skateboarding in new york city where the sidewalks bite back

so you ever just... need to shred a few hits after a long day? y know? i was in that headspace when i rolled into this chaos. checked my phone and the weather was this lukewarm 17.38 degrees, like nature’s lukewarm response to my shredding. not cold enough for frostbite but not warm enough to save your socks. i’m out here in a hoodie, sweating like i lost a bet with the pavement. hope you like that kind of thing.



the neighborhood here? it’s a vibe itself. quiet enough for deep thoughts but loud enough to scare squirrels. i heard that someone’s dog barked so hard at a skateboarder it yelped into the air. weird? maybe. neighborly? definitely not. if you get bored, nyc bars are just a 5-block roll away. or maybe don’t roll away from bars. who knows?



someone told me there’s a secret skatepark with graffiti so good it could double as a graffiti tour. i’m not sure if it’s real or just drunken advice from a guy who wears a beanie like his soul is trapped in fabric. i also heard that the local cafes roll out basslines at 8 pm. if true, this place might’ve accidentally invented noise pollution. i’d say try it but i’m already here.



mapped out the chaos? here’s where magic happens:

. it’s not pretty. it’s just a bunch of lines and maybe a half-eaten pretzel from someone’s lunch. but that’s the thing-messy works. you can’t search for perfection in a place where sidewalks double as skate ramps.



probably not perfect but what do i know

well this took forever. i probably shouldn’t be writing this while sitting on a bench instead of skating. maybe next time i’ll just film a random guy ollie off a curb and call it a day. or better yet-ask a local. i heard that the bodega guy next door gave out terrible directions last month. something about a ‘hidden tunnel’ that leads to a rooftop skate spot. probably fake. probably. but if not? the internet’s got my back. check outorfor tips. ignore the 3-star reviews. they’re probably from people who tried skateboarding after watching a tutorial at 2 am.


whenever you roll out, bring a bag of chips. seriously. the pavement’s got a chip-digging problem. or maybe that’s just my sneakers. either way, have fun. the city’s alive in ways it shouldn’t be. and if you see that guy with the neon stencil hoops? that’s the guy who told me the weather’s a metaphor. don’t ask me why.

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• https://votoris.com/post/dust-drums-lost-in-the-echoes-of-essaouira
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• https://votoris.com/post/the-accidental-coffee-crawl-in-jeddah-that-almost-broke-me
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• https://votoris.com/post/yerevan-where-mountains-meet-concrete-and-i-almost-died-from-the-elevation