Coming to New York City

[stankbox]

somebody already claimed the quartersnacks.com tag.

[Sheep]

You're staying super close to Riverside Park. I heard they just re-did the whole park too. Maybe a rumour?

[H8R]

You're staying super close to Riverside Park. I heard they just re-did the whole park too. Maybe a rumour?

rumor. 
they haven't done shit since zoo had a demo way back when.....back when zoo was really zoo.  but yeah, riverside is right there(108th and the westside highway) and worth checking out if you're bored and want to skate some trannies.  bring a helmet, the guys that work there are sticklers about that shit.     

definitely check out the quartersnacks website for more street spots, theres tons of them right around where you're staying.         

[iriemon]

"We got some bust-ya-ass ramps..." I hella remember that 411 segment from back in the day. Anyway, no, I'm cool on trying to skate with a helmet on, I plan on just cruising around and checkin shit out along the way, but having some coordinates and destinations couldn't hurt. How about restaurants, whats some good food I shouldn't miss? Oh yeah, can anyone reefer me to a good bodega or does anyone have the number to Mr. Nice Guy. Wheres da green, son!

[H8R]

Oh yeah, can anyone reefer me to a good bodega or does anyone have the number to Mr. Nice Guy. Wheres da green, son!

that made me laugh!


just ask any skater you run into and they'll more than likely put you on to a green spot. 
no matter, you won't have a hard time finding smoke in NYC. 

[SoapboxStance]

huge slices of pizza on b'way and 109th i think for $2. big though
other than that, the upper west side sucks for food, but everywhere below 14th is the best. if you're really broke, punjabi on houston across from ludlow is good, a full meal for under $5, but find a toilet soon thereafter. don't eat mexican, don't eat chinese. you will be disappointed.

[the_96]

How about restaurants, whats some good food I shouldn't miss?

A list of restaurants/food stands in the area:

Noche Mexicana
852 Amsterdam Ave,   New York 10025
Btwn 101st & 102nd St

Flor de Mayo
2651 Broadway,   New York 10025
Btwn 100th & 101st St

Super Tacos Sobre Ruedas taco truck
on 96th and Broadway by the Gristede's supermarket
and Rite Aid Pharmacy

Humus Place
305 Amsterdam Ave. at 74th-75th

Absolute Bagels
2788 Broadway
New York, NY
10025-2827
Between 107th Street and 108th Street

Sal and Carmine's Pizza
2671 Broadway
New York, NY
10025-5025
Between 101st Street and 102nd Street
    
Sun-Chan
Japanese, Sushi
2707 Broadway,   New York 10025
Btwn 103rd & 104th St 

The 2/3 downtown train which you can catch at 96th St
can get you to 14th St and 7th Ave in 10 minutes during the week.
(The local 1 train does pretty much the same route but make every stop
and sometimes beats the 2/3 when they're congested). On the weekends
it takes longer.

Transfer to the N/R/Q/W at 42nd St/Times Sq to get to
14th St / Union Square. Get on a local for one more stop to get to the 8th St/Astor Place
station to get closer to St Marks/Thompkins Square/Central Village

Or use the 1 and transfer at 59th St station to catch FV trains to get to the Lower East Side.
(F and V trains 2nd Ave or Delancey St stops, Broadway/Lafayette
stop to get to Supreme/DQM)

[the_96]

Expand Quote

You're staying super close to Riverside Park. I heard they just re-did the whole park too. Maybe a rumour?

[close]

rumor. 
they haven't done shit since zoo had a demo way back when.....back when zoo was really zoo.  but yeah, riverside is right there(108th and the westside highway) and worth checking out if you're bored and want to skate some trannies.  bring a helmet, the guys that work there are sticklers about that shit.     

definitely check out the quartersnacks website for more street spots, theres tons of them right around where you're staying.         

pretty much boring to the naked eye but once in a while an og astor head will come by or some brooklyn
artsy fartsy dudes and the session gets good. there's no scene and no intmindation factor if there is vibing
you can laugh it off because everyone's a dork and  they know it. Talked to Andy once and said he wanted
to tear the park apart and make it all concrete.

[the_96]

Farter east

east coast, west coast, farting's all the same

[bobsaget]

grimaldi's (idk about spelling)

its right over the brooklyn bridge

best pizza in the city

[nerd34]

katz's deli on Houston.  go there for sure.

