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From: Linda Kerr (kerr@Forestry.Auburn.EDU)
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 95 15:49:15 -0700
Our group of 8-10 skaters go to what we call "Fort God," which is actually a huge Baptist church (Lakeview Baptist) on the corner of Glenn & E. University in Auburn, Alabama. Very big parking lot, some hills, no cars, smooth pavement, no gravel, lights for nighttime skating.
From: SCHREIBER@PROCESS.COM (Jeff Schreiber)
Date: 9 Nov 1994 17:50:48 -0000
I was in the Bahamas in August for my honeymoon. The skateability of Nassau greatly depends on where you are thinking of. If you are talking about Downtown, I wouldn't recommend it (too crowded). Otherwise the streets might be ok (but they drive like morons! and I'm from Massachusetts :). Sidewalks are out, they are mostly all broken up, they disappear randomly, and overall, wouldn't be any fun.
If you're thinking about the Carnival's Crystal Palace, or The Radisson Cable Beach (or anything on Cable Beach), I would say bring them. I did see one guy out on skates at the hotel. There are some nice cement courtyards and paths in the larger hotels on Cable Beach.
As far as your comment about "as if that mattered" referring to the police. I realize you said that as a joke, but I just wanted to say that you should be careful. The police are pretty nice down there, although some are corrupt. I would not suggest pissing them off though. The Bahamas are nice, but if you go Downtown, I want you to try to picture what one of the jail cells are like. It is a foreign country, and I for one don't know all their laws, so I wasn't planning on pushing the police if they warned me. Don't forget what happened to that kid in Singapore!
From: dcooper2@aol.com (DCooper2)
Date: 5 Mar 1995 21:02:10 -0500
Freeport, Bahamas. Stay at the Princess Hotel. Roads are nearly empty. Beach is three miles away. Cars on left side of road a bit of an adjustment.
See also the Arlington, VA, section for info about some trails near DC.
From: rbs@skatecity.com (Robert Schmunk)
Date: 23 May 1995
Here are some comments and observations about skating DC, based on two trips there in the last seven months:
Freedom Plaza (Pennsylvania Ave. at 14th St. NW) long held a reputation as a great place to grind and stair bash, plus practice various maneuvers on the wide-open flat marble. Not that the quality of the skating there has changed, but the legality of it has. Sometime in the spring of 1995, skating of all types was banned from Freedom Plaza, apparently as a result of the defacement of the plaza by wheel and brake marks plus physical damage like chipped steps resulting from grinding skateboards and skates. Skaters can bitch all they want about the ban, but they do need to realize that marking up a prominent city landmark across the street from city govt offices will draw a harsh reaction in any town.
I have heard that some/much of the skating activity has shifted from Freedom Plaza down Penn. Ave to Indiana Plaza, but the one time I went by there, I didn't see any skaters and wasn't that impressed by the plaza. I've been also told by one DC skater that the ban at Freedom Plaza isn't too strongly enforced, but any truth to that could change in an instant on a politician's whim.
Elsewhere in central DC, one place that seemed favored by the skaters is the statue by the reflecting pool at the base of Capitol Hill. The primary reason for this is that it is flanked by flights of about 10 steps, spaced just right for some fun stair bashing. I've done this in broad daylight on a Sunday afternoon, which leads me to suspect that authorities aren't too worried about such behavior. But again, that could change if they think the monument is being damaged or if a tourist should get hurt by a careless skater.
About Capitol Hill itself, I've heard that it's a violation of umpteen different federal regulations to skate there, so watch out! That being said, I'll note that the parking lot on the east side of the Capitol is gigantic and often totally empty when Congress is not in session.
In West Potomac Park, Ohio Dr., the road leading from the Lincoln Memorial down to the Jefferson Memorial, has apparently been recently (sometime in 1994?) re-surfaced and makes for some smooth blading. I've no idea about the condition of the road south of the Jefferson Memorial.
