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July 24, 2006
Friday Night Skates
Imagine flying through a tunnel late at night on rollerblades with anywhere from 50-150 other skaters? Imagine flying through some of the trendiest and hippest streets of San Francisco on blades in the dark while dancing to funky playful dance music?
Imagine flying past shops, stores and bistros where people run to the edge of the road and give you a high five as you whiz by? Yes, kind of like a marathon, yet the difference is that you're not trying to beat an opponent or a time, the sky is dark, you have a flashlight glued to your helmut and you're meeting people from various parts of the world while you're getting exercise.
It's not a bad gig. In fact, its one of the more invigorating things I've done in a long time and while you're getting that fabulous cardio workout, you're also seeing many of San Francisco's coolest neighborhoods on a 15 mile loop through the city.
Friday Night Skates are not new. In fact, they have been going on for more than a couple of decades, headed by the city's "Godfather of Skating" David Miles. The route is mapped here.
Miles, the ever faithful founder/leader apparently upgraded his mobile audio system for the weekly event. It's powered by a motorcycle battery and provided excellent directional cues and a good bass response.
Mike McGrath took a handful of photos. (many of which are also posted below).
Originally from El Salvador, this guy has been in San Francisco since 1976 and is a regular at this weekly event. His custom blades and 'super lights' on his helmut and fanny pack were dead giveaways. He also knew where all the dangerous turns were, particularly as we edged near China Town, where many of the roads were beaten up with potholes and slippery patches. Yikes.
Below was an incredible scene to watch. Yes, he's in the air, right before jumping over three people lying on the ground, flipping backwards and then flying down the escalator with his blades on.
The Friday night skate has taken off in various cities worldwide, including Amsterdam, Los Angeles, Copenhagen and London.
Below is a shot taken from Tiger Duck's flickr photo stream, 300 London bikers meet 200 Friday night skaters going south - he says, "well, lets just say both sound systems worked great as a brief impromptu party in the middle of Regent steet ensued. The wondeful bike cops that escort and help critical mass were completely at a loss what next to do." Hilarious.
London Cyclists Meet London's Friday Night Skaters
Tag: Friday Night Skate
Tag: San Francisco Night Skate
Tag: Rollerblading
July 24, 2006 in San Francisco, Social Gigs & Parties | Permalink
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