Rollerblading

I took up rollerblading (which is properly known as Inline Skating) in Sydney in February 2001. I'm by no means an expert, but I have great fun and it's good exercise too. These are some good places that I've been to around the world.

New York City

• Central Park - The Ultimate. Stretches from 58th to 110th street in Manhattan. The track, which is closed to traffic at weekends, goes in a loop. Most people go anti-clockwise. A perfect mix of gradients, beautiful scenery, and excellent for people watching. Skating is insanely popular in NYC. I did the whole loop of Central Park, and I did wonder why most people were avoiding the top end of the loop. There's a bit of a dip there, and getting back up the other side isn't an enormous amount of fun. New Yorkers are very direct - one woman gave me what I thought was rather severe criticism of my skating - but I suppose she was just being helpful. In retrospect I probably shouldn't have killed her.
• You can skate on the streets of Manhattan too, and many people do. This, however, requires a particular kind of bravery.

San Francisco

• Golden Gate Park - closed to traffic on Sundays. This park is bigger than Central Park, and more hilly too. Not really very good for beginners. I nearly took out a police barrier - they were most amused. You can rent skates on Haight Street, if you manage to wade through the piles of hippies.

Los Angeles

• Santa Monica promenade - I skated from Santa Monica pier to just beyond Venice Beach and back. The track goes right along the beach, with fine views of the Pacific Ocean. Not too taxing, as it's pretty much flat. Lots of fit girls in bikinis.

London

• Hyde Park - There's a very smooth, long and wide path running alongside the Serpentine which is excellent for skating. It can get very crowded though with skaters, pedestrians, and terrifying skaters zigzagging towards you backwards at alarming speed. The rest of the park is good as well, when it's not raining :-(

Paris

• Place de la Bastille - there's an excellent track stretching South from here, in a loop around a strip of water. I skated here on a Sunday, and there was an enormous group of marvellous looking skaters, off on a mass skate through the city. Paris has a few of these events each week (there's also one on Friday night) - not recommended for beginners as there are a few obstacles (cobblestones, potholes), and if you fall, you will be mercilessly ground into the tarmac by those behind you.

Gran Canaria

• Maspalomas - there's a section of green track opposite Holiday World, very nice for skating.

Berlin

• Tiergarten - there's a long straight cycle path that can also be used for rollerblading. It that runs the entire length of this park in central Berlin, from Tiergarten station past the Siegessäule to the Brandenburg Gate. When I was there I saw a demonstration of hundreds of rollerbladers wanting dedicated paths for skaters. Go you crazy Germans.

Prague

• Stromovka Park, to the North of the Vltava, is pretty good.

Singapore

• East Coast Park - This is one of the best places in the world I have found to skate. The surface is very smooth, and wide, and quiet. There are even some gentle slopes. Singapore is very humid and hot all year round but trees provide a good deal of cover in the park and there are many places to get drinks.

Melbourne

• I skated along the south side of Yarra river from Flinders Street station. The path is a bit narrow and also popular with walkers and cyclists, but good fun all the same.
• Another excellent skating location in Melbourne is the promenade at St Kilda.

Sydney

• Harbour Bridge - This is the first place I ever skated, starting at Milson's Point on the North side of the bridge. There's a very mild slope up and then down the other side. The views are incredible. Steps are involved.
• Centennial Park - Helmets are mandatory but this rule is not enforced. A little rough in places maybe, but who cares, Sydney rocks. You can easily pop into Fox Studios from here. There are some gentle slopes.
• Manly Beach - What can I say? This is one of the world's greatest beaches, and has a very nice track for skating. Watch out for people waving surfboards around.

Perth

• The promenade at Cottesloe Beach is OK - there's also some wooden exercise equipment there if you're feeling especially energetic. I recommend the pullup bar.

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