Skating through Los Angeles
Skateboarder and photographer Sierra Prescott shares her love of LA and explains why Venice Beach is the best spot to people-watch
“If you’re visiting LA and into skate culture, you’ll always find friends,” says photographer Sierra Prescott, who was born and bred in the sun-soaked California city that birthed skateboarding and shaped it into the scene it is today.
Prescott, now 34, has been skating since she was 10 years old. Inspired as a child by skateboarding cartoon characters, annual action-sports festival the X Games, and Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater video game, she began taking pictures of her friends skating not long after.
“Back in the 1990s, skateboarding was underground and uncool,” says Prescott, who has written a book, Shredders: A Photographic Tribute to Girls Who Skate.
“There were no skate parks, so we took to the streets. But today it’s thriving all over the city, with skate parks, DIY spots, street spots, and cruisy boardwalks for every kind of skater—or those simply there for the spectacle. It’s a friendly city,” she laughs, “so don’t be deterred by a passing smile or wave.”
Skate park bowls around the world are modeled on the empty backyard pools that the kids from Dogtown, the once-dilapidated zone behind Santa Monica Pier and Venice Beach, started skating in during the drought-ridden summer of 1977, as immortalized in the 2001 documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys.
Today, the concrete bowls at Venice Beach Skate Park are a sight to behold, says Prescott. “You’re guaranteed to see locals who are launching out of the air and doing foot plants on palm trees—there is so much talent there.”
“The back alleys by the beach really make me feel like Dogtown,” she says. “The energy and the salty air, you’re weaving in and out of people—it feels historical.” For those seeking “a more mellow vibe” Prescott recommends that “you can just skate the actual beach path, which is smooth and always fun and cruisy; Malibu is awesome for that, too.
A cultural guide to Los Angeles
“If you want to pick up a new skate deck while you’re here, you’ll find the best selection at Kingswell in Los Feliz, LA Skate in Hollywood, or Brooklyn Projects on Melrose,” she continues, adding that shoppers will also love Grand Central Market. “It features lots of independent designers [at its Market Bazaar event, every Fri-Sun]. And there’s a hill right by it that you can bomb down, and plenty of skateboarders.”
For culture buys, Prescott trawls record store Amoeba and Book Soup, and is an evangelist of the city’s thriving art and music scenes. Inspired to plan your own trip? Scroll down to our map for her full guide.
“I often recommend people stay in Silver Lake, where I lived for over a decade,” says Prescott. “There are a lot of hills, but you will see some crazy people bombing down them or [the pro skater] Nyjah Huston doing a crazy gap to hill bomb.” The Silver Lake Pool & Inn is right in the heart of the action, and popular for its rooftop pool.
“Nearby Echo Park or Los Feliz are also great places to stay, or if you want to be right by the beach, Santa Monica.” Also consider The Venice V Hotel, where decor is inspired by skate culture, and boards can be rented at the front desk.
“One of my favorite breakfast and lunch cafés in Venice is called Flake. It’s a short skate from the beach and the coffee, burritos and acai bowls are super good,” says Prescott. “Across the street, vegan spot Café Gratitude is a bit more high-end—go there for black rice and curry bowls, wraps, salads, pizzas, and mezze. Superba is a great bakehouse and breakfast place, there’s one in Venice and Pasadena, where I live now.”
It’s not a trip to L.A. without a visit to a burger or hotdog joint, and Prescott’s favorite city-wide chains include Burgerlords, Monty’s Good Burger, Wurstküche and Pink’s. She also recommends Grand Central Market downtown, which has a multitude of street-food vendors under one roof.
When it comes to bars, she likes to drink in Silver Lake, and neighboring Echo Park. “The Black Cat and Mohawk Bend are my go-tos. And if you keep going Eastside, you’ve got cool spots like Lowboy and Bar Flores, which is known for its cocktails.”
“The music culture in LA is rad,” says Prescott. “Because of the dry weather, which is also great for skating, we have amazing outdoor venues like The Greek or the Hollywood Bowl. And in mid-city, we have The Wiltern or the Orpheum Theatre.”
She also recommends visitors explore the city’s contemporary art scene. “There are lots of cool museums now. One of the newest is The Broad, which is definitely worth checking out downtown. They have an epic Keith Haring exhibition there at the moment.” Bonus? It’s free to enter, but you can book ahead to avoid queues.
Sam Haddad is a journalist specializing in action sports, travel, and the environment, whose work has appeared in The Guardian, 1843, Raconteur, and Huck Magazine. She has visited 46 countries.
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