Skateboard Buying in S.F.

Sun Jun 9th, 2002 04:12:06 AM EST

Diary Entry 96
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Went to San Francisco and bought a skateboard, then started to learn how to ride it.


I've been interested in learning to skateboard for a while now. My friend Joel used to skate back in his 'hood in New Jersey, so he agreed to teach me. We looked around the skate shops in Palo Alto some time ago but decided that the best thing to do was to go into San Francisco and have a look at one of the big stores there.

So this morning we caught the 10:30 train out of Palo Alto and arrived at the San Francisco station about 11:30. We started by walking along the waterfront for a while and then headed off to the American Fencers Supply retail store. I looked at fencing gear as well as stage combat weapons. I think I might buy a swept hilt single-ring dagger. Comments?

We ate lunch near Chinatown at a Thai noodle place. The food only took a couple of minutes to arrive and it was very tasty. Afterward we walked through more of Chinatown and a Japanese shopping mall, looking around a couple of shops. Joel bought something for his girlfriend.

I bought a "messenger"-type bag at a luggage store in a burst of instant gratification. I was looking in the back and saw a bag I really liked, but it was $75. I asked a clerk whether she had anything similar but cheaper, and she led me right to an identical bag for only $15.

In late afternoon we finally made our way, by foot, into FTC Skateboarding, just off Haight St. at Shrader. Joel and I both spent quite a long time picking out just what we want. In the end I walked away with a deck by Western Edition, truck by Independent, wheels by Spitfire, bearings by Diamond, and everything assembled by Tyler of FTC. Joel bought himself a new board, too, plus shoes. I wanted shoes, too, but I couldn't find any that I really wanted in my size.

It was now after 6 pm and time to think about getting back home. We took a bus back to the Caltrain station and Caltrain back to Palo Alto. We ate a quick dinner at a pizza restaurant in Palo Alto and biked back to campus. We split to our apartments and then met again near Joel's.

We skated around campus from Joel's apartment in Crothers Memorial over past the Gates Building and back. I think I'm getting the hang of it, actually. It's not as hard as I thought it would be. Just don't step on it far to the front or the back or lean too far in any direction and everything just sort of happens the right way. I'm sure that practice will help, too.


Last updated 03 Apr 2004 21:17. Copyright © 2004 Ben Pfaff.
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