This Manhattan article for the July 1998 issue of Transworld has always been a favorite of mine for pretty obvious reasons. New York is pretty much the only city on the face of the earth that could get almost twenty pages in Transworld with four photos of 5050s. Surprisingly, there is a significant lack of the other two tricks we here in New York are good at — 180s and front shoves, but Reda’s wallride more than makes up for it. A stunning amount of these spots still actually exist. There are about two pages missing. Thanks to Jimmy Marketti for the scans.

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There has not been one of these in a very long time, and due to the increasing demand for New York City skateboarding related photography, I feel this is an appropriate way to celebrate the issues of Big Brother and Strength that I recently got my hands on. Surprisingly, a lot of these spots are still around.

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I haven’t had one of these for a while, so here’s a new photo bag, containing (not surprisingly) way too many spots that aren’t around anymore. Some of the scans suck, I know. But that’s what you get with a $20 scanner off eBay, and no patience to sit there and scan shit at a higher dpi.

   

1. Josh Kalis at the world famous CBS ledge to drop, post-skatestopping/putting-planter-in-front-on-ledgeizing. Probably the best trick anybody pulled there when it became nearly impossible to skate. Circa 1999. 2. Rodney’s first ad for Osiris. Kickflip up, and 360 flip into the Courthouse Drop, which pretty much nobody has skated since 9/11 happened and they had that whole area (minus the Black Hubba, given that people managed to cut the rails off it…twice) on lock and key. Circa 1998. 3. Some guy I have never heard of, skating the Wall Street Gap before they reconstructed this side, which was somewhat smaller. Probably the most famous street-gap in classic NY video history. Circa 1998.

   

4. Hate it or love it, I remember it being a big deal for some reason when this photo dropped. Mike Wright at the Courthouse Drop. Published in 2002, but presumably shot way earlier because there is no chance in hell you could skate that thing in post 9/11 New York. (Not to mention its been barricaded for the past six years). 5. Jason Dill at the 2nd Banks 9 rail that Vinny Raffa put in, back in the pre-9/11 summer 2001 Banks renaissance when you could catch Muska, Jamie Thomas, or any of those other video game people I normally don’t care about skating there. The rail was stolen later in the summer. And the terrorists did the rest into turning the park back into a municipal parking lot for the next two years. 6. I’m not a big Vallely fan (although I’d be lying if I told you Mike V’s Greatest Hits wasn’t one of the most entertaining things ever put on DVD), but the fact that he caught that much air at this spot is more than enough of a reason to post this photo.

   

7. Every once in a while you’ll hear people use “New York” or “East Coast” as an adjective. Well, it’s usually reserved for shit like this photo. Long Island’s finest on a classic east coast set-up. Circa 2000. 8. Young Stevie’s switch back tail sequence from his cameo in The Sixth Sense. Still one of the steeziest tricks ever done on that ledge almost a decade down the line. Circa 1998. 9. To all the ABD geeks (I see you, Slap Message Boards), Tim O’Connor did this waaaay before anyone else. Circa 1999.