Author Topic: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California  (Read 5355 times)

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lampshade

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Re: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California
« Reply #30 on: October 13, 2021, 01:57:01 PM »
I can’t imagine looking around the nation right now and thinking California is where the dumb people are.

California is just a huge state.  You can't really make generalites.  It's like if you made New England to Georgia one state.  There is all kinds of different stuff going on.  You can't really compare someone living in a trailer in Victorville to some Tech mogul in SF.  Just like you can't compare someone living in a penthouse on Central Park to a red neck from rural South Carolina. 

SatanicPanic

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Re: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California
« Reply #31 on: October 13, 2021, 02:58:28 PM »
Expand Quote
I can’t imagine looking around the nation right now and thinking California is where the dumb people are.
[close]

California is just a huge state.  You can't really make generalites.  It's like if you made New England to Georgia one state.  There is all kinds of different stuff going on.  You can't really compare someone living in a trailer in Victorville to some Tech mogul in SF.  Just like you can't compare someone living in a penthouse on Central Park to a red neck from rural South Carolina.
There are millions of dumb people here, because we’re a big state. But people are suggesting we’re dumber on average, which is nuts.

DaleSr

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Re: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California
« Reply #32 on: October 13, 2021, 03:00:04 PM »
Expand Quote
I can’t imagine looking around the nation right now and thinking California is where the dumb people are.
[close]

California is just a huge state.  You can't really make generalites.  It's like if you made New England to Georgia one state.  There is all kinds of different stuff going on.  You can't really compare someone living in a trailer in Victorville to some Tech mogul in SF.  Just like you can't compare someone living in a penthouse on Central Park to a red neck from rural South Carolina.

Absolutely. Every area is really distinct. But when most people think of California what they really are envisioning is Los Angeles or SF because it's easier to make generalities based off of those places.
And just like every other state, we're judged often times by the actions and policies of politicians that most of the state hates, similar to Texas

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Re: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California
« Reply #33 on: October 13, 2021, 03:02:10 PM »
I fucking loved SF. The place ruled for skating.

There certainly a certain vibe when it comes to skating there.

Way too much suffering and poverty there though. Its hard to believe that people can let others exist like that. So sad.  I could never live there.

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Re: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California
« Reply #34 on: October 13, 2021, 03:05:22 PM »
My favorite place in America is Los Angeles (hopefully, moving back by August of next year).

But, one thing that always surprised me is how kooky the LA scene can be. When I first arrived I expected everyone to be super cool and know everything about everything, but I've met a ton of kooks there. I thought every shop would be amazing, but a lot of the shops are fucking terrible.

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DaleSr

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Re: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California
« Reply #35 on: October 13, 2021, 03:14:00 PM »
My favorite place in America is Los Angeles (hopefully, moving back by August of next year).

But, one thing that always surprised me is how kooky the LA scene can be. When I first arrived I expected everyone to be super cool and know everything about everything, but I've met a ton of kooks there. I thought every shop would be amazing, but a lot of the shops are fucking terrible.

I've never dug LA's scene. I'm very biased because of where I'm from but even with the abundance of kookiness and Olympic skate coaches and rich kids who want to slum it but own a beamer, SD actually has a lot of good shops and our scene is pretty cool. Tons of people come from all over the country and world and end up finding a niche and a home in the scene here

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Re: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California
« Reply #36 on: October 13, 2021, 03:17:15 PM »
I fucking loved SF. The place ruled for skating.

There certainly a certain vibe when it comes to skating there.

Way too much suffering and poverty there though. Its hard to believe that people can let others exist like that. So sad.  I could never live there.

Some of that is because neighboring cities and states refuse to take care of their own. Like in Portland, we have had cities literally bus their destitute to our cities because they know we do care and try to help, hence more resources. I'm sure its similar in SF and LA. But the suffering and poverty that's so visible in SF is a nationwide issue. Other places just hide it, sweep it or criminalize homelessness  making it worse in places that do try to tackle it.

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Re: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California
« Reply #37 on: October 13, 2021, 03:22:46 PM »
Being at a skatepark in LA and having someone walk up to you with some stickers asking you to check out their brand on instagram (or does this happen everywhere now?)

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Re: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California
« Reply #38 on: October 13, 2021, 04:02:29 PM »
I can’t imagine looking around the nation right now and thinking California is where the dumb people are.

You should spend a little time in LA or SF, expand your horizons. 

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Re: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California
« Reply #39 on: October 13, 2021, 04:09:34 PM »
I lived in sf for a year and it truly is the worst winter weather ive ever experienced. Soaking through a hoodie at the beach on a windy 58 degree day cause relative humidity is 80% (I was also 20 pounds heavier last January which definitely had something to do with it lol). Also fire season is some real shit - going outside without a mask gives you cancer for a month or so out of the year

Interpersonally, skateboarding seems really popular and everyone I met seems to get it in a way I'd never experienced before. I'd explain that I spent pre-vaccine times on unemployment skating everyday and they totally understood. Roll up to the spot and even the kids say what's up.

