Walter E Hall Park - Everett, Washington, U.S.A.

Be it eeeeeever so humble... There's no place like home.

One of my two home parks (Mill Creek being the other) this one holds a special place in a lot of locals' hearts. Back in the 90's before Skateparks became commonplace this park was one of the first places a lot of Snohomish County residents encountered a concrete playground just for us. This was the place that we became familiar with transitions, coping, dropping in, and all those skills you take for granted so many years after they've become solidified. There was a time the 6 foot quarter pipes in the West end and the bowl seemed huge, but with time they just seem tame with mellow radius' and tiny coping. Sadly, the park is coming up on 20 years old and is located in a VERY high-density low-income housing area. Casino Road in Everett is known to be quite sketchy, but being in a public park next to a golf course the worst you usually see is unsupervised kids on scooters who need some guidance on run etiquette. I go to Mill Creek to get runs and work on my pumps, but I come to Walter E to land tricks and feel like I know what I'm doing.

Also; a lot of the locals at this park are lifers. I've sat back and witnessed quite a few groms grow up and become the local legends. Generally a nice bunch of dudes that will put on quite a show if you're keen to watch, but they're the minority compared to the kids that probably don't belong in the park just yet. Be mindful of traffic jams.