S idewalk Tour: US East '09
Skate Travel Journals
March 2009
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Sidewalk Tour 2009
Northwest: June 2009
June 14
Away from Curb: San Carlos CA
June 15
Sore Ride: Mission, SF CA
June 17
Travelin' Feelin: Scrmnto CA
June 18
Portland Exurb: Wst Linn OR
June 19
Assistants: Corvalis OR
June 21 1 PM
Blankenship: Wst Linn OR
June 21 3 PM
Old Village: Wst Linn OR
June 23 1 PM
Vineyard Hill: Wst Linn OR
June 23 2 PM
Vine Row Ext: Wst Linn OR
June 25 9 PM
Street Fair Daring: Ptlnd OR
June 25 1 PM
Oregon Stick: Wst Linn OR
June 26 2 PM
Skate Canvas: Ptlnd OR
June 26
Green Room: Ptlnd OR
June 28
Mtns in Mirror: Ptlnd OR
South: Mar-Apr 2009
March 26
Bus Sta Hill: Akron OH
March 27
Bushwhack II: Nashvll TN
March 28
Tornado Misses: Nashvll TN
March 29
Seeking Music: Nashvll TN
March 30
Bridge to Music: Nashvll TN
March 31
Vibrated Dn Beale: Memphs TN
April 1 11 AM
Sightfeeting: Memphs TN
April 1 2 PM
Vance St Sights: Memphs TN
April 1 9 PM
Vance St Bank: Memphs TN
April 2
Stax Pilgrimage: Mmphs TN
April 4
One More Chance: Nashvll TN
April 5
Weimaraners: Pducah KY
April 6 4 PM
Leaving Kentucky: Pduch KY
April 6 9 PM
Econohound Lodge: Pduch KY
April 7 7 AM
Early Roll: St. L MO
April 7 1 PM
Piano Roll Seance: St. L MO
April 8
Hound Hotel Nt 2: KC MO
April 8 6 PM
Bushwhack Finale: KC MO
April 9
Not Without Regret: KC MO
April 10
Over the Rockies: SLC UT
April 10 6 PM
Layover: Oakland CA
East: March 2009
March 12 5 PM
Plan A: Verrazano Bridge
March 12 8 PM
Plan B: Trenton, NJ
March 14
Uneasy Exurb: Wallghm, PA
March 16
Station Hill: Wallghm, PA
March 16 1 PM
Boardwalk Wind: Atl City, NJ
March 18
Wind Shift: Atl City, NJ
March 20
Wide Streets: Atl City, NJ
March 20
Boardwalk Sleet: Atl City, NJ
March 20
Inky Lake: Atl City, NJ
March 22
Drex Hill: Phila, PA
March 23
Penn Hills: Western PA
March 23 11 PM
Bushwhack: Pittsbg PA
March 24
Warhol Skate: Pittsbg PA
March 25
Dinosaur in Mist: Pittsbg PA
Oct 2008-Mar 2009
Oct 24
Finding the Rt: Queens-LIC, NY
Oct 27
First load bearing trip: LIC, NY
Nov 4
Election Day: LIC, Manh NY
Nov 28
Black Friday: LIC, Manh NY
Dec 2
Memento Crypt: LIC, NY
Dec 6
Tall Loads: LIC, NY
Dec 17
The Rainboard: LIC, NY
Dec 22
The Ice Sheet: LIC, NY
Jan 12
The Vacationer: LIC, NY
Feb 2
Poles & Bric a Brac: LIC, NY
Feb 9
Butcher Block: LIC, Manh NY
Feb 13
Wind Alert: LIC, Manh NY
Feb 18
Sleet Skate Shoot: Manh NY
Feb 19
Sleet Footage Hack: Manh NY
Feb 23
Familiar Load: LIC, Manh, NY
Feb 24
Crowd at Bay: LIC, Manh, NY
March 3
The Ice Sheet Returns: LIC, NY
March 6
One Man Band: LIC, Manh, NY
March 11
Villa Straylight: LIC, NY
March 12 to 25, 2009: Travel in Eastern United States
New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania
Outside the Carnegie Museum, Pittsburgh, PA
Thursday, March 12, 2009 - 5 PM Verrazano Bridge, Brooklyn, NY
Tour Starts: Verrazano Narrows, Brooklyn - Plan A
3.12 12 Noon. Plan A was to head down Ft. Hamilton and cross the bridge into Staten Island and skate the hills there on the way to Jersey. Skated much of the way under a full load and took it real slow, taking plenty of time to observe. Passed many day laborers, Mexicans and latino men, standing in groups on every corner, looking anxious. They were evidently hoping some contractor would stop and pick them up. I've been thinking about riding and playing guitar. If I'd had that act ready perhaps I would have played for them the touch of sadness ballad "Caminando Por La Calle," or perhaps Otis Redding's "I'm Sittin' On the Dock 'o the Bay" would fit the venue. Also saw Orthodox men in derbies and chinese women going to markets and doing other chores.
