Or maybe not.
Our buddy Eric Ehler, who penned a very heartfelt review of the new skatepark for us, responds to the uproar over his recommendation that ambitious skaters hop the fence before the park’s 9am opening hour:
Thanks for publishing that review. Honestly, I didn’t think of the noise level that hard. I mean, as I thought about the problem, there was a construction crew jack hammering outside my door, at 7:00am.
Though that problem will go away (my construction), the skate park problem will stay. Maybe?
I think the piss problem can be solved, just need a public restroom, just like any other park, right?
But that noise. I was unaware that people were going in the middle of the night. I did it once, and its super hard to skate. Definitely the people going in the middle of the night are teenagers/kids. Not too many older skaters. It’ll all mellow during the school year.
Anyway, thanks for supporting the skateboarding community. I’ll urge folks to not skate after hours.
Thanks, Eric!
Last night around 6:30pm, I got multiple emails within the space of 5 minutes from neighbors upset that our official review of the new skatepark encouraged skaters to hop the fence at 7am, 2 hours before the skatepark opens.
Apparently, skateboarding is noisy and people need to sleep. I totally get that. (I hucked a metal wash basin high into the tree outside my window yesterday morning at 6am or something to scare off a pair of mockingbirds that would not shut the fuck up.) Here is the most polite of the emails:
Neighbors of the skatepark are unable to sleep at night due to the constant, 24/7 noise coming from the skatepark as people jump the fence at all hours of the night. Never mind the urination on doorsteps, littering, etc.
It would go a long way toward community relations if you could resist the temptation to encourage people to break the law and disrespect neighbors. We would appreciate you removing the line in your article suggesting that people should enter the park illegally before the 9am opening hours.
Others were pushy and threatening, one had a subject line that reads “Irresponsible Journalism,” and several definitely suggest that a coalition of neighbors is possibly prepared to work toward getting the park shut down.
Skateboarding, like most creative endeavors — and most awesome things in this world — is strongly tied to rule-breaking, and I hesitate to call on anyone or any group to not be rule-breakers and creative thinkers. I mean:
But it’s also awesome to be a good neighbor, so I’d say resist the temptation to hop the fence before 9am. Not because it’s unlawful but because your neighbors will really appreciate it and you’ll get good karma. And for goodness’ sake, don’t pee on doorsteps. Go to Rice Paper Scissors and pee, and buy a banh mi.
I’ll update the original post to reflect this new angle.
Next Saturday Sunday, Dolores Park will get a big, messy game of Twister involving paint, water balloons and a group of folks looking to check something whimsical off their bucket list.
We asked our buddy Eric, who’s been spending a lot of time at the new spot, to tell us all about it:
First off, the City of San Francisco started dialogue about this park, going back as far as 2008. It was a project to help “brighten up” the dismal setting that is the Mission/Duboce underpass. However, the economy tanked, and fun projects like this were left in limbo.
Fast forward to July 2014. The park is open, skateboarding fever is in the air, and everyone is looking good in their new Benny Gold hat.
The park was designed to be a “skate plaza” of sorts. Instead of an eyesore of brown ramps, steel quarter pipes, and oversized handrails, the designers of this park used old San Francisco spots as their muse. Any SF OG will notice the throwbacks, and maybe some of the new kids will notice the 3 up/3 down that famously lives right down the street (and is still skateable).
The park does have a bit of something for everyone, but honestly, if you don’t know how to skate, don’t go there at peak hours. Here are a few tips:
-New to skating? Go in the morning. The park opens up at 9, but you’ll find people hopping the fence as early as 7. It’s not that tall, and is worth getting a ticket.
-Veteran skater looking to get back into it? Go in the morning during the week, or the evenings on Saturday. Pretty much all of the evenings have been chill.
-Blind spots. At peak hours there are tons of blind spots. Prepare to run into someone. Just make sure and be hella polite.
-Cheer! When someone does something super sick, make sure you’re supporting.
-Need to piss? There aren’t any public port-0-johns in the area, but people are asking the City for them. Try Cash N’ Carry on Van Ness, Zeitgeist, or Rice Paper Scissors at Brick and Mortar Music Hall (make sure to order a banh mi!).
-How to get there? In the evenings there is ample parking all over the neighborhood. Just make sure that your shit isn’t visible in the car after you park. Also, the whole area is flat, just skate there!
-The local kids will fuck with you. Don’t be dumb, just skate. This is a skatepark, there will be fights, cops, etc. Just be prepared to run, no matter who you are, or how old.
-Lastly, if there are any people reading this who ride an electric skateboard and think it would be “neat” to ride around… Please stay far away from the skatepark. You will get harassed and your shit will get stolen. No lie.
I encourage anyone who has ever loved skateboarding to try this park out. It is beautiful, well designed, and conveniently located. My favorite thing in the world is to grab some brunch/lunch at Rice Paper Scissors (inside Brick and Mortar), skate over to the park, shred for a bit, then roll over to Zeitgeist. It’s like a match made in heaven. See you out there.
10/10 A+ Gold Star Yay!
Yay! Oh and here’s Eric’s bio:
*eric ehler is a has-been skater. after dedicating his ankles to pushing for 10 years, he decided to go to culinary school and become a chef. after a 6 year hiatus from skating, he’s been back at it for the past few years. when he’s not cooking, he’s skating 3rd and army, eating chinese food, or creeping around the new park.
IMPORTANT UPDATE: Turns out it’s a big bummer when you hop the fence during off hours.
Outkast and Massive Attack and YOU! Here’s the deal:
New season of the SFBSPPL starts July 14th at Folsom Street Foundry and runs every Monday for 6 weeks. It’s basically a weekly party with cool people, great music, killer beer selection, excellent panini, fun prizes and LOTS of ping pong.
HUGE NEWS: Treasure Island Music Festival tickets WILL be one of the prizes!!
Register quick: http://sfberlinstyle.com/
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Allan Hough (7858)
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