[dudebro]

okay. this is weird. i just got back from skating all day and doing some drinking along the way. i've been thinking about moving out to nyc because i'm just needing something new and i have a few friends out there. so i've been skating for maybe 12 or 13 years and gone through a few ups and downs and i've experienced a lot through skating. i still love skating and everything that comes along with it but i'm getting to point that i think a lot of older guys (i'm 26) get to where they become kind of jaded and burnt out on skating even though i still enjoy it and progress when i go out and roll. so i guess my question is for the dudes out there in nyc is what is it going to be like? where i live now its semi-cool because there are a few decent skateparks within a short driving distance and the "scene" is cool because i know lots of skater dudes that work at bars and restaurants. honestly i enjoy rolling through the streets and just hitting up spots along the way. i'm getting less "serious" all the time but i think that's what makes it fun for me. so if i go to nyc is it going to be snobby, am i going to get mugged, am i going to love it? what's the deal with the city?

[Caps Lock]

Word, you gonna get mugged and murked b. Dont come out.

[H8R]

huge slices of pizza on b'way and 109th i think for $2. big though

its up to $3 now.   

[H8R]

so i guess my question is for the dudes out there in nyc is what is it going to be like? where i live now its semi-cool because there are a few decent skateparks within a short driving distance and the "scene" is cool because i know lots of skater dudes that work at bars and restaurants. honestly i enjoy rolling through the streets and just hitting up spots along the way. i'm getting less "serious" all the time but i think that's what makes it fun for me. so if i go to nyc is it going to be snobby, am i going to get mugged, am i going to love it? what's the deal with the city?

theres not a lot of skateparks here and no one really drives, its all about taking trains and skating from spot to spot.  i hope you got some strong legs and a good switch push.     
the NYC scene is pretty tight, everyone sort of knows everyone but my being an old dude might have something to do with it.  theres always gonna be those snobby i'm-too-cool-to-talk-you skaters but thats everywhere.  for the most part everyone is down for one another or atleast that how i like to think it is. 
as far as not getting mugged, just don't look like a tourist, don't look like you're lost, and you'll be fine. 
how does one not look like a tourist?  don't be looking up and down walking down the street all slow, only tourists do that shit.  new yorkers ignore everything and everyone around them and get to where they're going fast. 
how does one not look like they're lost?   always look like you know where you're going and never walk down the same block twice in the hood(depends on the hood and if its night time).  even if you know you're going the wrong way, don't turn around and head back the same way you came, thats a no-no in any hood here.  that lets everyone on that block know you ain't from there, which makes you easy prey.

[nerd34]

26 isn't old at all. you probably just feel like your burning out. But anyway people who come to try
 to skate the city end up just getting drunk every night.  NYC is really what you make of it. If you don't get caught up in the bar scene too much its one of the best places to skate

[SoapboxStance]

I moved there when i was 25 and seriously got a second wind. NY is one of the only places, in my opinion, where you don't feel like a weird old guy still skating.

[moustache]

I've been in NY for 2 years. And still don't know anybody really. Maybe it's just me but the scene can be a little weird here. Don't get me wrong there are plenty of people out skating, and doing there own thing, and having a good time- and there is plenty of awesome shit to skate- but 75% of the skate-scene here revolves around looking cool, skating tompkins, buying new half-cabs weekly, and being a cool-kid. But that said, you can still avoid that shit, and have so much fun just cruising around, finding spots, and hitting up metal curbs...

I don't know. Maybe I'm just a weirdo. Just coming from a tight-group of friends back home who just cared about skating for fun, and having a good time; the NY vibe can be a bit weird. You'll also miss having a chill-park to hit up and cruise around, but the endless streets will make up for that.

When I say NY vibe I really mean the Supreme/Autumn/TF/Quartersnacks vibe.

KCDC peoples, seem more relaxed, and there are plenty of diverse groups of people that skate in this city. You just have to find the right one I guess. Either way, you can hop on the bar scene and make friends that way (but you'll skate maybe once every 2 months), hit up the cool-kid TF crew, and skate a flat bar everyday, go to KCDC or the Autumn bowl and make it with the tranny dudes, or just lurk around spot hunting and bombing across the city and maybe score a Puleo sighting or two. Either way you'll find something to skate and maybe someone to skate with.

Failing that, hit me up and I'll gladly be down for a shred. I mostly cruise solo, but that's circumstance and habit, rather than choice. So I'm down. (same goes for any NY heads that lurk here).

[H8R]

I've been in NY for 2 years. And still don't know anybody really. Maybe it's just me but the scene can be a little weird here. Don't get me wrong there are plenty of people out skating, and doing there own thing, and having a good time- and there is plenty of awesome shit to skate- but 75% of the skate-scene here revolves around looking cool, skating tompkins, buying new half-cabs weekly, and being a cool-kid. But that said, you can still avoid that shit, and have so much fun just cruising around, finding spots, and hitting up metal curbs...

I don't know. Maybe I'm just a weirdo. Just coming from a tight-group of friends back home who just cared about skating for fun, and having a good time; the NY vibe can be a bit weird. You'll also miss having a chill-park to hit up and cruise around, but the endless streets will make up for that.