Although I enjoyed the brisk weather and sun on the west side of the street, there was a problem. I kept stopping to repack. The pack was too heavy and it was something that repacking didn't seem to fix. It kind of strained my knees on the push and was generally uncomfortable. And these were decent sidewalks, often downhill, and cool clear weather-- near perfect skating conditions. Four miles of skating went by, all scenic and plenty fun in spite of the weight. I reached the Verrazano Bridge and Fort Hamilton, the army base underneath. I was looking for the bike path across it. I asked in a senior rec center. It seems there is none. I know I've ridden across, but it was on a special bike-a-thon day.
I could have looked for a bus, but the situation spoke pretty clearly to me. I figured that it was a good thing I'd been blocked. I was just carrying too much weight. I thought "I gotta go by storage and try to let go what ever I can."
Thursday, March 12, 2009 - 8:30 PM Trenton, New Jersey
Plan B works out best for Sidewalk Tour.
3.12 2:45 PM This was one serious detour. Left the Verrazano neighborhood, took the long train ride from Brooklyn, through Manhattan, and out to Queens and stopped by storage. You really have to call this a complete change of plans. Staten Island is out, and I'm going to take another route to Philly, which is my first definite destination goal. I guess this was the last of many trips to the familiar little room. Got rid of some items. Any cotton heavy clothing, pants, shirt or sock got left. A few tools, the umbrella, tuner, my NYC atlas. Actually took another pad, a knee. Kept skate shoes, though. Want to skate in something besides boots.
There must be a cutoff weight past which it hurts to skate. Might be like 30 lbs. I'm below it now but on Ft. Ham Pkwy was definitely above.
8:30 PM Trenton NJ. The reason I chose Trenton as a destination for Plan B is that public transportation goes there and you can switch over to a local Philadelphia train which saves a ridiculous amount of money over taking the Amtrak train. After the storage run headed for Penn Station quick as possible and took an off peak commuter train to Trenton. Since the new early daylight savings is in effect, there was still plenty of light so I skated the downtown roads past the capitol. Let's face it, state capitols are often depressing cities and Trenton is a perfect example. Weary and/or despondent looking locals meandered about, waiting for rides and buses. Keep in mind that I'm a skateboarder and I often find joy in the most blighted and run down areas. Trenton's lack of traffic and abundance of curved driveways and alleys, empty parking lots, tiles instead of cobbles in old streets, and a variety of paved surfaces made Trenton grow on me by the minute.
Over the river and into Intimidation, PA
By the museum I found a way down to the river through a perfect run connecting a wide driveway, access road, and parking lot. I suppose I should have stayed in Trenton since I'd found good skating. But I was lured by the Delaware River, the idea of walking into Pennsylvania. The river wasn't wide and I walked across on an unskateable wooden slat footbridge, into Morristown. I hung out on the ruggedly suburban town for a bit and got some muffins for calories. While I was sitting near the store and some sort of betting parlor two young sweat suited guys came out of a pizza restaurant. Without much introduction and in continuous streaming phrases, one of them commented on my guitar, asked if I was a musician, if I was homeless, if I wanted to cop, if I'd ever been to jail, and recounted a couple of his own jail stories. I got the feeling that I should leave Morristown if I didn't want to be harassed all night. I walked back across the footbridge in the dusk then and got back on my board on the Jersey bank of the Delaware.
