Danny Lebron – Hydrant Ollie at Lenox Ledges – Photo by Zach Malfa-Kowalski

Tuesday’s session was a bit more aligned with the routine mentioned in the previous, accompanying post, granted that it involved the common NY trip stop at the Chinatown Double Set, and the authentic experience of getting kicked out of every other spot within the Financial District in a matter of minutes. At least the security guard at World Trade openly admitted to how much he hates his job due to the monotony of kicking out skateboarders day in and day out.

The reason a lot of New York skate trips fall short is because tour guides seem reluctant to take their visitors on fifty block goosechases up and down hills in ninety-five degree heat, which is what the majority of Wednesday was spent doing. From Lenox and 110th, to 122nd, to 135th and 5th, to 137th and Broadway, all the way back down to the lower hundreds on the westside. The running joke towards the end of the day was a plan to basically start skating south on Broadway from 105th with the intention of making it all the way back downtown, without utilizing the assistance of the Taxi Commission or the MTA, and see what cross street these guys could make it to. The most common bet was 86th Street, but the whole plan wound up falling through. (Probably in fear of someone dying from dehydration or a heat stroke.)

One of my favorite quotes about skateboarding (and related to New York, in a way, if you know how to properly contextualize it) is by Jerry Mraz, when he said, “Europe is cheating” in an interview. As someone who has never skated Barcelona, Milan, or any of those fancy ledges in Europe, and grew up skating Hoboken Ledges (which had manageable, but not the most flawless of ground), it really makes me wonder what to expect of any of those household name ledge spots in Europe, Australia, or say, Shanghai (AKA the “new” Barcelona), especially when someone who’s skated all of them claims that Lenox Ledges has bad ground. Shane O’Neil’s overall verdict on Amsterdam Rail was not favorable, and most people, probably even Chaz Ortiz and Rodney Torres, the two crown holders of the spot, would not disagree with that observation, but Lenox Ledges? Kids in nearby cities (Pittsburgh, Baltimore, etc.) that I have met have an odd conception of New York as some sort of ledge mecca, but given that Lenox is our best spot for such obstacles, it shouldn’t be too hard to figure out how far from the truth that notion is. Boston might be the safest bet as far as ledges go.

Anyway, below is a brief clip of the day from skating around Uptown, not really including any of the Quartersnacks Uptown trademarks that Ben Nazario and Watermelon Alex have made famous around here, because it takes a special brand of insanity to skate a pile of rocks streaming down Amsterdam Avenue (more on that later.) The day was spent at the more recognizable spots, including a pointless trip up to City College to remind everyone that isn’t the 2003 version of Jerme Rogers, that it is the sketchiest foot-and-a-half high hubba ledge known to man.

(Alternate YouTube Link)