And by “skate spots” I mean the small skate areas installed by a Parks department, not some naturally occurring skate spot. This year Vancouver, Washington added three new skate spots to the three that already existed, with one more to begin construction in a “couple months.” On top of that, they’ve got two skateparks, granted one of them is a pre turn of the millennium P.O.S.. They’ve even got a web page that lists them all.
Sure, these spots all kind of have a generic look to them, possibly due to the fact that they mostly made from prefab concrete elements, but still, they are probably fun spots to session. A network of many small spots can be achieved gradually as money permits instead having to wait for extended period with nothing until a more substantial amount of money can be raised. A town saturated with skate spots could be one way to go, as long as they didn’t start repeating the same prefab elements.
According to Clark County parks:
A skate spot is a small concrete feature located inside a neighborhood park. These features are usually between 1,500-3,000 square feet (the Battle Ground Skate Park is 30,000 square feet), and include 1-3 street-style elements. They can be used by skateboarders, BMX bikers, rollerbladers and non-motorized scooter riders.
What about your town? I’d like to hear from readers whose municipalities are installing skate spots like they are in Vancouver. Fun? No fun? Pros and cons?
These are the three new spots in Vancouver.
Endeavour
40 comments
Joedinho11
I petitioned the city of Vancouver to put in a skate spot at harmony ridge because I lived a few blocks away. So when I found out they were building a park there I talked to Jilayne Jordan about getting a spot in. I made my own flyers about why having a skate spot is good and went knocking on doors and handing out flyers. Eventually it got approved but I moved soon afterward. I still haven’t skated there. I think it’s cool that the city listened to me because at time I was 12 years old. If skaters get active the city will listen to them. And those spots are all waay better than the “Tacos” or whatever they call those sketchy quarter pipes they put in by the police station. I wish they would build mini skate plaza’s everywhere. That’d be ideal and freakin legit!
Brock Savage
Those all look like pieces of shit
sutherlin mike
haha. Ive had some pretty bad mexican food in oaxaca mexico and some good street skating in mexico city(polanco banks) something like that off the subway line. That mexican joint by glenhaven on 82nd doesnt seem too bad. I miss all the good burritto joints in sf though. what was this thread about anyway? haha
chompy
I know I’m being an asshole here, but its sad that they are putting in “some” effort. Why not just do the job right and finish the work?
For a little more work they can turn their Taco Bell into an Autentica.
Carl
Vancouver made some calls and scheduled a meeting with skaters to get the placement of the obstacles as good as they could get them. They may have goofed the setting of the banks, but they did put some effort into it.
Carroll13
Re: spot/mexican crossover
I often skate a mildly banked(asphalt) spot near Orchards that I nicknamed the “Taco shell” because my first time there, I misread the acronym of the company that owns the lot.
There’s no vert, not much in the way of curbs, and small wheels would probably not work there…but since I’m still getting used to skating again, I enjoy carving it, and I use big wheels.
jakeferranti
tito, i think on one of my posts i did say “hispanic” food rather than mexican and i wouldn’t mind some popouseria action either just dont think your gunna find it if traditional mexican food is so hard to find here. but i could get down on them bugers bobcat posted hell yea-uh!
Greg N
With all this crossing Mexican food and skate parks… would it be fair to say that those skate spots, being here in the NW, is like having Taco Bell in Mexico. And the locals saying… “why complain… my kids eat it. its better than nothing.”
Just a thought. 😉
tito
they just need the right Brain behind those things, that is all. Both the burritos and the skate spots. Personally what you guys need is a Puerto Rican / Cuban Food spot. That is the real Spanish Yums; full of the herbs and spices that made the Euro french culinary trade humans for.
george
Seems like the first 3 Vancouver skatespots turned out much better than the most recent 3.
Obviously different builders. Why the change?
colin
try the truck (only open for lunch) at 7th and Division St in SE. it’s really good and cheap .. but it’s kind of small and the guy doesn’t really wrap it tightly which drives me crazy.