I skated Trenton's historic area some more. I clattered down a tile cobbled alley and startled a homeless man who thought the alley was all his. Trenton is so dead and old it reminded me of where I had been recently. It was so quiet and has so many welcoming paths for the skateboarder, I felt like I was back in the sprawling graveyard from yesterday. I continued down a smooth street running parallel to the main drag but downhill from it, and cut through a park. A couple gave me directions and the girl started to show me the safest way back to the train station. I told her I was a skateboarder and safety wasn't my strong suit. The guy then showed me a quicker way that followed a wide exit ramp below some underpasses. Cars were coming through the light pretty fast and I saw that the girl was right about this not being the safe route. With its creepy curves under the bridges it was the right route for me. I don't know how often people say this, but I definitely found what I came for in Trenton.
Project tip: The reflection at the end of the 3.11 entry came true. I did end up testing, probing, and retracing rather than bulling ahead. By giving up Plan A at Verrazano and going back to Storage to ditch some stuff, I made all my skating after that enjoyable. I probably would have injured myself had I kept going forward overloaded. Dont be afraid to retreat. Back up a bit and start over, it may speed you up in the long run.
Saturday, March 14, 2009 - Wallingham, Pennsylvania
Uneasy Exurb Skate
Nice undulating roads to skate on except for. . .
. . .the inevitable car comin' 'round the bend
3.14 Excellent skating conditions in the suburb, really an exurb of Philadelphia where I'm staying with friends BK and BB. Beautiful winding roads, well paved, hilly, with almost endless loops, turnoffs, and bends. An endless longboard carve smorgasborg. No curbs, which a street skater might miss, but not a carver. One problem and it's a big one. You can skate a downhill curve around a bend and over a rise, but on or about the third road navigation feature, there'll be a car coming around it or over it, with good speed and not enough warning or visibility. It kind of throws a monkey wrench, a strange wrinkle of skill into skating it, having to concentrate so hard on the traffic, when it's really very sparse. Maybe the equivalent is a perfect rock climbing wall where a chunk of rock falls down your route every ten minutes or so.
I checked out a hill which had a light at the top which kind of controlled the traffic. Carved and slalomed it a bunch of times and shot a couple of decent clips that ought to give you the feel of the quality of riding around here.
Clips: Carving the hill by the train stoplight
One other thing that is odd is all the background noise strewn about the panorama of general quietude. While I was skating, someone was running a power saw, which competed with my wheels for gnarly sound. Standing with the board, waiting for a lull in the power sawing I heard a diversity of intermittent sounds interspersed in a full circle around me. Sounds of barking dogs, cawing crows, and occasional exhortations, loud voices from humans, celebrating some TV sports event or other reason for suburban spontaneous exhuberance.
Monday, March 16, 2009 - Ph - Hilly Train Station
3.16 It's easy to get lost around here so I skated in one direction then doubled back and covered the other direction. Also the weather has been overcast so you cant get a sense of north and south. Yesterday I was walking with friend M and we tried first my compass, which swung all over, then we looked at trees for signs of south facing moss or other growth. Nothing. I could have turned on the phone and got a map on line, but just decided to avoid any looping.
The hill by the train station was really nice; wide, hundreds of yards long, not too steep or rough, with no cars and any coming very visible. Took shots walking up and a couple skating down, but no clips or motion sequences.
Gear notes: One thing I have to note is I'm using really minimal gear. Or maybe I should say I can't always suit up with just the right skate gear, because I'm traveling and skate time is pretty spur of the moment. Sometimes I skate in my Timberland boots, which are tough and weatherproof but very grabby for braking. I have packed a pair of worn skate shoes which I used today. They are heavily reinforced on the sole with shoe goo and some tape. I have a very light bike type helmet, which may give no extra safety in a spill or collision, but makes it seem like I'm more serious to cops and suburban residents. I use one wrist guard or none, skating unpadded mostly. I wear a shell jacket or fleece for some protection, but no leather or heavy clothes. Due to this light gear I'm skating pretty slow, not much more than a run. I let it go a couple times when there was a flat or uphill runoff ahead. I have one knee and elbow pad, but that I would mostly use if I got to a ramp or skate park.
