Browsing YouTube the other day, I came upon a video someone posted of Galaxy Skateway (3737 N. Davie Road Extension).
I pass the building on many occasions heading to University Drive, but watching the video conjured up memories of when I was younger. The cheesy house music blaring from the loudspeakers. The strobe lighting. Galaxy was the place to be in the 1990s.
For a time, it seemed I was there quite often. My school always took field trips to the skating center. My friends would hold Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle pizza parties for their birthday there.
I had a lot of great moments. The time I actually won one of the skate races they used to hold sticks out to me in particular. I forgot if they gave me the money I used to buy the large soda or if they just gave me a ticket for a free drink. Either way, the Coke I drank that day never tasted better.
There was also the first time I got something from the claw machine. It was a Bart Simpson doll. I held on to it for so many years, but today I don’t know what happened to it.
I remember the day I thought I was so cool hitting the rink with my new neon green, purple and black rollerblades. They were a gift I got from my parents and were a turning point for me because it meant I didn’t have to rent the regular four-wheel skates they had.
It’s probably been more than a decade since I’ve been to Galaxy. I’m not sure how much it’s changed, but maybe it’s time I stopped by. They might have that Bart Simpson doll.
For information on Galaxy’s skating centers, visit
— Scott Fishman