In terms of public policy, skateboarders are like lower than dirt. That's just my anecdotal SF experience though

I'd take Bay Area winter again over the Michigan Winter I've been getting the last few years, but fire season is truly awful and can be pretty harrowing if you've had to evacuate or relocate.

Absolutely agree that more skaters there "get it" than on average elsewhere. Big shout out to my friends out in Santa Rosa, miss you guys and that place.
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Re: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California
« Reply #40 on: October 13, 2021, 04:19:36 PM »
Expand Quote
I can’t imagine looking around the nation right now and thinking California is where the dumb people are.
[close]
You should spend a little time in LA or SF, expand your horizons.
Uh I have dood

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Re: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California
« Reply #41 on: October 13, 2021, 05:05:01 PM »
Always wanted to go to California one day on some solo skate rat trip. 

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Re: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California
« Reply #42 on: October 13, 2021, 05:28:10 PM »
Being at a skatepark in LA and having someone walk up to you with some stickers asking you to check out their brand on instagram (or does this happen everywhere now?)

along with LA, this happens to me in OC and SD too. This is ridiculously accurate haha

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Re: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California
« Reply #43 on: October 13, 2021, 05:57:08 PM »
A lot of Southern California isn’t meant to be inhabited. Grass doesn’t grow naturally and shit. So they wind up pouring concrete on everything and you get tons of sick ass banks and ditches and shit. That stuff doesn’t occur “naturally” as much in other parts of the country. CA has shit that you can only find in skateparks other places. I’ve always been super jealous of that living in the Midwest and South.

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Re: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California
« Reply #44 on: October 13, 2021, 06:07:32 PM »
I've never been, but those red curbs look amazing. 
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Re: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California
« Reply #45 on: October 13, 2021, 06:19:26 PM »
Southern California is way different than Northern California, all the stereotypes that exist of California skating would probably be made about socal. SF is it’s own beast.

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Re: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California
« Reply #46 on: October 13, 2021, 06:55:28 PM »
Skaters and surfers are jocks, and you’re not special for being a skater like you were in whatever little town you came from.  High school 2.0.
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Re: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California
« Reply #47 on: October 13, 2021, 07:02:43 PM »
It's funny hearing people from different parts of the state talk about SF being Northern CA... it's 8 hours from the northern border.

I grew up in New England and moved about 2 hours south of Oregon 10 years ago. Never spent time in LA/SD, decent amount of time in the Bay area. Mostly just been in this nook of north coast paradise. Where I live isn't indicative of CA as a whole, but with the state being so vast, I don't think that anywhere is necessarily representative of anywhere else.

I see a greater abundance of decent/really nice concrete parks. Where I live, street skating is fairly non-existent. There are endless awesome parking lots with painted red curbs. The curb game is unparalleled compared to the east coast. Due to the general lack of snow and subsequent lack of salt on the roads, pavement is generally better than anywhere I've lived on the beast coast. Buildings in california, shit you might want to skate, is generally newer- fewer foundation spots and shit like that.

It's rarely gets warmer than 70 where I'm at on the coast and it rarely gets lower than freezing, and then only for a few days or at night. It's wet though. Even when it's dry and we're in drought, it's always wet.

Getting back into the skate world after a hiatus for the last 7 or so years has been pretty low key. It's not weird for a grey hair later 30s dude with mad tattoos to be skating and throwing tantrums in a parking lot. Old ladies walking their dogs talk to me like a respected community member.

That said, this is the only place in CA that I have any interest in living. All the homies I've met from down south, from what they describe, the suburban sprawl, the speed of things, as well as the high cost of living, I'm all set regardless of weather and year round skate time. I'll be moving to upstate NY or VT before I live in SoCal :o

I think that skateboarding, as an image thing anyways, is more prevalent and accepted in CA too, but I'm not totally sold on there being more older dudes still skating. Whenever I get back east and hit a park, I'm seeing more dudes my age and up pushing around parks and shit.
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Heywood Jeblowme

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Re: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California
« Reply #48 on: October 13, 2021, 07:05:24 PM »
Can we answer you question for Nor Cal and Southern Cal separately? They are completely different worlds.

