Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign

Seared in my psyche as a kid growing up skateboarding is the reality that everywhere I went to skate was illegal. It was either private property or public trespassing to one degree or another. It just became standard daily operations that you were going to get yelled at by security guards and chased out of each spot. Sometimes you could get a half hour other times just five minutes. I began taking closer notice to when a business closed and the best ways to get in and out without getting caught. 

Fast forward 30+ years and I am riding my bike downtown each day for Jury Duty and I began to notice all these signs posted everywhere. NO BIKING, NO SKATEBOARDING, NO FISHING, ETC. Then I cut east up Broadway Avenue to the courthouse and I begin to see all these plazas that are completely rendered un-skateable. Every inch of downtown has been "skate stopped" 1 

It got me thinking about the parallels between how I skate and fish. All my favorite spots to fish downtown are posted No Fishing Keep Back 75 Feet. When I structure fish downtown I try and get in quick under the radar. Usually Navy begins to patrol around 8am and tourist walking down along the piers call the cops on me if I stay too long in one spot. It definitely keeps you on your toes and adds a different level of excitement. Even if the fishing isn't great just getting away without getting caught is an accomplishment in itself. 

{ 1 Skate Stopper is the brand-name of a skate-deterrent device placed on urban terrain features such as benches and hand rails to discourage skating on the surface where they have been installed}

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