Guptill Arena-Secrets

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  I wish I could give it 0 stars.  Not that the management or ownership there cares at all.  They are the most wacked out, crazy people I have ever come across in my life.  Tonight, my daughter and her friend were there.  They did not lock up their coats and they were stolen.   Ok, so this is their fault and I get that.  We had a nice little talk about responsibility and all that.  HOWEVER, I tried to call Guptils to see if they had cameras or could do anything.   When I called I said to the women that answered the phone "can I speak to the person in charge"    She asked me "in charge of what?"   I wanted to laugh, but instead I said, "in charge of the skating, ya know, the manager?"  She told me no and hung up on me.   So, I tried calling back, she would pick up the phone and then hang up.  So, I went down there.  I asked the guy at the door and he was very vague and told me he didn't know who was in charge.  He then pointed to an old man and said to go speak to him.  So, I did.  I explained what happened and he kept saying there was nothing he could do about the coats.  I had to tell him about 30 times that I was not complaining about the coats, but rather the person who answered the phone.  I told him she sounded high (which she truly does.  Seriously, call there and listen for yourself)   His response was "watch it, that's my wife"  He had no clue at all how to deal with a customer.   I asked him if he is the owner and his response was "perhaps I am, perhaps I am not"   wth????  These people run a business?? A business that caters to children???  It was seriously comical, I wish it had been video taped because it was hilarious!!!  Regardless, Guptils has one less customer and if they keeping acting in their strange ways someday they will have none.

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  Posted on 01.06.12 Keri B.

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  I had not been to Guptill's since 1993-ish.  It hasn't really changed and they are now celebrating their 60th Birthday (Congratulations Guptill Family).  As a result of it being its birthday, they gave EVERYONE a coupon to come back and skate next Saturday for FREE!!!!
  
  Admission is $7, skate rental was $3, my hog dog was $3, and bottle of water was $2.  It is estimated that a person of my stature burns about 800 calories over the course of 2 hours of roller skating and I did about 3 hours of skating, so I don't feel guilty about that hot dog.  So for $15 I had a great afternoon, snack, and workout!  Lockers are 25cents each.  
  
  I had forgotten how much fun roller skating was.  It was a little scary because there were kids every where and they kept falling and then I kept almost falling trying to avoid the human speed bumps on the floor. You'll be happy to know that they still have the neon sign indicating "all skate", "couples moonlight", "trio", etc.  You'll be sad to know that they are no longer spinning Madonna and Bon Jovi 45s.  They have some new lighting and the skater police still patrol the rink but don't seem to enforce the rules as strictly as they did when I was a kid.  You'll be happy to know that I did not fall.  Not once.  I had some close calls.  
  
  Thank goodness i workout strenuously 4 times a week.  I anticipate that despite my efforts that i will be icing my knees and bemoaning sore gluteus maximum, medius, and minimus muscles for the next weeks.  
  
  I've decided that after begging for a Guptill's Birthday party for most of my childhood and being denied, I am going to have my next birthday party at Guptill's....I don't care if its for kids.

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  Posted on 02.26.11 Colleen M.

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  Guptils holds the Guiness record for the biggest indoor skating rink in the world and its right here in sweet ass Latham.  
  
  Things kids are good at scare me because they never get hurt when they fall. When  I found our that my friend Friday was having a birthday party at Guptils and there was going to be roller skating involved I was pretty sure I'd break my wrist because I'm not a kid and didn't learn then.
  
  I strapped on my rental skates and after a scary 20 minute learning curve I was totally rocking out. Once you find your balance rollerskating  is graceful, even beautiful and really fun to do. You can talk with your friends or slow dance or even groove out as there is inherent rhythm in the movement.
  
  The scene is wholesome fun. No swearing, or drinking..... And that's where I take a star. I totally understand why drinking and rollerskating is dangerous, but a worked up a thirst and a beer on skates would have been great.      
  
  It was $10 on a Saturday night for skates and entrance. That seemed perfectly  reasonable to me. $3 for a soda was a little steep but locker rentals are just a quarter.
  
  Overall we had a great time and it was fun to do something different for the night.

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  Posted on 01.16.11 Nick P.

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  This was simply the place where, detached from any sort of reality, I thought I could make a pass on whoever I had a crush on in elementary school on frickin' skates at an indoor rink.
  
  It's worse than lame. It's lame FAIL.
  
  Oh, and Secrets is the club that is actually for teenagers where you can buy a girl a soda. Even more lame fail.
  
  The food is actually ok for the kids, they'll eat it up right quick. There's also an ice cream stand that serves up nice cones (that was a good line in 5th grade) and when you just felt like you weren't cool enough to skate, you go and play the arcade or skip over to get some ice cream and hang out with the real cool kids.
  
  The rink itself is huge and polished so that yes it's harder to get any traction but in the end that is safer due to probably easier falls and smoother skating. They have special programs, lights, and songs that amp up the fun to even more embarrassing heights once you're aware that the whole thing is pretty schlocky (oh ABBA).
  
  It's a more novel way to waste a couple hours and good exercise certainly.
  
  Ian is correct, they hold other events as a supplement, so be sure to check out their schedule if you are an adult and do not have kids. Because if you're just there and meet that description, that's another lame fail.

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  Posted on 12.28.08 Victor L.

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  When I was in sixth grade this was totally the place to go. If you had your birthday party here, you were pretty cool.
  
  I don't think I have gone skating since then - until yesterday, that is. I wanted something fun to do with my 13-year-old sister and was looking for something I hadn't done in a long time. Guptills fit the bill.
  
  We had a blast skating and somehow I managed to stay off my ass, which was pretty damned amazing. Open skating is from 12 to 4 p.m. on Saturdays, and admission is $6. Skate rentals are $2.50. It's not dirt cheap, but it's pretty affordable. I'm looking forward to going again.
  
  Oh and there's also a small arcade, a snack shop selling nachos, pizza and soda, and a pre-teen dance "club" called Secrets. Back when I was 11, Secrets was pretty cool - I mean, where else could a 6th grader scope out the "hot" 7th graders?

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  Posted on 10.26.08 Jess P.

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  Back in the day, I used to come here a lot to do some roller skating and rollerblading for recreational exercise outside of playing hockey. It was a lot of fun going round and round to some 80s and retro music. The very large arena floor is spread out, so there's plenty of room to skate around in a general counter clockwise direction. The place is very dark with moving lights, so keep an eye out for objects and other skaters. Skate rentals are available at the skate shop. Today, Guptill's Arena is still a good place for roller skating, for the exercise, good times, and dates too.
  
  To the right of the roller skating arena floor, is the snack bar area and beyond that Secrets Night Club, a predominantly 18 and under dance club. Secrets is a popular weekend hangout for area high school and middle school kids. A lot of parents drop the kids off and "boogie" out of there and come back around 11:00 PM to pick up their kids.
  
  Gosh, I spent much of my "rebel years" at Secrets clubbing with my friends in unison to the loud Top 40 club music on the dance floor with the lights, action, and water cannons. It was definitely the place to be and it's "jammed to capacity." The bar here served non-alcoholic beverages. When there's a Beach Party or Spring Break Party here, there's no-no-no-no-no dress code!!!! (as heard from the local radio ads on FLY 92.3).
  
  On the outside of Guptill's Arena in the same building is Guptill's Coney Express, which serves great ice cream treats during the warmer months.
  
  Classic car shows are held out in the large Guptill's Arena parking lot by the Capital District Cruisers June through September (usually on the 2nd Monday of each month).
  
  LOCATION: 2.5 miles north of the Latham Circle on US Route 9

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  Posted on 08.01.07 Ian W.

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