Lived in both for over a decade and the only thing they have in common is high housing prices, fake people, and great skating weather. The spots in SF, Santa Cruz area, Sac Town, San Jose etc etc are so much more fun than Inland Empire or Long Beach spots. But SD spots rule

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Re: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California
« Reply #49 on: October 13, 2021, 07:10:02 PM »
I think a very Californian thing is having a high concentration of skate shops that all carry a variety of stuff, depending upon who does the ordering. Where I live, within 15 miles of me there’s (7) skate shops. Another thing is FA/Hockey won’t sell to surf shops, which are common here, so you have to go to a shop without surfboards to buy their shit

There’s also 6 skateparks within the same 10 mile vicinity

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Re: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California
« Reply #50 on: October 13, 2021, 07:28:10 PM »
It's funny hearing people from different parts of the state talk about SF being Northern CA... it's 8 hours from the northern border.

I grew up in New England and moved about 2 hours south of Oregon 10 years ago. Never spent time in LA/SD, decent amount of time in the Bay area. Mostly just been in this nook of north coast paradise. Where I live isn't indicative of CA as a whole, but with the state being so vast, I don't think that anywhere is necessarily representative of anywhere else.

I see a greater abundance of decent/really nice concrete parks. Where I live, street skating is fairly non-existent. There are endless awesome parking lots with painted red curbs. The curb game is unparalleled compared to the east coast. Due to the general lack of snow and subsequent lack of salt on the roads, pavement is generally better than anywhere I've lived on the beast coast. Buildings in california, shit you might want to skate, is generally newer- fewer foundation spots and shit like that.

It's rarely gets warmer than 70 where I'm at on the coast and it rarely gets lower than freezing, and then only for a few days or at night. It's wet though. Even when it's dry and we're in drought, it's always wet.

Getting back into the skate world after a hiatus for the last 7 or so years has been pretty low key. It's not weird for a grey hair later 30s dude with mad tattoos to be skating and throwing tantrums in a parking lot. Old ladies walking their dogs talk to me like a respected community member.

That said, this is the only place in CA that I have any interest in living. All the homies I've met from down south, from what they describe, the suburban sprawl, the speed of things, as well as the high cost of living, I'm all set regardless of weather and year round skate time. I'll be moving to upstate NY or VT before I live in SoCal :o

I think that skateboarding, as an image thing anyways, is more prevalent and accepted in CA too, but I'm not totally sold on there being more older dudes still skating. Whenever I get back east and hit a park, I'm seeing more dudes my age and up pushing around parks and shit.

I wouldn't be too dead-set against SoCal until you DO spend time there. I used to be all about SF in the 90's - it's the first place in California I went ... but once I travelled down south to San Diego, shit. It feels like being in a movie, or just paradise. North County SD is perfect, LA has so many spots people are constantly discovering new amazing gems, and the tacos ... oh the tacos! My life these days revolves around saving money and waiting to go back every winter ... covid has been hard. Cannot wait to get back. Kills me I can't just move there as a Canadian.

DaleSr

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Re: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California
« Reply #51 on: October 13, 2021, 09:00:34 PM »
It's funny hearing people from different parts of the state talk about SF being Northern CA... it's 8 hours from the northern border.

I grew up in New England and moved about 2 hours south of Oregon 10 years ago. Never spent time in LA/SD, decent amount of time in the Bay area. Mostly just been in this nook of north coast paradise. Where I live isn't indicative of CA as a whole, but with the state being so vast, I don't think that anywhere is necessarily representative of anywhere else.

I see a greater abundance of decent/really nice concrete parks. Where I live, street skating is fairly non-existent. There are endless awesome parking lots with painted red curbs. The curb game is unparalleled compared to the east coast. Due to the general lack of snow and subsequent lack of salt on the roads, pavement is generally better than anywhere I've lived on the beast coast. Buildings in california, shit you might want to skate, is generally newer- fewer foundation spots and shit like that.

It's rarely gets warmer than 70 where I'm at on the coast and it rarely gets lower than freezing, and then only for a few days or at night. It's wet though. Even when it's dry and we're in drought, it's always wet.

Getting back into the skate world after a hiatus for the last 7 or so years has been pretty low key. It's not weird for a grey hair later 30s dude with mad tattoos to be skating and throwing tantrums in a parking lot. Old ladies walking their dogs talk to me like a respected community member.

That said, this is the only place in CA that I have any interest in living. All the homies I've met from down south, from what they describe, the suburban sprawl, the speed of things, as well as the high cost of living, I'm all set regardless of weather and year round skate time. I'll be moving to upstate NY or VT before I live in SoCal :o

I think that skateboarding, as an image thing anyways, is more prevalent and accepted in CA too, but I'm not totally sold on there being more older dudes still skating. Whenever I get back east and hit a park, I'm seeing more dudes my age and up pushing around parks and shit.

Fuck i wanna check out your part of CA, i love all the mountain towns here too like Julian and Idyllwild.

Expand Quote
It's funny hearing people from different parts of the state talk about SF being Northern CA... it's 8 hours from the northern border.