When I say NY vibe I really mean the Supreme/Autumn/TF/Quartersnacks vibe.

KCDC peoples, seem more relaxed, and there are plenty of diverse groups of people that skate in this city. You just have to find the right one I guess. Either way, you can hop on the bar scene and make friends that way (but you'll skate maybe once every 2 months), hit up the cool-kid TF crew, and skate a flat bar everyday, go to KCDC or the Autumn bowl and make it with the tranny dudes, or just lurk around spot hunting and bombing across the city and maybe score a Puleo sighting or two. Either way you'll find something to skate and maybe someone to skate with.

Failing that, hit me up and I'll gladly be down for a shred. I mostly cruise solo, but that's circumstance and habit, rather than choice. So I'm down. (same goes for any NY heads that lurk here).

too true.  theres a lot of fake scenesters here, you can usually spot them pretty easily because they wear overpriced boutique shirts, funky colored SB's, and no article of clothing they wear has a hole/tear/rip in it.  i usually avoid these types because for the most part, they don't/can't skate, but love to hate.     

i have nothing against the autumn guys but some of the supreme and quartersnacks dudes are too cool to talk to anyone, which explains why they haven't gone anywhere in skateboarding.  they're a bunch of skater haters and everyone who matters in NYC knows it, i mean who wants to sponsor a professional asshole?   

i feel kind of bad that you haven't made any good friends yet.    NYC is kind of hard place to make friends since everyone is sort of paranoid and/or neurotic but i always try my best to be friendly to everyone i meet.  we've probably already met and skated together and don't even know it....are you from queens?           

[dudebro]

sounds like its pretty fun. i can ignore all the bs stuff you guys are mentioning, but i do happen to enjoy skating in half-cabs or vulcanized shoes in general...

[moustache]

Brooklyn son! Carrol Gardens area. You? Yeah we most likely have seen each other at some point, although probably in my first year here, since then I've stuck mainly to solo night missions and spot hunts!

Let me know if you ever fancy a shred...

[moustache]

PS. Nowt wrong with Half-Cab's, just limited edition Pink ones with the tongues puffed out!

PPS. Yeah the Autumn dudes are pretty mellow, and the owner Dave is a cool as fuck guy from my expeariences in the shop. I was making more reference to the other "too-cool" crews...

[iriemon]

Frisco is the same way, I always feel rejuvenated every time I'm there, too, and generally skate, not more seriously, just more intently, I'm always stoked to just cruise there.....

Expand Quote

I've been in NY for 2 years. And still don't know anybody really. Maybe it's just me but the scene can be a little weird here. Don't get me wrong there are plenty of people out skating, and doing there own thing, and having a good time- and there is plenty of awesome shit to skate- but 75% of the skate-scene here revolves around looking cool, skating tompkins, buying new half-cabs weekly, and being a cool-kid. But that said, you can still avoid that shit, and have so much fun just cruising around, finding spots, and hitting up metal curbs...

I don't know. Maybe I'm just a weirdo. Just coming from a tight-group of friends back home who just cared about skating for fun, and having a good time; the NY vibe can be a bit weird. You'll also miss having a chill-park to hit up and cruise around, but the endless streets will make up for that.


Failing that, hit me up and I'll gladly be down for a shred. I mostly cruise solo, but that's circumstance and habit, rather than choice. So I'm down. (same goes for any NY heads that lurk here).

[close]

the third sentence in the first paragraph easily works for SF, as well, by exchanging tompkins for the island, half-cabs to I-path and cool-kid to hyphy kid...I was kinda coming there with the assumption that this attitude always pervades some 'locals', it really is the same everywhere....in any faction of life.....whatevs. I know I don't have spectacular social skills around large groups or small groups for that matter, shit I even manage to create uncomfortable situations around domesticated animals, but when people vibe me, it just make me laugh out loud. If you're too cool to say one word to me, but engrossed enough to spend your day gawkin at me, talkin shit to the homies or whatever, then yes please, keep your fuckin ass over there and watch me have a good time. I used to try and penetrate beneath the apathetic exterior that these kooks force on you, but truth is that most people with that kind of attitude feel like they're 'coming up' (actually heard a kid scream this once after he landed his chincy fuckin line that concluded with a noseslide shuvit (the easy way!!)I still laugh at that fuckin kook "I'M COMING UPP" ) who have placed all their eggs in one basket and don't know anything really outside of skateboarding, met so many kids like that (not talkin shit, I was that kid for MANY years), maybe they are holders of the ever-elusive shop sponsor or perhaps they just suck, that's always a pleasant surprise Now, where the hell was I heading with all that? Ah yes, Senor Moustachio, you sound like my kinda people, I'll hit you up before I leave, I don't think I'll have internet access there, but maybe we could set a time and place. You live in the area I'm staying (W 101st/Amsterdam)?

