Last tuesday I finally took the time to go out and get a new skateboard.  Cruisin around the streets of Paris with my new set of wheels has been awesome.  After growing up seeing Parisian skaters in magazines and videos it has been a dream come true to finally ride amongst them.  At first it was hard for me to find skate friendly spots because the cobble stone side walks and busy streets can make skating difficult.  After searching and riding the metro for what seemed like for ever I finally decided to get of at Republique and to my good fortune I found skaters riding around everywhere.  A new plaza had just opened right outside of the metro stop and it was buzzing with skaters.  There were several ledges, a flat box, a gigantic fountain, and beautiful architecture all around, a true Parisian skate spot.  After skating for several minutes I began to make friends with some fellow skaters.  They told me how the plaza had just opened and how the police are recognizing it as a public skate spot allowing kids from all over to come and skate.  This was shocking to me because I have never seen such a huge place where both the citizens and the police not only welcome but encourage skateboarding.  This is an awesome step for skateboarding and skaters all across the world.  It is also extra awesome for me because since it is so new and since I am one of the first dudes to skate at this plaza I feel as if I am going down in skateboard history.  I plan on going back several more times with the few more days that we have left and one day telling my grandkids how I was one of the first to skate Republique.