On a cooler day I biked over to what seemed like a dream skate spot from the photos.  And it was.   Until a carload or rollerbladers showed up.  They were nice and all, but it was weird.    I skated this spot about an hour.  Did not get far into my bag.  Wanted to do more but was on limited time, wanted to hit some other spots and had lost patience sharing the spot with a bunch of rollerbladers.  The front 50 shove out felt cool even if it’s a little kid trick. Came close to 5-0 shove out.

Hit the bank to curb briefly and could only muster some terrible front slashes and a little sw noseslide.  I went over the nearby asphalt hump hip a couple times. 

(setup 2/10 null 20 years 8.5/14.25, jessup ultragrip, indy forged hollow 149 with ace bushings, spitfire f4 99a 52mm pink/green classic, new balance numeric 440v2 wide navy size 12 half insole and currex runpro insole)
Pain level 4/10

After an insanely crowded train ride we ended up at the beautiful prospect park. I’d say it was quiet too, but it was full of people playing music.   Even Ethan’s crew.  So yeah I hadn’t skated or seen Ethan in like 15 years.  He had hit me up once he saw I was in nyc.  He really wanted to show off his local spot.  It was kinda hectic.  Lots of people skating, lurking, drinking, playing soccer.   All on the little section we were skating.   But it was a really good vibe and we did some stuff.  Ethan had some good kickflips, halfcabs, fakie bigspins, nollie tails.  I got some rap horns after a front 50 shove and a sw noseslide bigspin.   I had done a few other basics on the ledge.   Not much on the other stuff.  The little front barrier ride was fun.  Great seeing Ethan again!   Fun session.  

(setup 2/10 null 20 years 8.5/14.25, jessup ultragrip, indy forged hollow 149 with ace bushings, spitfire f4 99a 52mm pink/green classic, new balance numeric 440v2 wide navy size 12 half insole and currex runpro insole)
Pain level 6/10 stiff neck

Met Max at LES.  Was so cool meeting a friend.  The park was empty.  Max was ripping already.  His goofy tricks are so cool.  First thing we did together was the double backside flips.   Which took me too long but at least max got it too.  I bailed multiple axle stalls.  It was so frustrating.   Then max had me go in on the long line basically doing all my tricks in one line.  The Wallride was fun, the crooks were fun, but man I could not do another backside flip to save my life.  Max ollied the rail like 15 times.  

We went to labor.  Visited with Will.   Went to Tompkins.   Reynolds was there, but I didn’t see him skate.  Max played SKATE with a friend.  He did some other stuff.  I just cruised and did some basics.  Aka I skated like normal.   Had a fakie bigflip and a sw noseslide bigspin.   It was a fun vibe for sure. Great day and great seeing Max.

(setup 2/10 null 20 years 8.5/14.25, jessup ultragrip, indy forged hollow 149 with ace bushings, spitfire f4 99a 52mm pink/green classic, new balance numeric 440v2 wide navy size 12 half insole and currex runpro insole)
Pain level 4/10

A little hungover , park had a mist on it as it was raining but most of it is covered, also weirded out by how people don’t say hi or even acknowledge others.   I skated like absolute dookie.   Perhaps not even anything worth mentioning, just the ultra basics.   Was hurting.  There was an old dude that came who was ripping with some freestyle moves and all kinds of tricks. But he would beam so bright after each trick and do them right in front of you. Basically, this session sucked.

(setup 1/10 null 20 years 8.5/14.25, jessup ultragrip, indy forged hollow 149 with ace bushings, spitfire f4 99a 52mm pink/green classic, new balance numeric 440v2 wide navy size 12 half insole and currex runpro insole)
Pain level 7/10

Felt very out of it.   Skated very bad and had no confidence.  Had park mostly to myself until a dude Mark showed up (it’s funny because after I went back I watched the Asics video and he was in it).  I had taken forever to do some basics like noseslide to fakie the bank to ledge.   Couldn’t front 50 the bank to ledge.  Eventually got a line of rock fakie, fakie flip on flat, sw front nose the ledge.   Hated my Indy’s.   Took too long to do a front slash the tiny vert qp then kickflip on the bank.  Lastly took even longer to backside flip the hip. Like so long.  30+ minutes.   Was losing my mind, wanted to quit skateboarding.   

(setup 1/10 null 20 years 8.5/14.25, jessup ultragrip, indy forged hollow 149 with ace bushings, spitfire f4 99a 52mm pink/green classic, new balance numeric 440v2 wide navy size 12 half insole and currex runpro insole)
Pain 6/10

On a warm Sunday I took the subway to Brooklyn banks.  I arrived to a crew having a session.  They were all nice, but I didn’t want to immediately jump in the mix with them.   So I skated to shortest part of it.   I did a couple of ollies but then could not kickflip to save my life.  Never got it.  I went to do the Wallride spot but I kept slipping out.   I got frustrated and left.   