Portland does have some great Pho places. Probably is true for the Seattle area too.
jake...and annoy
and, um, they put the rail in how long after harmony ridge was finished? sort of wierd…look at the top shot of it with the bmx’r then look at the shot of it below on the far left/counter-clockwise….
jake...and annoy
F- the trialers at 112th! f- em’! I know its lame when there’s like 3 good banks and trailers are there.
the electric-box has a cement-to-lid gap near the grass on the side of that building. skecthy, but fun as hell and do-able.
i admit i did generalize and blur fast-food mexican w/mexican restaurants..but i digress..
iv’e lowered my standards for fast food too but if you been to AZ then tell me filiberto’s rolled tacos,supernacho’s and carna asada burrito is even comparable to muchas…but i guess its all about what an individual likes.
y’know corey duffel-dil got socked and kicked off a tour for arguing over some joint’s shitty burrito’s in van full’u dudes so i dont wanna be that guy…
Carroll13
Yeah, I like the 112th banks, I’ve been carving those a bit about every two weeks or so at night, although last time there was a dumpster in my usual path on one set of banks, and a semi trailer between two others I like.
I’ll have to check out the deaf school….no noise worries!
Jake, I was born in California, and have had great mexican food there and Arizona when I’ve visited relatives….as well as in Tijuana.
I don’t really hold fast food mexican food up to the same standards as “mexican food” in general though, so the bar is low for Muchas Gracias to me(I expect cut corners, etc.. for fast food), I prefer the sorts of things you can get at sit down restaurants.
puke
got a couple DIY spots in West couver. nothin big. cant complain if your’re ridin your own tacos.
bobcat
http://portlandhamburgers.blogspot.com/
SICK OF ME YET? I'LL BET
and the banks off gher/112th aint bad, or the deaf school on evergreen if cant ride longer than 12 minutes w/out getting booted…out of the 3 above harmony ridge abeit the most pre-fab looking,looks the best. now i’ll leave my computer alone for awhile….
Will Jones
in Eugene they put the curvy ledge in that one park across the street from oakway mall, its just a slab of concrete with a concrete banana shaped ledge, its just another skate spot, i think city built skatespots are an awesome idea
JAKEANDANNOY
man, i guess thats a challange to hit up some trucks in portland..guess i havent seen any where i skate there near northeast, or industrial. im not talking out my neck tho, ive been to all vancouver joints and can only vouch for 4 caminos(which translates to 4thplain) which it is on. cant remember if its before you hit grand or passed grand.
if you go there order the cazuela to start with a nice buzz and fill yer guts with the tijuana taco platter. or parrillada if you got a big appitite and like all kinds of seafood.
excuse me for also complaining without citing reason.. muchas gross-ass; the rolled tacos are pre-processed or frozen, the guac is mayo with green dye and hot sauce is water and crushed red pepper.
they barely give you any cheese and carne asada tacos are only supposed to have the spiced meat(not london broil tho!), cilantro, and white diced onion with lime slice.
also, strong evidence that its not real mexican is if there isnt a bottle of chalula and tapatio already on your table when you sit down. and real menudo is supposed to have hominy in it!(muchas,don pedro) lol…
puke
Got a few spots in Vancouver that stak up when it comes to mexican food. The fact that i grew up on Mexican food, cheap beer and a skateboard in the Southwest, i belive that i can vouch for at least 3 spots within a couple miles of my doorstep… including some mediocre ones too. Skate spots and mexican food.
The downhill taco in Hazeldell off 88th is suspect.
Mac
On the Mexican food, if any of you southwestern cats actually manage to find a restaurant or cart/truck in greater Portland that you think stacks up, let us know. We’ll make sure they stay in business. I’m counting on you, ’cause I haven’t found any either, and I’ve probably never had the good stuff. Thanks in advance.
JAKEANDANNOY
whut pho? pho dalatII aint bad at all..didimao!
heh,heh, anyway, prefab sucks etc but dave has good point.those are the only street spots in vancouver that will get any attention and fine…..and i read your recent post on the stranger,regarding bmx intrusion/aggression at our parks. good pics, good point and well said,bobcat.
bobcat
eat more pho, it’s good for you
and don’t support pre-fab but you already know that.
JAKEANDANNOY
Awright, I was gunna leave well enough alone on the mexican food thing cuz it aint the point…but,jump’n Jesus on a pogo stick-MUCHAS GROSSIAS???!!
