Spots: Downtown Manhattan — Tribeca & West Village

Update – July 23, 2010: The building put a fence in front of the gap. However, there is an opening in the gate to be used by trucks when they are loading things onto the plaza. There is no lock on the gate and anyone can open it. You can still skate the gap by simply opening the gate, and it is still wide enough (at approximately five feet) to be comfortable in terms of spacing.

Spot: Most recognizable from Harold Hunter’s bald-headed ollie-to-fall after hitting a sewer cap at the end of his Mixtape part, the NYU gap is one of the better-looking gap spots in Downtown Manhattan. It is off a four-foot-high platform, over about eight feet of sidewalk, into a smoothly-paved street. The ground up top is a bit choppy, but manageable. There is also infinite runway, so gathering up speed should not be much of a hassle. The landing area is conveniently in a hydrant zone, so you never have to worry about cars being parked there. Just make sure you have somebody watching for cars when you’re flying out into the middle of Third Street

Bust — ♦♦ / Occasional: You can get kicked out, but normally, it won’t happen because the gap is on the side of the building, and completely away from security’s view.

Location: Third Street, in between Mercer Street and LaGuardia Place. Take the R or W to 8th Street–NYU. Skate south on Broadway for five blocks until you hit Third Street. Make a right on Third Street and skate several blocks west. The spot is on the northern side of the street, just after Mercer Street.

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