citigroup center

lexington avenue

Within the context of the bad supply of handrails in New York, this is one of the better rail spot you'll find. At the bottom of a pit leading under the Citigroup building's shopping and subway area, you will find a series of eight-stair square rails placed on top of pretty nice granite ground. The runways for all of them are typically only thirty feet long, so depending on the rail you're skating, you may need to curve into it. The rails themselves are pretty high, so don't expect a California-styled rail when coming here. Right outside of the pit with the rails, you'll find a very smooth green marble ledge curving around a subway entrance, on top of absolutely perfect ground. It ranges from about a foot in height to two feet.

53rd Street and Lexington Avenue. Take the E, V or 6 to 53rd Street-Lexington Avenue and the spot is right outside.

The rails can only be skated at least after 9 P.M. on weekdays or weekends, because usually there are people sitting all over the steps or eating lunch on the picnic tables. Rarely, a guard will come down and kick you out, but the rails are detached enough from the security window that the guards are far too lazy to bother doing that. If you skate the ledge in front - that's in front of a security window. So you have to take your chances with that, just avoid hitting the side of it that is directly in front of the security guards' view.