[SoapboxStance]

WHOA-WHOA-WHOA!!!
the quartersnacks guys aren't going anywhere? can you please clarify that statement, please?
 Also, although my allegiances will always rest with Autumn, I would say that 80% of the Supreme guys are down to earth as fuck, and would be happy to go skating or show spots. I think NY has one of the most organic and supportive skate scenes, whether it be shredding daily with Steve R (just an example, not BEAMing) or reminiscing about old videos with skate vets at the Fish, it is not the kind of elitist closed circle that you guys make it out to be. What I like is that a lot of the skaters out here have other shit going on, whether it be having to hold down regular jobs or just being involved in some crazy other shit that most skaters outside of NY would not have to deal with. It is the sort of attitude that makes skating Tompkins, and yes,it utterly sucks and doesn't compare to any other skate spots, actually sort of fun. It's not so much the actual skating that gets done there, it's the environment that it's done in. There are fights, shit-talking, skanks, ho's, bitches, models, dicks, fuck-faces, rockabilly dirtbags and baseball playing assholes to contend with daily, and somehow that makes tre flips on cracked ground way more fun.
Maybe it's just me.
Whoever comes out here should definitely spend some time spot-searching and seeing other parts of town, but I really do think that a lot can be learned and a lot of fun can be had by hanging out at the TF and just watching the bullshit that goes down. Pathetic, yes, but real nonetheless.
Also, moustache and h8r, whoever you guys really are, it would behoove you guys to be a little more upen-minded. Maybe I'm blind to it, but I've seen a lot more shit-talking elitism amongst skaters in other cities.

[moustache]

I'm pretty open minded dude. If you read my post I was pretty much talking about all the different crews in NY. Yeah maybe the TF is fun, and I can see why it would be if you know a bunch of people and have a good time. I'm not talking shit on that. I'm just saying that if you don't there's still plenty of shit to skate and fun to be had. The thing is, whether I think these things or not, there's definitely a lot of different clicks in this city, and that's what the guy was asking about. Yeah it's the same, or worse, in other places too, but if definitely happens here... I guess it's not always a bad thing, I'm just saying it's rife in NYC.

Things are always different outside looking in, as apposed to being in the mix. Nature of the beast. I'm open minded enough to know that if someone proves me wrong and is a stand up decent guy, I'm not going to give two shits who he hangs around with, or where he skates. Im all for people, just not always groups of people.

[bentmode]

whats the open bottle law like there?

[SoapboxStance]

I'll go skate with you, buddy

[nerd34]

I've been in NY for 2 years. And still don't know anybody really. Maybe it's just me but the scene can be a little weird here. Don't get me wrong there are plenty of people out skating, and doing there own thing, and having a good time- and there is plenty of awesome shit to skate- but 75% of the skate-scene here revolves around looking cool, skating tompkins, buying new half-cabs weekly, and being a cool-kid. But that said, you can still avoid that shit, and have so much fun just cruising around, finding spots, and hitting up metal curbs...

I don't know. Maybe I'm just a weirdo. Just coming from a tight-group of friends back home who just cared about skating for fun, and having a good time; the NY vibe can be a bit weird. You'll also miss having a chill-park to hit up and cruise around, but the endless streets will make up for that.

When I say NY vibe I really mean the Supreme/Autumn/TF/Quartersnacks vibe.

KCDC peoples, seem more relaxed, and there are plenty of diverse groups of people that skate in this city. You just have to find the right one I guess. Either way, you can hop on the bar scene and make friends that way (but you'll skate maybe once every 2 months), hit up the cool-kid TF crew, and skate a flat bar everyday, go to KCDC or the Autumn bowl and make it with the tranny dudes, or just lurk around spot hunting and bombing across the city and maybe score a Puleo sighting or two. Either way you'll find something to skate and maybe someone to skate with.

Failing that, hit me up and I'll gladly be down for a shred. I mostly cruise solo, but that's circumstance and habit, rather than choice. So I'm down. (same goes for any NY heads that lurk here).

its true 75% of the skate scene is who's who, whats what, and clothes and shit.  To be honest, 40% of those dudes rip. the other 35% just are wanabes.  Just be the dude who skates around and doesnt care about spots.  Don't fall into the "ABD" or "Uhhh that spot is so played out" traps. fuck em and just skate everything.

[Caps Lock]

In all realness, its not hard to make friends here that skateboard. Just roll up to a spot and tell them you're new and shit and to show them a few spots. The Quartersnack guys are pretty cool, I'm sure if you spotted them at a spot; they'd be down to chill or skate.

[Zurg]

vibing is all what you make of it. It kinda sounds like youre expecting to be vibed and act accordingly. that being said, some people are just dicks