In my very first post, I mentioned that I've been living in Washington, DC since 1994 and will be moving -- home -- to Denver this month. Before I leave, I am going to have to figure out how to say goodbye to some of my favorite spots, not just in DC, but all over the East Coast. One of the things I am going to miss most is the ability to get to Baltimore, Philly, NYC, or to any number of beaches, without having to get on a plane or drive for three days to do it. In the next week or so, look here for my farewells to the Green Skate Lab and Freedom Plaza in DC, Owl's Head in Brooklyn, and other favorite East Coast spots. But I might as well start with the most important: FDR. Confession: I have never been to Burnside. I'll get to go later this summer when the Dew Tour goes through Portland, and I can't wait to have my mind blown by the place. So far, however, in my mind and in my own experience, FDR is THE coolest place anywhere that a person can ride a skateboard.Over the weekend, I drove up to Philly -- mostly to take a long lazy tubing ride on the Delaware River in Buck's County with thirty of Philly's most heavily-tattooed thirty-something straightedge hardcore scene veterans -- and stopped by FDR on the way home. Like an idiot, I forgot my camera (the photo above is by Bryan Lathrop, from his gallery at the
FDRskatepark.org site , and I also didn't think to pack dry skate shoes for after my water-logged adventure. So I just kind of stood there on the edge of it, soaking it all in: The fact of a ragtag bunch of skaters piecing such a thing together, over time, then proceeding to skate it in new ways as changing as the surface graffiti that blankets the place, so that it continually evolves, truly feels like an organic thing and not a mass of concrete.I continue to be blown away by the ingenuity of skaters, and FDR is one of the lasting monuments to this spark. On my way out of Philly, my friend Willy was telling me about all the semi-secret warehouse ramps around the city, about abandoned lots where concrete has been poured over night, Jersey barriers dragged in, impromptu skate spots popping up all over the city. Fantastic place, Philly. I'll be looking for reasons to get back to it.Not trying to get all teary-eyed about it either, though: Colorado, I am coming for you. I know you have a lot of concrete waiting for me. And i just shelled out the pre-season price for my snowboarding pass, too. Try to treat me right, okay? I'm a native son, and while I've been awfully tempted by my time in the East, I am coming home.