On May 20, 1995, the section of Pennsylvania Ave. adjacent to the White House was blocked off to auto traffic for security reasons. Skaters immediately realized the potential of this action and were out skating this inadvertent outdoor roller rink that very day. (I was there the following day :-) However, while this street is wide, it is also wide open to the sun, and I expect that the asphalt could be too soft to skate during the summer. Also, word is that the street will be ripped up and turned into a plaza of some sort, so the open skating there may not last long.
Many of the other streets and avenues near the Mall are in extremely good shape and make for some fun group skating, especially at night when traffic has thinned out. This is especially true near federal office buildings that are not near tourist landmarks. The flip side of this is that although street skating is apparently not illegal in DC, the cops will give you some grief if they think you're obstructing traffic or if they're just bored. On one night skate of about 75 people, we had a cop turn on his patrol car PA system and yell, "Get off the street," but another cop we passed 10 minutes later didn't even react to our presence.
Just as cops don't quite seem to know how to react to group skates passing by them on the streets of DC, the general populace also seems to have not caught up with the 1990s. Lots of cars will honk excitedly when they see a cluster of skaters go by.
From: georgec@eng.umd.edu (George B. Clark)
Date: Unknown
naru@eng.umd.edu (Naruhisa Takashima) writes:
For those in the D.C. area, I have skated on Rock Creek Park which is real nice path for joggers and slow bicyclist, but I'm not so sure if it's suited for Bladers. The path is narrow, damp in many places, and ocassionally very steep which makes it very difficult for speed control, which in turn leads to bail out or wipe out.
Most parts of Rock Creek Park's bike path are OK to skate, except for one real steep place that even bike riders have trouble with.
Since the path goes through the woods, keep in mind that wet leaves on the pavement are very slippery to skate over.
It's also fun to leave the bike path, and skate about the nice neighbor streets adjacent to it.
From: simmon@eeel.nist.gov (Eric Simmon)
Date: Wed, 20 Jul 1994 17:33:51 GMT
Rock Creek Park:
from behind the Lincoln Memorial to Rt 28 in MD. Parts of the
path is decent pavement, parts suck. Be prepared to share the
path with bikers joggers and walkers. Sections of Beach Dr. are
closed on the weekend, which provides a good surface to skate on
(but each section isn't very long)
Capitol Crescent Trail:
Take K street west underneath the Whitehearst freeway, where the road
ends, the path begins. This is a new path with wide, smooth pavement.
It is only about 3.5 miles long right now, but will eventually go all
the way to Bethesda.
Downtown:
Plenty of good skate terrain downtown, just watch out for traffic and
bad surfaces (the mall has pavement with pebbles in it which is
very nasty, but doable). The asphalt can be hazardous in the
summer because it gets so hot your wheels just sink in.
From: temoche@usuhsb.usuhs.mil (Mitch Temoche)
Date: 17 Oct 1994 17:14:15 GMT
I went skating behind the Capitol once late at night. Lots of wide open space, it was great and security didn't say anything. Liberty Plaza on Pennsylvania Ave. is pretty nice and we also went up and down F Street NW. Rock Creek Park has an excellent bike-trail for skating. Recently I skated the parking lots on Research Blvd in Gaithersburg on Sunday when it was empty. There's a lake in Germantown, MD on Waring Station road that I've skated. I haven't tried Mt. Vernon bike trail in VA yet but, I hear it's very crowded. You also might try Avenel in Potomac MD there are some bike trails. Coastal highway in north of Ocean City MD is very good too.
From: thd601@isye.gatech.edu (Mark Tabladillo)
Date: 9 Sep 1994 17:43:23 GMT
Ft. Lauderdale has lots of flat places to skate. The path by the ocean has just been changed to interlaced red brick, but it's still good for skating.
South Miami, in my opinion, was a better place to skate. Theres a flat concrete boardwalk that runs along the beach, though it's further from the water than the Ft. Lauderdale boardwalk. At the southmost end of the beach, there are paint marks for cones. Also, at the center of the beach, there is building which has a square courtyard for skating, which has a cone in the center, and music coming from large speakers.
