We've added three more out-of-town #GroupSkate weekends to the Empire website calendar: Philadelphia, Skate DC, and LA Big Avocado Roll.
Already done are the two Miami events. Houston is next week, then Atlanta kicks off the summer season, followed by DC Skate of the Union, Philly, Portland, Seattle, NYC BAR, Skate DC, and LA.
Still waiting for word on Boston, Chicago, Toronto and San Antonio's dates, but none of those will be earlier than mid August.
Updated intro post…
Hola, skaters!
The Empire Skate Club of New York has been #InlineSkating #NYC since 1997.
Our biggest, most organized activity every year is the Big Apple Roll, 4-5 days of group skating the first weekend of August, including the massive BAR Friday Night Skate
We also sponsor Tuesday Night Skate, NYC's oldest weekly #GroupSkate; sponsor an inline #speedskating team; and do weekend group skates.
Check out our website or socials for more. https://empireskate.org
It may be the depths of winter (which, what, it was about 50°F on Wednesday), but the NYC #GroupSkate folk are in full swing. We met up with members of the Winter Wednesday Night Skate (not the Official WNS) when they finished their roll, and they had a nice-sized group.
Looks like its 2 (TWO!) #NYC #GroupSkate's to the Dyker Heights neighborhood Christmas lights fantasia this week!
Empire's own Tuesday Night Skate rolls there TONIGHT, departs Manhattan Grand Army (Fifth@60th) at 8 p.m.
Then Wednesday is the aforementioned Winter Wednesday Night Skate, departing from Triona's on Third (at 17th) at 7 p.m. (An HOUR EARLY!)
It's a long roll there and back, but there's an R train station near-by in Bay Ridge for peeps who want to get home faster.
Tonight's Empire Holiday Spirit #GroupSkate has been postponed due to the rain. It will instead take place tomorrow, 12/11, starting from Triona's on Third Ave at 8 p.m.
Also in the holiday spirit, there is a non-Empire group skate Friday evening, meeting up 6:30 at the Columbus Circle entrance to Central Park. Theme is locations from the Home Alone 2 movie.
We have a themed Empire weekend #GroupSkate happening this Sunday, 11/23. It's the first of a "subway series", where the group will meet up at the first station of an #NYC subway line and follow its route to the last. And since it's the first such skate, that means it will be the 1 train!
Meet-up is by the Van Cortlandt station in the Bx at 11 a.m.
If the group reaches the Whitehall Station in lower Manhattan in good time, they may also try rolling the route of the W train.
Tonight is the last official #NYC Wedneday Night Skate of the 2025 season, and it's also Halloween week. So you know what that means. Huzzah!
And on tap this weekend are two Sunday morning group skates.
Speedskaters will roll the NY Marathon route before streets are closed for the big race, starting in Bay Ridge at 6:15.
Later at 8:15 is Empire's traditional marathon-watching roll. Meet up at Dante Park in front of Lincoln Center. There may be a lunch stop, too.
It's late October, which means Hallowe'en #GroupSkate s (in costume) are on the menu. The big one is Empire's annual roll from Manhattan UWS to Sleepy Hollow and then to Tarrytown's annual Hallowe'en parade, this Saturday 10/25. Meet up is 8:45 am at Dante Park (Lincoln Center), and distance is 30 miles at a reasonable pace. There _should_ be a sag wagon, but check Empire's FB page for updates
Then next week is the season finale of the official #NYC Wednesday Night Skate. OMG.
We dropped by Union Square way late after #NYC WNS #GroupSkate finished, and only recognized a couple people amongst the skaters still about.
OTOH, our Strava feed is filling up with NYC skaters in Los Angeles for the Big Avocado Roll!
Kudos to Mario for once again figuring out how to skate 10 miles from LAX to wherever it is he's staying in Venice Beach.
Empire Skate Club NYC