This appropriately named spot is called the Bubble Banks. A reader named Mark W. pointed out that it was near the mystery spot that we found through the Disciplinary Architecture Anti-Sit Archives post. The Bubble Banks photos are from Quartersnacks.com, a NYC-centric web site that even has an online guide to various spots, complete with location, occasional direction, bust factor and visual aids. I guess in a city as big as New York it’s not a big deal to spell out all the details on spots because they are all probably blown out already. It’s not like posting an online map to something as fragile as a pool ecosystem. Check out Quartersnacks.com, named after those Little Debbie snacks you can buy for a quarter, I guess. There’s a lot of content and it looks like they put some effort into the design and concept.

Nestled in the pictures from yesterday’s post about the Anti-Sit Archives is this mystery spot allegedly somewhere in New York City. This picture shows the banks deserted at lunch time, but don’t ask the author where it is because he’s not flowing. I’m sure it’s not a mystery to the locals. Is it possible to blow out a spot like this, never having been there, not even knowing where it is? Oops! Surely this has appeared in a magazine before. Looks fun.

Update: Quartersnacks comes through with the 411

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We pretend to be a legitimate source of information on skateboarding and culture here at SnA, but really we’re just a couple of guys wise cracking at a keyboard. Nothing illustrates that more than the fact that I have two links in this post that were supposed to be related, but I’ve lost my notes and context so can’t make a thoughtful analysis. Aww hell, I’m posting it anyway. First we have a gallery of anti skating devices called Unsubtle deterrents. None of the photos are amazing, but the collection sure has an nice calming effect for some reason, even though it should make my blood boil. I only wish they were all the same size and orientation. Next we have a paper by Ocean Howell titled “The Poetics of Security: Skateboarding, Urban Design, and the New Public Space” Sure it’s a bit dry, but the gist is that “skateboarding is exceptionally good at drawing attention to the quietly exclusionary nature of the new public space.” In other words, public spaces are being designed to force the public to use them in ways that the public doesn’t necessarily want to. It’s like the grandmother that gives you $10 for your birthday but tells you you have to put it in the bank and not spend it on comic books or candy. Gee, thanks. There’s a pretty obvious conclusion to draw about modern skatepark design from a street skater’s point of view. In any case Ocean’s article exists on an online archive that craps out after seven pages of text with titles like “Voyeur-god vs. the Spatial Practitioner” that all have to do with skateboarding in public spaces. I haven’t read it all yet. I thought there was no limit to how much I was willing to geek out about skateboarding, but apparently I found it.

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We’ve had a few risque posts here lately, so I thought I’d be open handed and fair by putting up something for the ladies… This exotic dance team will be appearing at the Scab and Flab nightly for your enjoyment. Try the chicken fried steak and don’t forget to tip your waitress. So drink it in, and don’t thank me all at once. And, yes, summer is over.

This Titan missile silo complex located one and a half hours west of Spokane Washington is for sale. $1.5 million dollars gets you 57 acres, three missile silos, thirteen other underground buildings and the most expensive street skating spot you can find. At least you won’t go to prison for barging it. Looks like a great spot for a photo shoot.

[Source: Gizmodo]

Australia’s Herald Sun has an article titled Skaters shun parks for concrete jungle that talks about how kids still don’t want to be confined to skateparks. While Melbourne is upping it’s skateboard deterrent budget to $50,000 a year, the city of Boroondara has an annual budget of $100,000 a year for skatepark development. 100k Australian is only about $86,000 in US dollars, but it’s still nothing to sneeze at. One of the popular street skating spots that kids keep barging is called Docklands, which near as I can tell is a redeveloped waterfront plaza that used to be, well, docks. The article mentions YouTube videos of Docklands, so I did a cursory search. There appears to be a nicely finished pedestrian park as well as a bunch of more industrial areas that appear to be abandoned or in disuse. You can watch a couple vids after the jump.

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“Sadlands on Steroids” was my second choice of titles for these pics of Plaza Bellver in Palma de Mallorca, Spain. This has got to be, what they call the shit. Possibly the best not-made-for-skating skate terrain ever? Dean Tyrell sent in these pictures (and more) after seeing the post on the French artsy fartsy skate spot. You can see more (and larger) pics of Plaza Bellver and a few legit skate spots in Palma de Mallorca Spain in the feature.

The signs next to this public space say “Interdiction De Monter Sur Le Mur,” which I’m pretty sure means “stay off the wall.” This French spot is labeled as La Vague du Parc Clichy/Batignolles. I don’t know where or what (ou, quoi) that is, but the spot looks rad. I imagine a curb will go up at the bottom of that soon. There are few more pics on Skatepark de Paris’ flickr stream. Thanks to German reader Michael Pfister who originally saw this on SkateAndDestroy.de.

Jungleland Skates has a tribute page to a spot called the Tea Bowls that was sessioned intermittently from the 70s through the 90s. Like the rest of Jungleland (don’t look you’ll spoil a future post!) it is well thought out and has a slight museum-like air to it. There are videos, video grabs, still shots and a surprising history of the spot. Turns out some richies built an elaborate estate for tea parties and social events in the 1920’s. Part of this estate are these huge reservoir type bowls and a series of aqueducts that must have taken an absurd amount of water to fill. Make sure to watch the video clips. I know you are thinking “Well, that’s going to be some boring ditch footage,” but the clips are short and the action is interesting. One of the bowls is gnarly and deep. The surface is broken up and there are massive piles of dirt to be navigated around. The whole thing is very surreal. It’s hard to imagine why they built such deep pools that were more suitable for scuba diving or holding the Loch Ness Monster than swimming. Also of note are a couple of the amusing “lifestyle” photos. Explore Jungleland Skates Tea Bowls Tribute page. [Source: Random Press]

Wheelie. Wheelie. Wheelie.

My friend did a manual, and then a nose manual on a ledge which is longer than a football field. The actual distance was 315.21 feet and I found that using Google Earth, I even included a screen shot at the end of the clip for you non-believers.

Wheelie. Wheelie. Wheelie.

Update: I never said this was the longest, but people keep sending in longer manuals, so I’ve added them after the jump. However, this first video is still (more?) interesting for three reasons:

1. Unlike the others, it’s an ollie to manual.
2. There’s a Google Earth picture of this huge manual pad.
3. The other guys are appear to be rolling downhill.