Inline Skating Notebook

How to Get Started Inline Skating in Santa Monica, California

1. Rent Inline Skates.
   Before you go out and spend over $100 on skates, knee pads, elbow pads and a helmet, make sure you're actually going to like it. Go to one of these places and rent a pair of inline skates for a few hours and try them out:
   • Islands Surf - 2934 Wilshire Blvd,
     
   • Perry's Cafe & Sports Rentals 1200 The Promenade
     
   • Sea Mist Rentals 1619 Ocean Front 310-395-7076
     
   • Rip City Skates - 2709 Santa Monica Blvd
   Most of them will rent by the hour or by the day. Also make sure you rent pads and a helmet, as you don't want to break anything on your first day out.
   
2. Inline Skating on the Boardwalk.
   Once you have your rental blades, there is a long boardwalk that runs alongside the Ocean in Santa Monica. You can inline skate on it up to the lifeguard station on the way to Malibu, or all the way down to Venice Beach. The best time to go is morning or late evening when the crowds aren't so bad, that way you won't get in people's way or get knocked off your skate
   
3. Buy Skates, Pads and a Helmet.
   There are several places in Santa Monica where you can purchase inline skates. I bought mine at Big 5 Sporting Goods on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica. They have a good selection, with all the extra equipment and they left me alone to decide which ones I wanted. Make sure when you buy them you get them at least half a size bigger than what you normally wear, as you're going to be wearing socks with them and your feet do swell when you skate. Rip City Skates is another great place, where the staff really knows what they're talking about. Champs Sports is on Third Street Promenade, and Kramer Sporting Goods on Ocean Park Boulevard - both good places for purchasing sporting gear.
   
   Also make sure you get at least pads and possibly a helmet too. Most of the locals inline skating in Santa Monica don't wear pads or a helmet, but you probably should for the first few weeks.
   
4. Take Inline Skating Lessons.
   Most of the skate rental places and sports shops will know somebody who offers inline skating lessons. When I started, I signed up for just one lesson and I'm so glad I did. I learned important things like how to slow down, how to turn and how to stop. Makes a big difference in your abilities and in your confidence level and, something you can learn in an hour, can take you a week on your own.My instructor even told me some interesting history about inline skating in Southern California.
   
5. Don't Overdo It At First.
   It takes your body a while to get used to using new muscles. An hour is long enough for the first few days. That will be enough time to learn a few things without feeling wiped out afterwards.
   
6. Inline Skating Early Mornings On the Beach.
   Once you're really used to your blades and have about two weeks experience, the next step is to get up early and head down to Santa Monica beach. You can drive down and park your car on Ocean Boulevard right next to the steps leading down to the beach. Metered parking doesn't start until 9am, so you can get it free if you arrive before then. The best time is about 6:30am. It's just getting light, there's hardly anybody on the beach and the temperature is perfect. Wear a light jacket, which you can take off when you warm up, lace up your skates and off you go. I used to skate to Santa Monica Pier, then turn around and skate all the way to the lifeguard station on the way to Malibu. Takes about 30 minutes and is a fabulous early morning workout.
   
7. Inline Skating Is For The Whole Family.
   Don't forget, rollerblading is for the whole family. Take your husband, wife or your kids. Rent them some blades at Perry's Café and Sports Rentals on the promenade right next to the beach and have a fun family outing.
   
8. Friday Night Inline Skate Night.
   There's a group of inline skaters who meet every Friday night. They meet at the entrance to Santa Monica Pier at 8:30pm and, starting at 9pm, they skate through the streets of Santa Monica together. They make a lot of noise and they say it's kind of like a 'dance party on wheels'. Great fun though.

Rollerblading Still a Crime on Promenade

By Olin Ericksen : Staff Writer (Nov. 24, 2004)

Efforts to allow rollerblading on the Third Street Promenade skidded to a sudden halt Tuesday night when the City Council voted against lifting a six-year ban on the popular activity.

The 4 to 2 vote against allowing rollerblades came despite vigourous arguments by outgoing Council member Michael Feinstein that roller blading is safer than biking and skate boarding, which are also banned on the outdoor shopping mall.

Feinstein’s argument during his final meeting that the City is "excluding a class of people" failed to sway collegues, who sided with Santa Monica Police, the Bayside District Corporation (which runs Downtown) and the Senior Commission, saying rollerblading still poses a safety risk for shoppers on the bustling walk street.

Statistical data provided by the police and testimony from the public swayed council members to keep the ban on all three activities on the Promenade, where an estimated 14 million shoppers descend each year.

"There are an intense number of people that can be on the Promenade on foot who are either young, elderly, disabled and tourists,” said Sgt. Ira Rutan, who is in charge of the Promenade beat for the Police Department. “And even though the rollerblades are attached (to the operators feet) -- they still present a hazard."

Rutan said police advised more than 5,700 people that they were in violation of the ban in the last year and a half. Of the few citations given to repeat offenders, Rutan said, only four have been handed out to rollerbladers.

"My take on those numbers is that most of the rollerbladers have abided by the ordinance and stayed off the promenade," said Rutan, who noted that pedestrian traffic moves sideways into stores and that many kids can be found on the street.

"Even if you are a good skater, accidents are bound to happen if someone is two hundred to two hundred and fifty pounds, that's a pretty big obstacle to absorb," Rutan said.

But council member Feinstein -- who along with Council member Pam O'Connor voted against the ban in 1998 and for the amendment Tuesday -- had a different take on what those numbers meant.

"I think those numbers exactly prove my point that there isn't an existing problem today,” said Feinstein, himself an avid skater. "In fact, this has been in effect for six years, we have not had lawsuits even though thousands and thousands of people continue to go out there on skates and bicycles."

Feinstein said the City is exhibiting "a lack of tolerance for alternative lifestyles," needlessly excluding a group of people from the public space based on how they get around.

"It's a public watering hole," said Feinstein. "For that subculture in our community that gets around in skates. We are, in effect, banning them from going down there when they go out."

Feinstein, who lost reelection after eight years on the City Council, denied that he had any personal motivation behind pursuing the amendment, which was first put before the council this month. Others on the council remained steadfast against the amendment.

"While I personally feel we should allow it, that's not what I'm hearing from the community," said Mayor Pro Tem Kevin McKeown, who cited "sheaths of emails" and people who stopped him in the street asking him to uphold the ban.

McKeown noted that stores on the street prohibit people from entering with skates on because of liability and shoplifting.

"They're worried that someone could make a quick getaway in leaving the store," McKeown said.

Council member Robert Holbrook said safety for shoppers influenced his no vote, as did his consultation with incoming Council member Bobby Shriver, who he said was an "avid rollerblader."

"He told me that if the item were before him, he would vote against it," said Holbrook. "Because he enjoys rollerblading and generally moves faster than people who walk, he was worried about safety."

Council members Ken Genser and Mayor Richard Bloom voted no as well, with little public comment on the matter.

Feinstein, going on the record for one of his last votes as a city council member, said he was in support of the amendment for the "subculture" of rollerbladers with "a vigorous and long lasting yes."
Surfsantamonica.com: Santa Monica News Roller Blading Still a Crime on Promenade