Everyone needs an outdoor activity. Mine happens to be ice skating in the winter and roller blading in all the other seasons. I started ice skating at my time at RIT. I needed an activity credit and I thought I would try ice skating. It's surprisingly fun and I can do a few quick turns but that's about it. The only problem with ice skating is that after a while of going around in circles it can get fairly boring.
Since ice skating is seasonal and I ended up enjoying it I thought I would do well with roller blades. It's similar in technique but one major difference is the pavement. When your moving along on roller blades you feel every bump of the road. That's why I try to find stretches of smooth paved walkways instead of roadways. It also removes the hazard of cars. Luckily, I live near the Erie Canal and a well maintained walkway follows it. It's long and sometimes and can watch the boats go by (or try to out race them).