samsun's icy grip tape and the ghosts of ottoman cobblestones
okay, samsun isn't exactly popping up on every skate vlog feed, and i get why. i just checked and it's...-1.4°c out there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. my wheels feel like frozen peas and the grip tape? forget it. it's basically sandpaper on a glacier. landed here on a whim after chasing a rumor about a killer seaside promenade, and let's just say the 'killer' part is real if you hit a patch of black ice.
spent the morning scouting what i thought was a smooth plaza by the *çalisma park. big mistake. the stones are these ancient, uneven cobbles that have been polished by a thousand years of ottoman feet and modern sedans. they look cool in a photoshoot, sure, but try doing a hardflip on them. i heard from a dude grinding a rusted rail that the city intentionally keeps some streets rough to 'deter reckless behavior.' yeah, thanks.
if you get bored, ordu and trabzon are just a short drive away, and supposedly have better concrete. the guy at the one sketchy sports kiosk (found it on a desperate yelp search) told me the 'real' bowls are locked up in winter. he wasn't joking. saw a chipped wheel on a bench and felt that in my soul.
lunch was a greasy lahmacun from a spot that only accepts cash. the old man running it didn't say a word, just pointed at a table. i overheard two old-timers arguing about the best tea house. one swore by the one next to the iskele (the port), claiming the tea 'cuts the cold better than a jacket.' i tried it. it's just strong tea. but the view of the black sea all grey and choppy? that was free.
someone told me that the city's best street spot is actually a loading dock behind the old textiles market that only gets sun for like, an hour at noon. i went. it was a long, painted concrete strip with a perfect flat rail. but the sun was gone by the time i set up my board, and the shadow was cold enough to freeze bone marrow. i filmed one trick, my fingers went numb, and i called it. the audio on the clip is just me cursing in english and turkish.
found a weird little skate shop near atatürk avenue. the owner, a guy with tattoos of wheels on his knuckles, sold me a used set of bearings. he said 'in summer, this whole waterfront is a carpet of bodies. now? it's for joggers and dead leaves.' he wasn't wrong. i sat on a bench, watched the waves look like slush, and thought about how much i love this stupid, harsh, beautiful grind.
i tried to look up skate meetups on a local forum-some place called samskate or something-but the site was down. classic. ended up at a cafe i found on tripadvisor that had terrible coffee but amazing, brutalist architecture. a student was sketching the ceiling. i showed him my board. he nodded and went back to drawing. perfect.
final note: the humidity is at 86% and it feels like everything is sweating except my hands, which are just ice bombs. if you come, pack every layer you own and maybe a spare set of bearings. the crust is real here, and it doesn't care about your style.
shoutout to the random turkish skater who let me try his board, your setup is insane. and to the guy at the kiosk who gave me a free simit, may your tea always be hot.*
You might also be interested in:
- https://votoris.com/post/commute-times-in-maputo-how-long-will-you-spend-in-traffic-seriously
- https://votoris.com/post/what-is-nairobi-famous-for-icons-history-and-legends
- https://votoris.com/post/punes-perfect-weather-my-messy-morning-in-the-garden-city
- https://votoris.com/post/networking-events-and-professional-communities-in-jos-dont-sleep-on-this-seriously
- https://votoris.com/post/the-safest-and-most-dangerous-neighborhoods-in-uvira-5