48-Year-Old Writer Skates LA Costco Curbs as World-Famous Spot Draws Pilgrims
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 24
48-Year-Old Writer Skates LA Costco Curbs as World-Famous Spot Draws Pilgrims
1 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 24
Los Angeles writer Conor Dougherty says he skips the city’s iconic skate landmarks and instead spends weekday mornings at a Costco parking lot whose cart curbs have become a global skate destination.
Two parallel, double-sided curbs let skaters approach from either side and pull off popover tricks, but their fame stems less from unique design than from years of local use amplified by skate videos and social media.
Pilgrims now fly in from across the U.S. and Europe to ride the spot, sometimes measuring the curbs to build replicas, and Nike nodded to its cult status with a limited Kirkland-branded skate shoe in January.
At 48, Dougherty says he is close to the median age of the morning regulars, framing the sessions as a low-stakes gathering place where people in their 40s and 50s reconnect amid broader loneliness and disconnection.
With Nike cashing in, is the authentic spirit of the world-famous Costco skate spot already gone?
When a parking lot becomes a global landmark, should cities try to replicate its design or just stay out of the way?