Across the street, there are a number of small cafes, restaurants and bars. I saw better and more skaters in South Miami compared with Ft. Lauderdale. Both are great, and there are many places in South Florida for skating (BTW, roller hockey is big, and there are plans to build a large rink in Broward County).
From: carlhk@aol.com (CarlHK)
Date: 14 Sep 1994 18:29:05 -0400
Here in Miami Beach we've got a great boardwalk next to the beach (Ocean Drive between 5th and 15th streets) where on any given day you're bound to find tons of skaters. During the weekend we set up a slalom course near 5th and Ocean (the dots are painted on the ground) and skate at insane speeds. Sometimes a ramp is also out near 5th and Ocean. Monday nights about 100 skaters get together around 7:30 pm at Penrod's bar on 1st street and Ocean Drive for a skate around the Art Deco district. We end up at Penrod's afterwards where the bar gives us 2 for 1 drinks. Good way to work out, meet folks and get buzzed. Nice, eh? Tuesday and Thursday nights about 150 skaters get together with the New River Rollers in Ft. Lauderdale for a 12 mile skate around the intracoastal waterway and the canals up there. Beautiful scenery and fantastic work out. Those skates end at the New River Saloon, for, yep, more drinks.
From: James Waldron (waldron@interport.net)
Date: 27 Apr 1995 17:13:00 GMT
There is an excellent skatepark just north of Orlando in Altamonte Springs called "Badlands." Nice ramps and an excellent street course.
From: lineskater@aol.com (Lineskater)
Date: 27 Jun 1995 10:48:39 -0400
I just came back from a family vacation in Orlando. Before I went I consulted the Orlando Sentinel about trails, and I just have to share info about the West Orange Trail west of Winter Green (nw of Orlando). First of all, I thought it was a road because it's 10 feet wide! The surface is incredible - like a newly paved parking lot! Right now it's only 4.5 miles long, but plans are to extend it this year. It's the best trail skating I've ever done. Hope this helps somebody else who wants to combine the $ vacations in Orlando with skating.
From: cirby@news.gate.net (Chad Irby)
Date: 27 Jun 1995 18:12:40 -0400
Yeah- the West Orange is a great place to skate. (It's west of Winter Garden, though) When they finish it, it's supposed to be about 30 miles (I've heard 27 to 33), and I want to try and organize a race when they finish it.
The other good skate here is the Cady Trail, next to Fashion Square Mall. 3.5 miles each way, with benches at regular intervals and water fountains every half mile (and in the Florida summer, that's a Good Thing).
From: nabob@rice.edu (Alex Chapman)
Date: Wed, 29 Nov 1995 17:59:11 -0600
Hmm. Orlando. Home saccharinney sweet home. As far as I know, there is no longer any truly good public place to skate legally. That's sort of what happens when you have a city with vast suburban sprawl and the lovely teen curfew writing city government decides that it not only doesn't want late-night young hooligans, it doesn't wan young hooligans on wheels downtown either. Since Orlando is essentially a tourist town, they decided that it would be bad for business for the tourists to see scary young people doing dangerous things on sidewalks and little tiny stair sets downtown.
I suggest you skate downtown until you get busted, they'll just tell you to go home. Or, you could become politically active... this is the result of a mute young populace in a city that wants it both ways--to be glittery and big but be cozy and safe and suburban. As a result, they do stupid things that effectively ruin the city for anyone willing to use it. Oh well. Maybe their new extra-tall courthouse will fix things by virtue of its being big and expensive and shiny. Regardless, downtown skating is illegal.