I’m gunna take a wild guess that Sberg and Carroll13 are both white dudes that never lived in the southwest regions ie: CA,AZ,MX.
i know, what a scenster douche i am but when you grow up with real hispanic food the shit up here is either laughable or questionable. and by questionable i mean HTF can actual mexicans make mexican food so damn bad?
i am willing to believe it does exist up here but rare to say the least and im inclined to believe Colin when he says some trucks in PDX aint bad. some of the best carne tacos & ceviche ive had were off roach-coaches in L.A. you gotta fed-ex that shit up here or sumthin.
I will give the pac nw credit for a variety of good restaurants tho, just not mexican…..carry on.
The Doctor
Baloney. They could have put them in when they poured the flat. Poor planning is all it was.
colin
doing this correctly – ie. putting these forms down and pouring the flat around ’em or whatever it would take to get these perfect probably costs a ton more money and resources than this solution – so the question probably is… would you rather have this – or nothing?
dave
sure, something is better than nothing….
We are lucky to be a place where reasonable thinking and experience usually prevails. I like the attitude of “if I was a kid skating down the street I would be stoked to come across this…” but I don’t want to see skate spots, obstacles or whatever designed with that mentality. I find it amusing that so many skaters cast a critical eye upon DL, GL, etc when the company that designed and sold that prefab to Washington are claiming these projects as a success.
colin
for the record, there is no good mexican food up here although Mucho is “ok’ and Taco Trucks in portland are pretty good.
and if i was skating along the street as a kid and came upon these skate spots regardless of whether they were installed wrong my eyes would pop out of my head ala Mask with Jim Carrey including the old fashioned horn sound.
perfect and done correctly is boring
Carroll13
I’ve wanted to hit some of these spots, but I generally skate after dark, and these spots are usually not lit after dark…so I find “unofficial” skate spots of questionable legality after I get off work in the middle of the night, some of which I’ve been skating off and on since the 80s.
Muchas Gracias is great for fast food Mexican, but I like El Rancho Viejo better.
SBerg
I beg to differ on the mexican food issue. Muchas Gracis for the win.
JAKEANDANNOY
Meh, i live in vancouver and beggers cant be choosers on the street skating here.
I moved here from los angeles 3 years ago and have learned to deal with 2 bleak dissapointments; a lack of real mexican food(except 4 caminos)and any decent street skating.
Critizing the flaws of these prefab-design “spots” here is like telling a hooker you wont pay full price cuz her fingernails were dirty. Yeah…then all of the sudden I’M the bad guy.
Tom Miller
Just fyi for all you skate policy PhD candidates (don’t laugh; it’s probably inevitable), the City of Portland’s policy is that skate spots are 10,000 square feet or fewer, and intended to meet two needs:
(a) address needs not met by the skatepark system (both in terms of features provided and distance a skater must travel to skate something legal and fun), and
(b) create a social and aesthetic environment that blends into the existing environment rather than create its own environment.
Kilwag
Puh-lease. They were installed wrong. It’s one thing to make it that way on purpose, another to have lazy or ineffectual people doing the install. . DIY has it’s own place. A city installed park should be done correctly. Kids deserve better.
Hey it shouldn’t be perfect. Next time let’s just buy crappy playground ramps. The kids don’t know any better!
colin
I’m with Tim… These are sick street spots that shouldn’t be perfect anyway.. if it bugs you so much, get a fucking trowel and a bag of concrete and go fix it. Maybe this is an effort for people to DIY and add on… The city is just giving you a starting point…
Tim
Jeez, you guys sound like a bunch of chicks…..bitching and complaining.
At least they are putting out the effort to go the extra mile.
Thanks for this site by the way it’s keystone!!
nweyesk8
guess they are just tall slappy curbs
chompy
Ya, it seems like it would make more sense to put them down and pour the flat around it. They should at least dig into the concrete at the base, rebar and pour. But that just makes too much sense.
Kilwag
Good point. The others aren’t like that.
I don’t think they are chipped, it looks like the poured the slab first and dropped the prefab on top. LAZY!! And WEAK. I hope they stop doing that.
nweyesk8
cause they are prefab pieces set in place and the area you are referring too would be super thin and prone to chipping during shipping or installation, well that’s my uneducated opinion on why.
chompy
its strange that the seams where the banks meet the flat are all jacked up… why?