Old Photo : Needles Park

This picture is of Mike Vallely at a demo at Needles Park in Boston. I'm pretty sure needles wasn't actually the name of the park but everyone called it that because of all the used syringes, hookers were also plentiful at the park. The park was right across from New England Medical Center T station. Beacon Hill Skates used to be right across the street on the other side of the park. Beacon Hill Skates was a weird little place that used to be on Beacon Hill right around the corner from the Frog Pond in the Commons. They rented and sharpened ice skates then somehow transitioned into selling skateboards. Eventually the shop moved down the street to the other side of the commons and to a much different type of neighborhood (remember the syringes and hookers). I'm pretty sure at the time they were the only place in the city that sold skateboards except for Maximus which wasn't yet a skatepark and was much more out of the way if you were a pre-teen skate rat with no car. Beacon Hill Skates eventually became a pretty rad shop with a huge selection and they hosted a few demos and contests at "Needles" but they never stopped sharpening ice skates. I'm pretty sure the shop is still there and still renting and sharpening ice skates but no longer has anything to do with skateboards. This picture was taken at a TV Demo. TV was a board company started by Templeton and Vallely (TV get it?) and Jahmal Williams also rode for them. I also remember seeing a World Industries demo there with Rodney Mullen, Rudy Johnson, and I think Guy was there and maybe Chris Branagh. Even when there wasn't a demo most of the time if you went to the park you would likely see some of the best Boston street guys like Jahmal, Robbie Gangemi, Adam Ayre, Matt Pailes or others hanging out skating. The stairs and everything fun to skate at the park is gone since they remodeled it and pretty much just put in flat sidewalks but there is a handicapped ramp with a rail that Robbie grinded up at the end of his Mix Tape part!