A shame; the Anderson Street bridge downtown really was a good cheap thrill, best pseudohill in town... up to the top of the bridge, wait until all the lights are good and the traffic's light, skate down and wait for the shimmy in your skates to start, give it a little brake... at the bottom veer right into the OUC parking lot, watch out for the grates and speed bumps. My friends really didn't like it when I did that. Remember, I didn't tell you that, when all your skin is spread across the road or your skull dashed on the pavement a few feet downhill from the speedbumps.
Most of what's left is unskatable car-congested stripmall terrain and wide dull flat suburbia. Sorry.
University of Central Florida is okay, especially for beginners. Better skaters will find it a bit flat, though they may find a little entertainment in the benches and steps... it's sorta interesting in that the whole campus is very skateable... and there's some truly excellent blacktop for evening games of tag or just gliding about some night.
Web sites with Tampa/St. Pete info:
From: Eric Santman (72530.1600@CompuServe.COM)
Date: 21 Jul 1995 16:10:15 GMT
I am proud to announce that on July 20th, 1995, the City Council of Tampa 'decriminalized' the act of skating on all City streets of a speed 30 mph or less. This is effective immediately.
This does not affect:
In addition, a Task Force has been named to review:
From: mierau@sunset.eng.usf.edu (Bradley Mierau (CH))
Date: 26 Feb 1995 16:43:59 GMT
TotallyJon (totallyjon@aol.com) wrote:
Tampa- Bayshore Blvd. Right on the water. Nice spot.
Friday and Saturday nights Ybor city meet 9pm Platt St and Bayshore.
If you want to skate St. Pete Monday and Thursday at the Thunderdome parking lot 8pm-10pm.
Ft. Desoto Park probably the nicest spot around. 4 1/2 miles in a county park. The best around.
The Pinellas trail 47 miles and nice too.
Another good place is Flatwoods County Park, 5 miles west of I75 on Fletcher in Tampa. About 13 miles of trail... no motor vehicles... almost no stop signs. Very secluded, maby not a good place for female skaters by themselves.
From: dcain@mailer.cc.fsu.edu (Daryl S. Cain)
Date: Unknown
A great place to skate! Its got it all--hills, flatlands, gentle slopes, the works. Tallahassee is the capital of Florida and home to both Florida State University and Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. Skating is a relatively new sport in Tallahassee. There are few places to buy skates and none where decent accessories or compentent help is consistently available. The law is tolerant (play it cool) but some private properly owners can be pains.
The best place for flatlanders is the St. Marks Trail south of Tallahassee. This is a paved railroad right of way with the trailhead located on Highway 363 (Woodville Highway) just south of State Road 319 (Capital Circle SE). Plenty of parking is available, however, space does get sparce on the weekends.
The trail streches 16 miles from Tallahassee to St. Marks--a small fishing village famed for its manatee population. The pavement is high quality with few rough spots. Traffic is light on the weekdays, heavy on the weekends. Most walkers quit after 1-2 miles and skaters after 2-3 miles. From there on down its smooth sailing except for the bikers. The people are generally polite and accidents are rare. There is a combination bike/skate shop at the north end of the trail. They rent skates (Roces) and bikes for reasonable rates there.
In the spring the trail is beautiful. Flowers and shrubs are in bloom and the lucky can generally find a good blackberry bush to pick. However, snakes also like sun themselves on the warm trail so beware the occassional rattler when you wander. Florida is a hot place so pack plenty of water.
Speedsters will find that Tallahassee is quite hilly. Most hills are located on the East or North sides of town. Pavement is of very high quality, it's asphalt with a fine gravel base, but beware the ocassional patch of shell rock. By far the best hill (in my experience) is located on Morningside Drive just north of Highway 27 off Richview Drive on the east side. My wife has clocked my friend and I at 45 mph near the bottom. The hill is about 1500 yards long, straight, with a baby hill going up the other side to slow down on.
For more radical skating work, the place to go is the Florida State University campus. There is no telling how the campus cops would react to skaters but mountain bikers generally get away with murder. The place is a cornicupia of stairs, ramps, hills, sidewalks, speedbumps and parking lots. The campus is huge and almost every type of terrain except for mountain switchbacks are available. The only cavat is that when classes let out during the semester the place becomes packed with pedestrians. The best times to skate there are at night, on weekends, and during the summer semester.
