Aerial view of the spot, July 2018.

In the world of DIY spots, creative and affectionate names are the norm. No different is Berlin’s long-running DIY that started as a couple ledges. The “Dog Shit” spot may have started off as bare bones, but now is an awesome spot on the edge of East Berlin just across the river from the Ramones Museum. In total, the space is about the same size as McCarren Park so It can get pretty packed. The laid back vibe of the locals here will make you feel right at home.

Fingerboard size park in the foreground, full size in the background.

For those of you 18+, you can head across the street to the kiosk and get some beers or water, whatever suits you. What was once a couple of ledges has grown into a small pyramid, bank to curb, quarterpipes with an extension, and comes complete with a mini fingerboard version on the right-hand side that you’ll find kids messing with at given times throughout the day. You’ve got to hand it to whoever built this park. When you leave the build in the hands of the skaters, you end up with…well a park that is actually skateable. Any way you roll at this spot you’ll find a line. My personal favorite was to ollie the mini pyramid, pump over the hump into a frontside flip on the small quarterpipe coming back and hitting the hip with the wallride extension. It was really fun to carve into. I could go on and on because this was literally my favorite place to be in Berlin. I even left behind some tape art to commemorate my trip. After seeing what is possible and thinking about our own DIY’s. Could you imagine what BQE or the Brooklyn Banks would be like if we not only were left to out own devices but the city actually supported it?! We lobby for skateparks, but would it be possible to change the way we get support, and in turn change the attitudes of our neighbors or are we doomed to forever be locked in a battle where skateparks are built to keep us in and off the streets?