Skate Tip: Hill carve strategy. On these hills when not carrying any backpack load I'll carve stretched helixes which means pretty fair speed, getting faster than I can carve off, then I'll foot drag off some speed here and there. With the boots I have to keep it slower because they drag so poorly, grabbing, and a sole or heel could come off or unglued. I dont slide, wheels too soft and they will get flat spots and pieces will break off in the cold. It's not hardcore, but it's well within the realm of skateboard fun.
3.17 11 AM. The trip to the train station this morning is worth recounting for the comparison of skate technique with yesterday's runs described above.
Skate Tip: Squashed S pattern. I skated the hill down to the station with maybe 35 pounds in a pack and guitar bag shouldered with it. Since the load was heavy, I preferred not to have to foot drag and put the full load on one bent knee at speed. Instead I took the hill slowly with deep carves that almost turned back uphill on the traverses across the fall line. As I finished each turn at the far side of the road, I'd shift the lean from one rail quickly and entirely onto the other. That minimizes the time actually going straight down the hill, with the fall line. Never proceeding completely downhill will control speed better than any braking. I connected dozens of squashed S shapes, or linked crushed helixes, and finally ran it out at the end where there was a nice right turn heading up the hill I rode last night.
Walking up the hill near the train station
Descending the rolling long hill toward the station
Tuesday, March 17, 2009 - Boardwalk Wind Skate
Walking the board, on the boardwalk, winding through the crowd, wind powered. Almost as much wordplay as wheelplay.
3.17 From the Philadelphia suburb I went to the main station where I caught the train to Atlantic City. Got there in mid afternoon and skated down the boardwalk toward my friends' house down toward Ventnor. A huge change from the Philly exurb. From hills and grey skies to brisk, sunny, and flat. Lightly trafficked off season beachfront sidewalks and wooden boardwalk. Perfect boardwalk skate conditions, wind out of the northwest blew me right down the walk. I went so fast in fact that even with the pack on I overshot and went way into Ventnor and had to double back.
Slats slow you down on half your S weave pattern
Skate Technique Tip: Push foot switching. The push style I used was a mixture of switch stance, regular, and cross pushes. A cross push is one cross step up the board, weight on the step foot, then a push with the other foot. This makes for changing push legs often and relieves the tedium of constant pushing. With a heavy pack it was as close as I could get to walking the board on the board walk. The boardwalk is made of wooden slats, so it's not a smooth ride. It wasn't bad, though, with the soft wheels. By skating in arcs across the boards, in a weaving S pattern, I'd hit the angle that was right with the grain pretty often.
I noticed the surf was up pretty much. The wind looked maybe half offshore and the swell was powerful, so it looked pretty clean. Nice if you have a 5 or 6 mm wetsuit, for 39 degree water.
Atlantic City's dune restoration project evident here
Up by Ventnor there were some metal slats that I'm sure offend the historical preservationists among the boardwalk crowd, but were pradise for me. The metal slatting gripped so perfectly an easy swerving pump would power the board forward at a good clip.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009 - Boardwalk Wind Shift
3.18 The wind kicked up in the afternoon, a kind of sea breeze that fell cross shore. The direction was opposite of yesterday. The wind was too much for the waves today and it was blown out.
My friend E took a couple of shots of me on the walk. The first shows the boardwalk tech trick of skating it angling with the grain. The second shows the classic sail technique, where you open your jacket and get a push from the wind.
Blog technical comment: If anyone's noticing the organization and photo layout of this blog has become more scattered, there's a good reason. I have no computer and I've had to do all the writing and posting from my Tmobile HTC Dash phone. Having a phone and not a laptop keeps the weight down, which has still been a problem. For a phone computer it's really good. It handles all the text, spreadsheet, image, and video files needed to do this project. Only problem is it's real hard to edit and get the photos up in order, as the email feed tends to scramble the order. I figured out some workarounds and it seems acceptable.
The multi part email and photo upload technique I used for many posts is explained on the Surface Motion gear page sidewalk tour section.
Friday, March 20, 2009 - Wide Streets in AC
3.20 11 AM Nice wide streets in AC make for comfortable skating to the store. If I don't take the boardwalk I take Ventnor Ave and it's very comfortable.
Friday, March 20, 2009 - Best Surface for Rain and Sleet
3.20 3 PM I can't remember a wet day of skating that was better than this. Skating down a wooden boardwalk in the rain is great. The drainage is pretty much perfect, great traction, and no dirt or mud kicks up from a street so the board stays really clean.