For the freestylist, parking lots are in great abundance in Tallahassee. Most places are cool, but the rent-a-cops at the Governers Square Mall are a pain in the ass. Its a real pity to, the parking lot covers about ten acres and was just repaved about five months ago with the smoothest asphalt you've ever laid eyes on. A suitable alternative is the Kroger Center, located on the east side of town between Highway 27 and Capital Circle.
Pick-up hockey games are held at Skate Inn East, 2563 Capital Circle N.E. on Sunday - 7:00 pm and Wednesday - 9:30 pm. For more information contact Steve Bohl at (904)656-2056. You gotta have your own stuff.
Be forewarned that there are few experienced skaters in Tallahassee. For that reason there are no real "skater" hangouts. Most people have a steady skate partner that they skate with but organized affiliations haven't developed to any real extent yet.
There are many outdoor events in Tallahassee, such as bike-a-thons and the like, and they're just now warming up to the idea of skaters joining their ranks. Hopefully skaters will get off on the right foot here and become a legitimate part of the exercise/fitness community. So if your in town and maybe want to skate a few miles, drop me a line.
From: gn@terminus.gatech.edu (toM o. genesE)
Date: Unknown
Well, I'm not quite sure what your looking for in a place to skate, but if you are ever in Atlanta (well, it is on the East coast after all) be sure to go to Piedmont Park. The park itself is home to quite a few skaters, and no one minds their presence. Directly across the street from the park is Skate Escape, the rec/speed skate shop mentioned in the rec.skate FAQ.
Every Monday evening, there is an introductory skate through the midtown area, starting at a shopping center near the park. Even though the trip is labeled as introductory, when the skaters (80+) gather in the parking lot, you can meet advanced skaters and pick up some tips, see some tricks, etc. If you are into speedskating, Skate Escape has a distance skate every Wednesday night.
There is also a local skate club, the Atlanta Peachtree Road Rollers. These are the people who put on the Monday night skate, as well as provide introductory skate lessons.
I can get more info on the club and these events if there is some interest.
From rbutera@owlnet.rice.edu
Date: Unknown
Great skating city; lots of hills and really scenic. Piedmont Park is really popular with beginners and pros alike. Go to the entrance near Piedmont and 12th street. There's a skate shop on that corner (Skate Escape). They can tell you whatever you want about other skating events in the city, regular weekly skates with the Peachtree Rollers, etc.
Cops don't seem to mind skaters as long as you stay out of everyone's way (i.e. use common sense).
The Georgia Tech Campus is another great place, especially for freestyle types. Lots of stairs (the ones by the student center are ideal for stair-riding) and ramps, great hills, and a few parking decks to boot.
From: steves1222@aol.com (SteveS1222)
Date: 7 Sep 1994 12:07:06 -0400
Seneca Park has a walking path that is rather narrow with many walkers. Cherokee Park has a 2.3 mile loop-road that is now one-way with the inside lane reserved for bikes, walkers, and skaters. It's much better than Seneca.
Another area I've started skating around is along the river downtown. There is a walk path, narrow but little traffic because it's new, that runs for a mile or two along the river. There is a free parking lot at the end of 10th street and the path is right there. If you go east past the construction, you can skate around the Belle of Louisville dock also.
I've heard that a number of people skate on the Belvadere. It is the open area above the construction near the Belle. I've not skated there yet though, so I can't give you an opinion.
From: BELMONT@lsuvm.sncc.lsu.edu
Date: Fri, 27 Jan 95 13:12:33 CST
The most popular place to skate is Audobon Park (next to Audobon Zoo) in uptown New Orleans. It is a circular track about a mile long with bladers, bikers, and joggers. There used to be 3-hour street skates around the city on Thursday nights and Saturday afternoons. I am not sure if they are still going on. Call Park SK8 (504-891-7055) in N.O. for more info.I would not try skating around the French Quarter - it's wall to wall people and cars and the roads are atrocious.