Played skate tourist for a bit and looked at courthouse and Blubba.

Then went to a granite ledge and had fun there.  Did some noseslides on the tall part, some crooks too.  Also 50s each way on the curb.   Cool spot. 

(setup 5/10 null 20 years 8.5/14.25, jessup ultragrip, indy forged hollow 149 with ace bushings, spitfire f4 99a 52mm pink/green classic, new balance numeric 440v2 wide navy size 12 half insole and currex runpro insole)
(pain level 5/10)

Wrote some notes 11 days ago after the session, but it was such a long trip I almost forget it entirely. So here’s my notes.

Less flow than it looked.  Quickly flooded with kids; most of which skated.  First thing I liked was noseslide to fakie triangle then fakie flip on bank.   Had some crooks on the low ledge, noseslide into the bank, kickflip fakie a mellow bank, took too long to fakie bigflop over a kicker.  Ended on a line of switch 180 the kicker, slow front 50 the low last ledge then a terrible bs flip on flat that somehow got a cheer from the one good skater there. 

(setup 6/10 null 20 years 8.5/14.25, jessup ultragrip, indy forged hollow 149 with ace bushings, spitfire f4 99a 52mm pink/green classic, new balance numeric 440v2 wide navy size 12 half insole and currex runpro insole)
(pain level 4/10)

After my last day of work in a long time I went to Boulder park to meet a dude buying a board. I told him to look for the oldest person there, but Dave came and blew my cover. It was kind of crowded so I mostly just hid in the tight tiny qp section. And it was really fun. I would get the little line a few times of back 50, rock fakie, fakie front 50 fakie. I don’t think I’ve done fakie 50 fakie like that before. Not sure it counts on such a little qp, but it was fun. Dave did some coolness too with front 5-0s on the barrier and then blunts on the smaller qp. Then worked his way up into full speed blunts with Tom Penny steeze after. After that the park had died down a bit and we mingled outside of the tight qp area. I did a couple bench tricks including a first try front 50 that made me happy. Dave and I had some front 50s on the hump to ledge. Dave did a bunch and backed them with shove on the hip bank and switch front nose and halfcab nose. He also got manual and nose manual on the hump to triangle. I got a front 50 on the bump to ledge, but couldn’t back it with a b/s flip over the hip. There was more, it was a pretty fun session.

(setup 8/10 null 20 years 8.5/14.25, jessup ultragrip, indy forged hollow 149 with ace bushings, spitfire f4 99a 52mm pink/green classic, new balance numeric 440v2 wide navy size 12 half insole and currex runpro insole)
(pain level 4/10)

After work met Dave at the fairground bank to curb spot. After some initial struggles things worked out pretty good. I went in on some lines. Got kickflip on a bank, noseslide to fakie, kind of a fakie/halfcab flip. Nollie bigspin then alley oop no comply to tail. Varial flip then slappy crook. Slappy crook then b/s flip kind of over a crack. Dave had some bangers. Back 50 to fakie off the front truck, switch slappy crook, slappy crook fakie, really good nollie back tails, front 50s, front 5-0, front tails. Ripping. I tried some treflips on the bank, but never got my feet on one. Still felt to get to the point of trying it at least.

(setup 7/10 null 20 years 8.5/14.25, jessup ultragrip, indy forged hollow 149 with ace bushings, spitfire f4 99a 52mm pink/green classic, new balance numeric 440v2 wide navy size 12 half insole and currex runpro insole)
(pain level 5/10)

After dinner on a very nice evening I went to Broomfield and met Garrett. A few others were at the park, but it would clear out and only a couple others. I got there first, warmed up on the on the bank to curb, some quarterpotty, no pop tricks on the lurb. Garrett showed and I tried to back 50 the lurb before he started skating, but I lost. I did get one though and it did feel good. Garrett went straight to ripping. Halfcab nose manual revert, kf manual, kickflip nose manual. Garrett also killed the black ledge. Halfcab crook 180, sw crooks, kickflip 50, pop shove 50, so much. I struggled initially, but would end up getting several front 50s, even several in a row, a shove out, and one followed by a noseslide on the bump to bar. I was happy about that. Justin showed and went demo mode. I managed a very slow front 50 on the ledge into the bank. Garrett had so many good back tails and then a b/s flip out of the happy ledge that was so good. At the end I made myself do 5 flip tricks. I came somewhat close to some harder ones, but ended with the basics: kickflip, fakie flip, halfcab flip, b/s flip, fakie bigflip. Fun night.

(setup 7/10 null 20 years 8.5/14.25, jessup ultragrip, thunder T2 149, spitfire f4 99a 52mm pink/green classic, new balance numeric 440v2 wide navy size 12 half insole and currex runpro insole)
(pain level 4/10)