Favorite Spot With Cyrus Bennett on The Sombrero

July 27th, 2022 · 12:00 am · 3 Comments

“If you’re not doing shit and you strike out a couple of times, you can just go there and punish yourself.”

After a long hiatus for the “Favorite Spot” series, Farran has brought it back with the second most-requested episode after the Max one. (Which now, makes it the most-requested episode?)

In a city as dense with spots as this one, it’s really something for a spot to feel isolated from the rest of skateboarding, and this one certainly fits the bill — as anyone who has been stuck here watching a friend try a trick can attest. Cyrus Bennett was kind enough to share his history with this innocuous corner of Maspeth on the side of a highway, between two cemeteries.

Keep Reading »

Favorite Spot With Andrew Allen on L.A. High

October 21st, 2021 · 12:55 am · 8 Comments

Photo by Andrew James Peters

So far, the “Favorite Spot” series has centered around main plazas in smaller city scenes, particular nooks in larger cities that particular skaters have an affinity for, and of course, recognizable pieces of skate ephemera now covered on real estate publications.

Farran’s latest is about one of the most storied spots in the capital of the skateboard world, recognizable to anybody who has seen a skateboard video these past thirty years. It’s no surprise that this installment ended up being the longest one ;)

Keep Reading »

Favorite Spot With Max Palmer on the Canal Fountain

September 15th, 2021 · 12:00 am · 7 Comments

Since starting the “Favorite Spot” series, there has been one skater + spot combo that has been requested above all the rest. And with the fifth installment (second local spot in a row!), we are proud to present Max Palmer and the Canal Fountain — or just “the fountain spot,” or what we have even lovingly renamed “Max Palmer Park” on the spots page.

(FWIW, it’s technically called Albert Capsouto Park, but nobody has ever called it that. Probably not even Al’s family.)

So, this one needs no further introduction. Max is a man of sparse words (in most cases, not all), and we’re all grateful he was down to talk about this absolute mess of a spot.

Biggest thank you goes to Johnny obvs, but shout out to everybody who contributed their footy ♥

Keep Reading »

Favorite Spot With Dick Rizzo on Grant’s Tomb

August 17th, 2021 · 12:00 am · 1 Comment

The “Favorite Spot” series was overdue for a New York edition — it has been three installments, and not a single one has been in the northeast.

If you told anybody who was skating Grant’s Tomb in the days when it was a backup spot after you got kicked off the Columbia campus that soon, the ledge into the double bank would become its most-documented feature, they’d have a tough time believing you. Dick Rizzo has somehow turned it into a fixture throughout his video parts, dating as far back as Paul Young’s 2012 Nevermind video.

Keep Reading »

Favorite Spot With Anthony Van Engelen on The Green Bench

May 5th, 2021 · 12:00 am · 16 Comments

Figured after last week’s “Favorite Spot” with Hjalte, now is as good of a time as any to keep the momentum going with this new series :)

You may remember back in the fall when skaters of a certain age bracket couldn’t help but think one really nerdy thought while watching F.A’s Dancing On Thin Ice video: was the bench from A.V.E’s ender the same bench that he was skating in The DC Video back in 2003?

In short, the answer is yes. But the story of how the bench came to re-enter skateboard history is one of many fateful contortions that only the man himself could adequately explain. Farran tracked down A.V.E. for the story of the green metal bench, and how it has endured through nearly two decades, with the help of some archival footage from the F.A. and DC videographers that were there as it happened.

Interview & Edit by Farran Golding. Archival footage is courtesy of: Greg Hunt, Cody Green, Benny Maglinao, William Strobeck and Colin Kennedy.

Previous Favorite Spots: Hjalte Halberg on Jarmers, Gilbert Crockett on Sun Trust & Downtown Richmond