From: breid@larry.cc.emory.edu (Brian B. Reid)
Date: 31 Jan 1995 06:30:19 GMT
I took a trip to N.O. a few months ago and skated the Quarter a bit. If you go at a resonable hour (pre 1 p.m.) and keep your eyes open, it'll be an interesting skate... nice scenery, anyway...
From: SCHELLE@aol.com
Date: Wed, 18 Oct 1995 16:53:14 -0400
Lafreniere Park in Metairie is the best place to skate in the metro New Orleans area. There is a lagoon to skate around . It also has bridges and stairs and rails. You can skate up until 10 P.M. The city of New Orleans is trying to make it illegal to skate in the French Quarter and on the public streets. Audubon Park is one long circle no challenge for an aggressive skater.
From: kdl3374@ucs.usl.edu (Landry Kimberly D)
Date: 12 Apr 1995 00:31:48 GMT
I recently skated the Tammany Trace which is a rails-to-trails (i.e. linear park) which extends 8.3 miles from Abita Springs to Covington. It will eventually be a 30 mile park. We skated the trail then skated to lunch at a cafe and then skated through the abita springs beer brewery on a tour. Abita Springs is a beautiful town with very attractive features around the trail. It was a great day and fully recommend it.
From: hall@aplcenmp.apl.jhu.edu (Marty Hall)
Date: Unknown
From: mcohen@bnr.ca (Matt Cohen)
Date: 24 Apr 1995 17:10:49 GMT
The best place to skate in the area is probably the Research Triangle Park - miles of trails and wide open, smooth roads with little hills or traffic. NC State and UNC have some good roads. Downtown Raleigh is good and well lit. The Triangle Skating Club [(919) 460-0964] has four organized group skates each week, Saturday at 10am, Sunday at 1pm, and Tue/Thu eves at 6pm, leaving from the park & ride next to the governor's inn, exit 280 off I40.
From: bcb@hyperfine.caltech.edu (Brian C. Broom)
Date: Wed, 26 Apr 1995 11:19:56 -1812
I used to skate a trail at shelly lake (raleigh around Millbrook rd ?) 2-3 Mi path. One direction has really steep downhill, and some other paths were steep, so scout ahead. I usually went counterclockwise around the lake.
I also heard people going to the Lake/Park around Athens Drive (again in Raleigh)
From: Rodney Patterson (Rodney.Patterson@NorfolkVA.ATTGIS.COM)
Date: Wed, 23 Aug 1995 22:10:00 GMT
A concrete path has been built on Beach Road in South Nags Head (app MP 16?). If you are not familiar with South Nags Head, take 158 business South until you see signs for the split to Manteo or Hatteras. 158 goes to Manteo, you have to veer left to get on NC 12 like you are headed to Hatteras, but you want to take the left at the KFC and then right down Beach Road. Parallel to this sidewalk (?) there are side streets on which I used to blade. The combination is enough to get some distance.
From: David Doughty (doughty@ena-east.ericsson.se)
Date: Fri, 08 Sep 95 14:08:56 -0400
Riverfront Park, down beside the old Correctional Facility along just below the confluence of the rivers into the Congaree: Smooth paved trail about 1/2 mile long, not great for distance, but nice to stretch the legs. I've skated from there along the sidewalks to the campus of "The USC" (The University of South Carolina), which has some good parking lots, stairs, etc, but you'd better be ready to deal with some serious hills if you want to go far!
DO NOT try to skate INSIDE Dutch Square Mall!!
From: David Doughty (doughty@ena-east.ericsson.se)
Date: Fri, 08 Sep 95 14:08:56 -0400
Downtown/Battery/College of Charleston - it's flat and it's paved, what else do you need to know?!? Just watch out for cobblestone streets and horse-droppings!
