Am I the only one who has noticed an explosion in the number of skateboards being used for transportation in New York City? I see at least a dozen a day, being used by everybody from kids on their way to school to businessmen in suits and ties. Two photos from this morning:

At 125th and Lenox. These kids then hopped off their boards and went into the subway.

In school, walking to class. Note another deck on the ground behind her.

One of my children told me last week that he will want a skateboard for his birthday, and though his mom (who remembers the somewhat less savory image of skateboarders in the 1970s and 1980s) objects, I’m on board with the project, and perhaps even excited to get a board of my own to learn with him.

I’ve ridden a skateboard only once, and found myself constantly distracted by memories of Back to the Future.

I look like this, but older, less graceful, and without charisma.