From San Francisco to San Jose, Los Angeles to San Diego's Coronado, the big 4 cities population-wise offer fantastic winter escapes providing old-fashioned ice skating in tourist destinations, minus the snow! Here is a list of places you can stay at hotels and resorts within walking distance (usually across the street or on premise) and ice skate in an old-fashioned holiday experience.

• Brentwood - Holiday on Ice November 17 2012 - January 21, 2013
• Culver City -  Holiday Ice Rink November 21, 2012 - January 6, 2013
• Los Angeles - Pershing Square Downtown on Ice, November 15, 2012 - January 14, 2013 (laparks.org)
• Los Angeles - LA LIVE Ice November 24, 2012 - January 2, 2013
• Rancho Cordova - Ice Rink at Capital Village  No ice skating in 2012-2013 season. Bummer!
• San Diego - Skating by the Sea, Hotel del Coronado, Nov. 23, 2011 - Jan. 1, 2012 (hoteldel.com)
• San Jose - Downtown Ice, Nov. 16, 2012 - Jan 13, 2013 (sjdowntown.com)
• San Francisco - Union Square, Nov. 7, 2012 - Jan. 13, 2013 (unionsquareicerink.com)
• San Francisco - Embarcadero, November 7, 2012 - January 6, 2013 (embarcaderocenter.com)
• Santa Monica  ICE  November 2, 2012 - January 21, 2013
• Walnut Creek  Walnut Creek on Ice - November 12, 2012 - January 13, 2013 (iceskatewalnutcreek.com)
• Woodland Hills Real Ice Outdoor Winter Ice Rink November 2, 2012 - January 27, 2013