From: David Doughty (doughty@ena-east.ericsson.se)
Date: Fri, 08 Sep 95 14:08:56 -0400
Sea Pines Plantation has paved bike trails everywhere! Some are in bad repair, there is sand/water/etc on some, but most are great for skating. Narrow, but no hills - do watch for tourists on rent-a-bikes. There are also trails popping up around the rest of the Island, too. There is one along 278 from the Mall south, and then east to the Holiday Inn and on to Sea Pines. And if you forget your blades, you can rent some at fairly reasonable prices at...well it used to be the awesome Beach Factory, but Mr. Wingo changed the name, but it's located 270 degrees around the traffic circle from Holiday Inn, as you go back toward 278. It's on the right, just past the Exxon, next to Sharkey's Pizza, across the streed from a miniature golf place. Warning! DO NOT try to skate on the golf-cart paths. They do NOT appreciate it!
From: David Doughty (doughty@ena-east.ericsson.se)
Date: Fri, 08 Sep 95 14:08:56 -0400
Some great skating!! Plenty of sidewalks, parking lots, stairs, benches, etc. There is nothing else there but the University, so they're used to "pedestrian" traffic, and have plenty of paved areas with little/no cars. Just lots of people for about 15 minutes every hour :-) Plenty of hills, but if you navigate carefully you can catch the easier slopes.
The sidewalks above (and on top of!) Strom Thurmond Institute (underground building behind Cooper library) are nice, flat, often people meet here before heading out to the rest of campus. Small slopes coming down from Library and east-campus side are good for beginners.
Loading dock behind Olin hall (West campus between Brackett and Riggs) has great ramp for getting air (5 - 8 feet above ground level!), just make sure you launch at an angle or you'll hit the wall!
The hill going up to East Beach and the Crew sheds above the Rubgy fields is some intense downhill with more than enough flat run-out at the bottom. Just leave one person at the bottom of the hill to stop cars! (which are few and far between, unless they're starting crew practice).
The absolute best day I've ever had skating was the day we simply rolled right in the main gate to Death Valley, Clemson's stadium! Tearing around on the smooth asphalt under the stands, down The Hill (steep grass with asphalt at the top to start from, and a big dip half-way down: serious air, land with a tumble, head-over-heels down the rest of the slope! Excellent, and no road-rash, just grass stains!!), and down the grass slope between the West and South stands (Jump the wall and the sidewalk!)
Inside: Skateland in Anderson allows blades with no-mark brakes (or no brakes!) Skateland in Easley is a great rink, but I haven't been there since I got my blades, so I don't know about that.
Web sites with Nashville info:
From: mldickens@bbn.com (Michael L. Dickens)
Date: Unknown
I'm not sure if inlines are allowed, but there was an indoor skating rink on the east side of town (Oak Ridge), on the Turnpike.
OR does have some nice BIG parking lots to cruise around; mainly the newly renovated Downtown (Indoor) Mall. I'd probably stick to the Wal-Mart side because the pavement is better (and newer). There's always the Kroger's, K-Mart, and Family Rec parking lots.
I'm from OR, but I've never tried skaing around town. I think it is do-able, as biking was quite possibly in town. I wouldn't recommend blading out to the 'Labs, because the road is way too narrow (as of last year, at least. Maybe they finally got their act together ∧ did something about it!--it had no shoulder, and had room for 2 cars and a bike). During the summer, there are lots of runners and bikers. And also lots of traffic.
I'm also of the opinion that blading might not pass over too well with the natives (of OR at least). Skate boards were (and I think still are) pretty rad.
From: Robert Schmunk (rbs@skatecity.com)
Date: May 23, 1995
Along the Potomac River, there is a nice bike/jog/skate path paralleling the George Washington Memorial Parkway. It's just hilly enough to offer a pleasant workout, but not so hilly that it will wear you out. I have skated it from the Key Bridge connecting Arlington to the Georgetown section of DC all the way down to Alexandria Old Town, and I have seen a map which indicates that it can be taken as far south as Mt. Vernon. The distance from Key Bridge to Mt. Vernon is about 17 miles.