I grew up in New England and moved about 2 hours south of Oregon 10 years ago. Never spent time in LA/SD, decent amount of time in the Bay area. Mostly just been in this nook of north coast paradise. Where I live isn't indicative of CA as a whole, but with the state being so vast, I don't think that anywhere is necessarily representative of anywhere else.

I see a greater abundance of decent/really nice concrete parks. Where I live, street skating is fairly non-existent. There are endless awesome parking lots with painted red curbs. The curb game is unparalleled compared to the east coast. Due to the general lack of snow and subsequent lack of salt on the roads, pavement is generally better than anywhere I've lived on the beast coast. Buildings in california, shit you might want to skate, is generally newer- fewer foundation spots and shit like that.

It's rarely gets warmer than 70 where I'm at on the coast and it rarely gets lower than freezing, and then only for a few days or at night. It's wet though. Even when it's dry and we're in drought, it's always wet.

Getting back into the skate world after a hiatus for the last 7 or so years has been pretty low key. It's not weird for a grey hair later 30s dude with mad tattoos to be skating and throwing tantrums in a parking lot. Old ladies walking their dogs talk to me like a respected community member.

That said, this is the only place in CA that I have any interest in living. All the homies I've met from down south, from what they describe, the suburban sprawl, the speed of things, as well as the high cost of living, I'm all set regardless of weather and year round skate time. I'll be moving to upstate NY or VT before I live in SoCal :o

I think that skateboarding, as an image thing anyways, is more prevalent and accepted in CA too, but I'm not totally sold on there being more older dudes still skating. Whenever I get back east and hit a park, I'm seeing more dudes my age and up pushing around parks and shit.
[close]

I wouldn't be too dead-set against SoCal until you DO spend time there. I used to be all about SF in the 90's - it's the first place in California I went ... but once I travelled down south to San Diego, shit. It feels like being in a movie, or just paradise. North County SD is perfect, LA has so many spots people are constantly discovering new amazing gems, and the tacos ... oh the tacos! My life these days revolves around saving money and waiting to go back every winter ... covid has been hard. Cannot wait to get back. Kills me I can't just move there as a Canadian.

Let's all meet in Oceanside when this is over

matty_c

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Re: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California
« Reply #52 on: October 14, 2021, 12:20:21 AM »
Getting bashed by a copper?
listen to cosmic psychos

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Re: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California
« Reply #53 on: October 14, 2021, 02:59:57 AM »
In N Out burger at/after the session is pretty specific. And the soccer/scooter moms at the park watching little Timmy get in your way are fucking hot. I saw a mom at the park here in NJ and she looked like a foot and sounded like a 50 year old man with laryngitis. Not good.

truthislie

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Re: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California
« Reply #54 on: October 14, 2021, 03:48:35 AM »
Went to SF and LA from Europe with a friend back in 2010. It was a very cool trip and I´d go again in a hearbeat but as far as living there (cost of everything, homeless people, lots of very superficial people, driving form spot to spot in LA, being hassled by a policeman for drinking in public...) it also has shown me how good we have it here in Europe. However it was my first and only time in the US so my culture shock might not be that CA specific.

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Re: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California
« Reply #55 on: October 14, 2021, 06:25:30 AM »
Going to Benihana's after 600 tries of that 75 foot handrail

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Re: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California
« Reply #56 on: October 14, 2021, 06:41:17 AM »
I've never been, but those red curbs look amazing.

The other one I noticed was the sidewalks....

Pretty much Cali sidewalks are smoother than a pacnorthwest skatepark.  You don't realize you've been listening to that noise for decades....then you feel it through your feet.  It's pretty sick....

Barcy is one step beyond that.....

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Re: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California
« Reply #57 on: October 14, 2021, 06:47:03 AM »
talking but never listening is pretty cali sk8 in my experience

also screaming needlessly at spots is a very west coast thing in general

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Re: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California
« Reply #58 on: October 14, 2021, 08:54:16 AM »
Being at a skatepark in LA and having someone walk up to you with some stickers asking you to check out their brand on instagram (or does this happen everywhere now?)
This shit happens to me in iowa, I’m sure it’s happening all over the world
I always got one of my boys holdin a jar of leak and a fat blunt, so as soon as i land the trick we gettin wet you know?

somefucker

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Re: Things That Are Specific to Skating in California
« Reply #59 on: October 14, 2021, 09:37:56 AM »
parks are close together and for the most part perfect regarding the ground/variety of obstacles.
spots have that same 'smooth' feeling - literal decades of grinds/slides on everything.
imagine having everything you ever wanted for skating...it kind of sucks how perfect everything is. you don't have to struggle (as hard) to find/skate a spot, not as much shittiness in the spots (cracks, stop rocks, cold weather in general)
and i also don't miss the 405 one bit.

after living in noho and pasadena i can safely say i cherish having started skating in NYC/NJ. puts some hair on ya