Good traction on slushy boardwalk because of slats
One odd thing; there's some metal slats on the walk now. They were great when it was dry, but they are slippery in the rain. Longboard skating was more like surfing than ever, gingerly rolling over that wet metal surface. The angle of the slats is the same, but the gaps are thinner and the drainage scratches aren't up to the job of clearing off water.
Weather was very changeable, snow flurries, hail, sleet, and cold rain.
Shell jacket I have worked great even though it's old. Water beaded right up.
Friday, March 20, 2009 - Boardwalk Inky Lake
Note: This set of posts covers three skate sessions on March 20, morning, afternoon, and night. The weather varied greatly as the day passed.
3.20 Late. Skated the boardwalk again, third time today, this session very late at night. This time the conditions were downright weird. Really slippery. A sketchy here and there smattering of slush and ice. It made it seem like the wood was really soft. I couldn't stand or walk easily and I really wouldn't have wanted to be riding a bike on this surface. A wheel would slip out for sure.
All in all a skateboard was probably the best means of getting down the boardwalk. You're standing on the board which has securely gripping sandpaper surface. The wheels may slip, but I'm so used to that sensation, it's not a concern. A push was sort of a scuff or a scrape, maybe a sashay. Speed was ok but wheels wanted to let go. I got off to take pictures and was much more uncomfortable on foot. Feet wanted to go out from under me.
Very cold, and had to take gloves off to operate camera. Was a bit worried about the camera freezing up. Even with the night white balance it was hard to get enough exposure. Shot shows casinos and hotels in the distance, nearer lights reflecting off a dark lake. That's the boardwalk, with its ice slush coating. Nobody else was anywhere to be seen, even on on Friday night.
Sunday, March 22, 2009 - Return to Drex Hill
Drex Hill marked the start of a new leg of the tour
3.22 Late eve. Philly train station, passing through again. Took advantage of some exploring of the neighborhood I'd done previously. Last time I was here, before my trip up to the Philly exurbs, I went around by Drexel U in the morning and skated a couple of hills and some walks and paths, so I already knew the layout. Made it way easier to find some good skating in the dark. I had to skate almost the whole perimeter of the station to get the right direction, but finally I headed down Market St. the way I remembered. Windy and cold enough that I couldn't stand riding on the sidewalks, big cracks. Past the underpass that says Drexel, then a road bears off into campus. At first it was spooky, no one in sight. I was thinking it's spring break and nobody's here, until I came up the hill and saw a soccer game going on. It was a well lit field and it was some comfort in the dark, deserted and unknown city. It added to the feeling of company to listen to yells and ball control directions in Spanish. They had their sport, I had mine. Hill was fun, skated it fully loaded. The new pack is great - the balance is just right and turns were deep and in control. Was throwing those rail to rail transitions into the fall line.
My main goal now when I skate these hills with a pack on is to skate as slow as possible downhill, pretty much at a walk. This hill I could drop down and head back uphill, for complete speed control to a stop if needed.
Looking up the hill. Note wide offset sidewalk squares, diagonal cobbles
On the second run I let it go to the left onto a driveway up onto the sidewalk around the corner. I felt the tail stress and I was worried about breaking the board. After all I've got close to 200 pounds on it, and some G forces. I shifted my back foot and it was ok. This is why sometimes I think about shipping my guitar west and riding with two boards. Might make more sense.
Atlantic City wasn't easy, as I felt ill due to sinus problems. To add to my discomfort I kind of was forced to overstay my welcome as I decided what to do next, whether to go back to New York or push on. Once I decided what to do, I needed to focus on preparing for the next leg of the tour. Whether it was through my own pushiness or the tolerance and hospitality of my hosts, I got time to fix some problems with my bags, was able to complete some worrisome financial tasks, and caught up on my writing a bit. For that I'm grateful to my Atlantic City family.
Reaching Drex Hill, a point a little further west, even though it's kind of a retrace, is an accomplishment in that it's the start of a new leg of the tour, and this time, I'm on my own. There is no friend whose home I'm heading for next. Revisiting Drex Hill with its little lit up playing field and familiar skate run, I feel ready to push on with no support from friends and their households.