While the GW Parkway is very scenic, offering some fine views of DC, it does have some problems. The biggest is that it is somewhat narrow and very popular. This means that the potential for conflict between bikers and skaters is high and you must be prepared to extend the usual courtesies of the trail if you want to co-exist in peace. Thus, stay right except when passing someone, be sure to warn people when you pass them, etc. Another big problem with this trail is the relative lack of places to stop for water and/or Gatorade; between the Key Bridge and Alexandria Old Town, the only such place that I know of is the Washington Sailing Marina. Finally, the trail temporarily dissipates while in Old Town, so you may have to look around carefully to find where it continues on the other side of town.
From the Key Bridge area, there is supposed to be another major trail extending westward into Virginia about 42 miles. Ask around at local bike/skate shops for info.
Right by the Key Bridge is the Arlington Gateway Park. This has some nice sloping ramps and stairways for general larking about and perhaps some grinding and bashing. It seems to be pretty much deserted in the evenings and weekends.
From: mcasey@netrail.net (Mark Casey)
Date: Fri, 28 Jul 95 13:35 EDT
The Prosperity Business Park near DunLoring Metro in Falls Church is a great place to skate evenings and weekends. There are several two level concrete gargages (lighted and empty at night), ramps, stairs, rails, and objects to jump over/off along the 1/2 mi stretch. It's usually very quiet -- an out of the way place for the budding street skater or the beginner looking for a smooth rink to practice the basics. I've also heard the Fairfax County Government Center is a great place to skate but I haven't been there yet.
From: "Joshua B. Chapel" (jchapel@csugrad.cs.vt.edu)
Date: Fri, 21 Apr 1995 10:27:47 -0400
About the only place I know of is here at VA Tech, but it is great. There are stairs everywhere and all sorts of stuff to grind, slide, jump, whatever.
From: David Doughty (doughty@ena-east.ericsson.se)
Date: Fri, 08 Sep 95 14:08:56 -0400
Liberty University has some nice sidewalks, stairs, good rails!, etc. Almost no car-traffic, most of that on the main drag. If you can get up the hill from there to Ericsson (manufacturing plant) after hours, you'll find more asphalt than you'll know what to do with. They've recently repaved the parking lot, and considering it was built for ~1500 people, it ain't small. Just don't try to skate in the strip-mall across the street - the gaurds there don't like it!
Blackwater Creek Natural Area has some small bike/hike trails that are ok, about 7 miles long, not too bad for there and back again, one bad hill/curve just below the old train-tressle bridge with gravel at the bottom! Have to watch out for pedestrians and bikers, and it is in the woods, so sand, sticks, wet leaves, etc.
Oh, and it IS ILLEGAL to skate on the streets in the city limits of Lynchburg! (Campus doesn't count, I don't think...)
Inside: Fun Quest on Graves Mill Road across from the armory allows blades with no exposed metal bolts. They used to sell the plastic nuts to use on the bolts (I have original Lightnings), they probably have a few if you need them, just ask. They also rent blades (for use in the rink), they're not the best, but cheaper than renting for a day at a time if you're trying to get someone started. (They also have a tiny laser-tag arena - sorry, no skates!)
From: Elizabeth Fischer (EEFISCHER@intergate.dot.gov)
Date: Fri, 23 Feb 1996 17:46:39 -0500
There's something about the HILLs in the Hill City that make for a good skate -- going both down and up. I have never been stopped by the local constabulary for skating (as a matter of fact, I did not even know that it was illegal to street skate there until recently) on skates along Boonsboro Road to the west end of Peakland Place and on to the eastern intersection of Rivermont and Bedford Avenues. Skate smart, obey traffic rules for bikes and pedestrians, stay cool.
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