El Dorado Skatepark - Long Beach, California, U.S.A.

What's frustrating, is that this is the skatepark closest to me, yet we rarely ever go. EVER. You nailed it with the original review: Lot's of dead ends, lumpy, coping sticks out, etc. Not to mention, very bad cross traffic when crowded.

However, there is a crew of young cats that rip this place and love it. There is an instagram account dedicated to all the rippers. More power to 'em. There's a saying that if you can rip Eldo, you can rip anywhere. Place is challenging.

A lot of us older skaters that live in area head up to Caruthers in Bellflower, so that should tell you how awkward this place is.

Legend has it, Wally Hollyday was very close to building this park, but got in argument with city and we got stuck with a sidewalk contractor to pour the concrete. Meaning, someone who had no idea how to build a skatepark, thus lumpy trannies. Wally Hollyday DID do the bowl at Caruthers, so we have this constant reminder of what could have been. I mean, seriously, can you imagine if Eldo had been build by Hollyday? How much better it would have been?

A few Eldo fun facts:

* This park was at some point so popular with scooters (and still is to a degree) that Razor came out with an "El Dorado" model scooter. No joke. (https://www.razor.com/products/pro-scooters/el-dorado/)

* Long Beach has free Wifi in the park! So this makes it easier to take pics of scooter riders and post to social media free of charge!

* The adjacent Senior Center has a kick-ass jazz big band that plays every Wednesday, mid-morning. Between this and the free wifi, you will seriously have a better time than skating that damn park. Seriously, you gotta check out the big band and the ballroom dancing, its fun and surreal.

* They replicated the same design at Huntington Park up in LA. Seriously, it's the same. exact. design. Except HP has a better pour and high, jail yard like fences. So if you ever wanted to know what Eldo would be like with a better pour AND feel like you are skating in a jail yard, then Huntington Park is the place for you.

* Also adjacent to the park is the roller hockey area, which is usually empty, and good place to practice flat ground tricks.

At first glance, it looks like enough banks to keep you occupied for a short while.

However, the bowls are almost unridable because the coping sticks out so badly. It is hard to even ride out of the bowls without being stopped or hung up at the top.

I would rather put my testicles in a vice than go here again. Lot's of pad enforcing pigs too!