With the layover time that started in AC and Philly, I edited my own travel inventory so that it is somewhat comprehensible to surfmog followers. The feature is called Packed, and the first installment starts with my packs themselves.
Monday, March 23, 2009 - Welcome to Penn Hills
3.23 Looks like western Pennsylvania is going to have lots of hill skating potential. Trying to get a shot from the train that gives the sense of these towns built on gentle hills with steeps in the background. But trees along the tracks seem ever in the way.
Daydream from the train of skating in these little towns
View between sparse trees along the tracks
Since I had some time to write in AC and more in Philly while laid over in the train station, I worked on a detailed inventory of the gear and clothes I'm travelling with. Although it's going to be very esoteric in areas, there should be plenty of tips here. I'm not sure if there are many other longboard skate tour travellers, but these packing tips would work well for any sport travelers like surfers, hikers, and outdoor photographers.
Packed: Clothes Theory and specific items.
Monday, March 23, 2009 - Bushwhack in Pittsburgh
The web map the security guards pulled up for me when I was lost
3.23 Late. A bushwhack is where you plunge into unknown forests without a map or trail precut. For budget travel, it's when you arrive in a strange place with no plan or hotel reservation. Had no reservation in Pittsburgh, but called at the train station and had one lined up. I had some trouble finding the hotel on foot/skateboard. I have often searched for hotels after dark and hate it enough that I'll wait the whole night in the train station rather than going on a bushwhack. But I'd been in a station the night before, and it was the relatively comfortable Philly Station. The Pittsburgh station had no attractions in it other than some Pennsylvania Dutch trying to order food from outside on payphones. I was certain they weren't allowed cell phones.
It was time to be intrepid. I guess the skateboard caused the problem because I thought I could ride it to the hotel and eschewed taking a cab. In general cabs are something I eschew. The station attendant gave me a crude map. He couldn't blamed for not knowing where the hotel was, since it had changed names recently. I found out later it's been three names within the last few years. The hotel I called, the Quality Inn, is on Boulevard of the Allies which looked like a big street. I skated south and following the distorted tourist map found Allies easily. Unfortunately the adress was almost 3000 points higher than where I was. I asked some security people near the State Building and they pulled up a map on a computer. I saw that the 3000s on Blvd of the Allies is the classic place where "you cant get there from here," meaning it's on one of those streets that has two or three sections, one of which is named differently, and is also a highway. My little control tower decided I could take Forbes or Fifth most of the way there. We also phoned ahead and got the cross street, and the distance, about 3 miles. That is not much on a soft wheel longboard, unless it's all uphill or something. A longboard will always double your speed on foot and on smooth ground or downhill will triple it.
I headed down the Boulevard and before too long it ran up into a forbidding hiway onramp. There was no shoulder or sidewalk so I detoured left or north to find one of the other eastbound streets. Forbes looked good. There was a downhill section which I took on the sidewalk, clattering along slowly on cobbly sidewalks past some government buildings, then a long uphill section which I pushed and walked. I was getting a little sweaty and nervous and saw no sign of the lost Boulevard. At the Duquesne University there were a few strolling students but eventually the wide street was completely deserted. I came to a long, long downhill section. It seemed to go down into a snarl of underpasses. It was spooky but I could see it was going to at least be a good ride. I looked hopefully over the benighted urban valley at the hills in the distance opposite where I stood. At the same level in the distance there was a hopeful beacon of a red and blue light that looked like it might be a hotel. I unshouldered my pack and loked for my eyeglasses, which I rarely use. I couldn't read the distant sign. A guy ran by in a hurry looking behind him and I wondered if there was drug violence around here. No car followed him, he was just gone. I got the glasses and saw that it was indeed an inn, but not my inn, it was the Hampton Inn. Whatever, at least it was a sign of lodging, and awake life.
