Skate Commuter of the Month: Jeff Goldberg

Age: 401 moons
Occupation: Architect. I also write articles teaching sustainable design/building practices to developers (see www.pathnet.org)
Neighborhood: The frontier of the South Bronx
Years Blading: 7 
Years Biking: 28
T.A. Member Since: 1995
Your commute? I skate to the train 2.5 miles. Down 180th Street and up 3rd Avenue to the Fordham Metro North Station. I get off in South Norwalk, CT and walk two blocks to work.
How are you received on the train? Conductors scowl, passengers smile.
What do your colleagues think? That I skate from The Bronx.
What got you started? Simple arithmetic: bus takes 40 minutes, skates take 20.
What kind of skates do you have? 7 year-old, lace-up Bauer XS-5's.
Best things about blading in NYC? Things aren't spread out too far so you have lots of energy when you reach your destination.
The worst? Honking behind me when the road is a mile wide.
Best place to ride in the Bronx? Pelham Parkway is safe and picturesque.
Any accidents? I got doored once. That's the last time I skated the curbside of a double-parked car.
Most memorable thing that's ever happened while skating? Riding the subway home from a class with a rabbi, who taught us to "have an eagle's vision, a lion's strength, a leopard's agility and then run like a deer." I thought I could get home quicker if I got off at 174th street and skate from there. I'm gliding along when some guy runs up to me and asks my name. When I realized he wasn't trying to make friends, I "ran like a deer."
Bronx improvements for 2000: I'd like to see a skateway between Pelham Parkway and Shore Road.
What else do you use your wheels for? I've had a few rollerdates, but skates are mostly a commuter tool for me.
Peeves: We take up twice the roadwidth as a cyclist. Rough cobblestone streets slow us down. And for the rain someone needs to invent grippy wheels and bearings that don't rust.
Why did you join T.A.? Because they're a fun-loving bunch that cares about the city's lifeblood, trying to prevent her arteries from clogging any further ... and it costs less than your AAA membership.