San Francisco's Legendary Skate Spots: EMB, Hubba Hideout, and Pier 7 History

The EMB: San Francisco's Skateboarding Mecca

• 📍 In 1992, Embarcadero Plaza (EMB) in San Francisco became the international hub for skateboarding.
• 💡 Originally constructed in 1972 with brutalist architecture, its bricks, ledges, and stairs inadvertently created an ideal street skateboarding environment.
• 🛹 Skaters like Mike Gonzalez, Mike Carroll, and Henry Sanchez pushed technical boundaries here, with Gonzalez's 'gon's gap' becoming legendary.
• 🌍 EMB's influence spread globally through skate videos and magazines, shaping street skateboarding culture.
• ⚠️ Despite efforts by city authorities to deter skaters, the community persisted, viewing EMB as a symbol of creativity and resistance.

Hubba Hideout: A Famous Ledge's Origin

• 🗺️ Just one block from EMB, Hubba Hideout was another iconic San Francisco skate spot.
• 🤫 The name 'Hubba Hideout' originated from a nearby park where people would gather to do drugs, referred to by the street name 'Hubba'.
• 🏞️ The spot itself was a ledge on a walkway that went over a street, leading down to a landing area.
• 💔 The original structure, including the walkway, was eventually removed by the city.
• 🌟 The fame of this specific ledge led to all similar ledges in skateboarding being colloquially referred to as 'hubbas'.

Pier 7: The World's Most Famous Manual Pad

• ⚓ Located another block away, Pier 7 is home to what is argued to be the most famous manual pad in skateboarding history.
• 🛠️ This spot features benches, a two-stair set, and a manual pad that has been heavily grinded over time, rounding its edges significantly.
• 🚫 Skate stoppers were frequently installed to prevent skating, but skaters would remove them, creating a cycle of deterrence and persistence.
• 🪵 In some attempts to stop skaters, wood was placed on top of the concrete, with skate stoppers on the sides.
• 💖 The speaker shares a personal connection, having moved to San Francisco specifically to skate this spot daily, featuring it in many of their old video parts.

Preserving San Francisco's Skate History

• 🏛️ The proximity of EMB, Hubba Hideout, and Pier 7 highlights San Francisco's deep roots in skateboarding culture.
• 📣 Advocates suggest that these historic spots should be preserved and potentially redeveloped into dedicated skate-friendly areas.
• ✨ Such a space could attract skaters and enthusiasts from around the world, fostering community and creativity, similar to EMB's past influence.