favourite ice things, whether they are from popular culture, real life or somewhere else entirely.
My Favourite Ice Things of the Month
Crash Bandicoot’s Ice Levels
Recently, I decided to go back and enjoy some classic 90s nostalgia with the Crash Bandicoot games. These games have some incredible ice-themed levels, which unfortunately have a bad reputation due to the (apparently) frustrating ice physics. But how could you not love these levels, especially with such incredible snow and ice puns for names? Snow Biz, Bear Down and Cold Hard Crash are just a few of my favourites.
There is such an incredible range of ice levels in this series. I’m starting to think that the developers love ice as much as I do! Whether you’re racing through tundras in Crash Bandicoot racing games, sliding down a mountain while using Neo Cortex as a snowboard or platforming across icy rivers, this series has it all.
Europa
It probably isn’t too hard to tell that I love video games, and my Europa obsession actually comes from a classic game as well. Europa (one of Jupiter’s many moons) is one of several celestial bodies featured in the 1998 video game, Battlezone. Ever since I started driving my space tank around this frozen moon, I fell in love with it. With glaciers as far as the eye can see, it was one of the most beautiful things I have ever witnessed, even if it was just a game developer’s interpretation of the frozen moon.
A few fun facts about Europa:
- Europa is also known as Jupiter II
- Despite being the smallest of the four Galilean Moons, it is the sixth-largest moon in the solar system
- Galileo Galilei discovered Europa in 1610
- Scientists have hypothesised that there is an ocean covering the moon, right beneath the icy crust, which could contain life
The Episode of Seinfeld Where George Eats Ice Cream
I have been rewatching Seinfeld lately, and just yesterday watched one of my favourite episodes. “The Lip Reader” is the 70th episode of the show, featuring a storyline where George’s girlfriend breaks up with him because she saw him thoroughly (and messily) enjoying an ice cream sundae at a tennis match. Personally, I could never break up with somebody who loves something ice-based that much.
The episode also has some fun subplots, especially with Kramer becoming a ball boy for the tennis tournament. The episode interconnects the plotlines of Jerry and Elaine so well, culminating in one of the best punchlines of the series. Really, though, my love for this episode comes purely from the ice cream representation.