A few months ago, we got an email from a reader named Josh that caught us off guard. He started off by talking about our YouTube content, and then immediately pivoted into inviting us to skate a private mini ramp in the basement of his apartment building, located in Manhattan’s extremely pricy Waterline Square neighborhood.
Josh was fully aware of how ridiculous his pitch sounded — inviting a scrappy video team from an indie skate mag to film at a private skatepark in a building where rents start at $6,000 a month. His self-awareness made us confident that at the very least, we weren’t about to spend a full day with some out of touch rich asshole if we accepted.
Luckily, our gut was right, and while Josh did show us basically every crazy amenity in his building, he did it more in a “I’m about to move out in a few weeks, fuck it” way than a braggadocious way. To really get the most out of the experience, we brought along Staten Island’s own Leo Heinert to throw down some tricks to push the ramp beyond the basic rock and rolls and axle stalls.
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August 14, 2023 6:07 pm
Josh, can I photograph the space for my NYC skate spot documentary project? Here’s the project: https://shawnpbruce.com/editorial/99-cent-dreams
August 15, 2023 1:26 pm
What a shithole. Hopefully Josh was able to move to a decent apartment building.
August 15, 2023 11:52 pm
Guy looks like a total poser. A dedicated street skater could do way more than a half assed axle stall on that ramp. He’s was trying to play it off like he isn’t one of those rich douche bags who live in the building. Guess what Josh? You are the very same person. Some rich asshole who thinks skating is cool. Get fucked.
August 16, 2023 1:08 pm
It was very cool of Josh to invite Jenkem to come film at an amazing hidden spot before he moves out. Josh is obviously successful, but that does not give you the right to attack him as a ‘poser’ and a ‘douche bag.’ He stated he was hoping to get a better at transition skating by having the rare opportunity to live in a building with a ramp. Someone that successful can’t be “a dedicated street skater’ because he probably works very long (80+/week) hours; that’s just how it is. Furthermore, he probably ‘thinks skating is cool’ because it IS COOL.
Anyway, thank you Josh and Jenkem
August 16, 2023 7:06 pm
Josh definitely isn’t the asshole here.
August 17, 2023 9:28 am
See you in 15 years when Josh the rich poser is still doing half assed axle stalls while you are hacking away in the coal mine, not doing any axle stalls. Being rich is cool.
August 16, 2023 1:02 am
That was depressing.
August 16, 2023 1:17 pm
Not that depressing; just a rare spot worth documenting.
As the old saying goes” if you’re lucky enough to go skate, you’re lucky enough.”