I wouldn't have had a half lane to myself during the day but at midnight, I had the whole wide street. I shouldered the packs and guitar, which I was still working with to find the best shoulder and hip placement, pulled the belts tight, and headed the whole humanoid contraption down the hill. I reeled off a bunch of squashed S shaped traverses, keeping the speed pretty low. The width was good, allowing some uphill retracement. I had to foot brake a couple of times, which was no elegant maneuver with a thirty pound load. My boot grabbed but I didn't stumble, just slowed jerkily. I looked at the section scooping down into the underpasses and thought "well this is what I came for." The hill was fun enough but the underpass was bleak. There was construction being done, rubble, and the sense of misery and scattering. I picked up the board and ran across and walked along a riverfront esplanade. The view of the bridges and river was pretty spectacular. It was scary but having the board made me feel better. Anyone who sees you is going to think you're a nut. And you have the license to carry a bat, pretty much. I saw an ambulance head up a steep road and followed it up. I didn't see the inn but the hilly roads at least seemed to be leading away from the desolation of the underpass. I saw an Enterprise rental sign and then I could see that I was once again on Blvd of the Allies. Amazing, although it seemed to head off west across a bridge over the river. Finally I saw the Hampton Inn, which was a ritzy looking hotel with a courtyard and not a budget lodge. I spent a few minutes resting, brushing my hair, trying to make myself look less distressed. The clerk knew my hotel and said "you're close. You follow Boulevard of the Allies. . ." but it took several more minutes of wandering around and asking in a convenience store before I could find my Inn, which lacked the beacon of the Hampton.
Travel Tip: I'm a fan of bushwhack travel, as long as you're travelling light are are not afraid to get stuck in a train station or outside. That said, I avoid bushwhacking after dark. I'll do it sometimes. If you do search for hotels after dark, call or ask directions and other questions about the area as much as you can.
Daytime view of the first Pittsburgh hill I skated
Note: I shot this picture on the next day, to get a record of where I had skated on the bushwhack night. This hill is near the train and bus station.
Tuesday, March 24, 2009 - Andy Warhol Skate Spot
3.24 Aside from the Adirondack hills of Pittsburgh, the other reason I came to visit was because of the museums there.
Pittsburgh has nice bridges, hills and streets that are fun to skate. Skateboarding to museums and sights in this city is a blast. The skate possibilities are unlimited in variety, steepness, and scenic quality.
Finding a skate route to the Warhol museum is fitting, because there's a bridge named after him that goes there that has a walkway that you can bike or skate. I did it kind of like a slalom run, using counter twisting to give the turns more arc and bite in a narrow space. Counter twist means as the board points one way across the hill, say at a 45 degree angle, I twist my upper body the opposite way. It looks like my upper body stays set while the board turns underneath, but it feels more like doing "the twist" in time to the turns. I have to say, I wouldn't carve it hard that way again, I'd footbrake it or maybe just not skate it. The reason is because later in the day I tested the gap below the fence and found that a board could go under. It's not worth the risk of losing my tour board into the river, or "Neptuning" it as my skate friend Scott says.
On the other side of the bridge was a sidewalk that was made of huge slabs of concrete or granite. Very picturesque, but cracks made for tough skating.
Skate Tip: Use opposing body motion to dig your carves in more when it's narrow.
Skate Tip: Test gaps under rails on bridges or near cliffs and water. Dont risk losing your board unless you can easily get another.
Packed: Gear Skate and travel gear inventory, with comments.
This switchback had possibilities, but was disappointing
On the way back by the Pirate stadium I checked out a switchback sidewalk, thought I could skate it all the way down. I couldn't really make the corners without a full foot brake, so it didn't turn out to be a good sidewalk run.
Going by the Opera House on the way back from the museum
Wednesday, March 25, 2009 - Dinosaur in the Mist
Breaking out the raingear to skate to the Carnegie
3.25 Rainy day here in Pittsburgh PA so I got a chance to try out the poncho I got in Atlantic City. Thanks to Totes for having just what I needed, for low cost. The poncho came in a little mesh bag, perfect for toothbrush and toothpaste.
Longboarder meets Apatosaurus
Skated down Forbes in the rain to the Carnegie Museum, proving what I'll go through for a good dinosaur exhibit. Near the apatosaur statue I experimented with the self timer some more. The new belt pack I got provided a good water resistant pedestal to hold the phone/cam in its case and set up the shot.
Forbes: a street full of nice hills
The BE 40 tour board, showing some edge wear, on Forbes
Here is a discussion of the boards I used in the training dolly storage trips and how and why my tour board ended up not being the one I expected.
