Inline Skating Rink at Eisenhower Park

Eisenhower Park is one of the few places in Nassau County where an inline skater can practice at an outdoor rink when honing one’s skills, and then stroll leisurely on wheels along scenic trails when just hanging around with friends and family. The rink is accessible all year round, and you will see people there every day. However, skating at the rink in winter months is only for the most determined folks.

Demonstrating the lemon drop at the tracks in winter

If you are interested in connecting with your local skaters, consider joining r/NassauBladers at Reddit. If you are learning to skate, check out How to Inline Skate.

This article is not about a skatepark with street and transition elements, but I include it as a honorable mention as a part of my Public Skateparks on Long Island series.

This is what the rink looks like from the sky. Eight circular cement tracks surround an inner cement court with markings for baseball. Surfaces are coated, but I am not sure with what. The inner court gets less abuse and appear to have a less worn-out coating. Despite cracks, skating on tracks and on the inner court is a smooth and satisfying experience because of the coating.

Inline skating tracks and rink
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What is a 5M NaCl solution in wt% mass fraction?

What is the equivalent mass fraction of a 5M saline solution?

A 5M molarity NaCl solution is equivalent to a salt-water solution prepared at mass fraction of 24.53 wt%.

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What happens when you let saturated salt water dry up completely?

When you leave a saturated NaCl saline solution in a glass cylinder, what happens when water dries up? Likely you thought cubic salt crystals would form at the bottom of the glass, and then grow bigger as water evaporates. You have this mental picture perhaps from reading a textbook, or maybe watching an animated video. Eventually only salt crystals are left in the cup. Well, that’s not wrong. But that is also not the full story.

Saturated salt solution in a glass
Salt creep: Glass cylinder encased in a rind of salt
Glass cylinder encased in a rind of salt

What actually happens as salt water dries up in a cup is more complicated. You start with a glass cylinder about 2/5 filled with maximally-saturated salt water at 26 wt%, with about 1g of undissolved salt remaining, shown on the left. As water evaporates, at first those undissolved crystals continue to grow. But more crystals form on the surface of the solution. Before you realize, these crystals turn into lumps and form a seemingly live colonies of wet salt creeping up the glass wall. They will cover the entire inner wall, then march over and past the rim of the cylinder to the outside wall. By the time all water dries up, the glass cylinder is covered completely in a rind of salt, as shown on the right.

Salt colony creeping all over a graduated cylinder - progression from saturated saline solution to a salt rind (salt creep)
Salt colony creeping all over a graduated cylinder – progression from saturated saline solution to a salt rind

I couldn’t stop thinking, “what a creepy way for salt water to dry up!”

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Rockaway Skatepark – public skateparks on Long Island

Rockaway Skatepark in Queens was destroyed by Sandy. It was rebuilt, then reopened in 2020. This new and large facility features butter-smooth surface at the writing of this article, with both street and transition elements, plus a long bowl which connects with the main skating plaza. Rockaway Skatepark is located at the west end of Rockaway Beach. The new boardwalk passes next to the skatepark. And the Atlantic Ocean is just 200 feet away. Its sister Far Rockaway Skatepark is located at the east end of the same beach, 3.5 miles away. This article is a part of my Public Skateparks on Long Island series.

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Oyster Bay Skatepark – public skateparks on Long Island

Oyster Bay Skatepark features both street and transition elements, plus three connected bowls. Despite the name, this skatepark is actually located at Bethpage, not Oyster Bay. In fact, it’s part of the Bethpage Community Park, which is not far away from the huge Bethpage State Park. This article is a part of my Public Skateparks on Long Island series.

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Manorhaven Beach Skatepark – public skateparks on Long Island

Manorhaven Beach Skatepark features both street and transition elements. There is a raise platform in the middle of the plaza, with traffic flowing around this platform. At the time of this writing, it is the only public skatepark on all of North Shore Long Island. This article is a part of my Public Skateparks on Long Island series.

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Long Beach Skatepark – public skateparks on Long Island

Long Beach Skatepark features both street and transition elements, plus a large bowl. It is located between an outdoor hockey rink and the Municipal Boat Launch Ramp. This article is a part of my Public Skateparks on Long Island series.

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Kennedy Skatepark – public skateparks on Long Island

Kennedy Skatepark is officially named Jarred A. Newallo Skatepark. It is located in the Town of Hempstead, in Nassau County. This article is a part of my Public Skateparks on Long Island series.

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Maloof Skatepark – public skateparks on Long Island

Maloof Skatepark is a 16,000 square-foot facility within Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens. It features street and transition elements on three levels. This article is a part of my Public Skateparks on Long Island series.

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Far Rockaway Skatepark – public skateparks on Long Island

Far Rockaway Skatepark in Queens is a 15,700 square feet facility featuring both street and transition elements. It is located at the east end of Rockaway Beach. Its sister Rockaway Skatepark is located at the west end of the same beach, 3.5 miles away. This article is a part of my Public Skateparks on Long Island series.

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