Skating outdoors has a rugged appeal, and keeping pace with the open skating crew at local hockey rinks will keep your reflexes sharp. But sometimes you need to be pampered, and this renovated downtown train depot fits the bill. The Depot's specifically designed for figure skating. This means the rink floor is constructed of soft rubber tile instead of the bare concrete of most rinks--no skate guards necessary. The floor outside the rink is at the same level as the ice surface itself; this seems a minor detail, but if you still need a phone book to reach the dinner table, not stepping over a 4-inch door threshold onto the ice is a big deal indeed. Skate on Friday or Saturday nights if you want to share the ice with cocky teens, wannabe champions practicing their lutzes, and proud dads ushering their little defensemen around the ice for the first time. For tranquillity, try an early weekend morning. The ice is glass-smooth, the skritch-skritch of blades is still audible above the PA's roller-disco play list, and the sunlight pours in a bright, white stream through the wall of windows facing Washington Avenue.