Perfectly nice, but more average than its namesake

Playground: Marian Anderson
Location: 17th & Fitzwater (enter on 17th)
Date visited: 11/24/09

Equipment: Minimal small-tot set of equipment (steps, 2 ladders, 2 slides), teeter-totter, 4 bucket swings, 4 strap swings, Good older-kid set of equipment (5 ladders, 4 slides, poles, bridge, monkey bars), Cool "spaceship" -- 4-foot high pod that can be climbed into from a pair of parallel short ladders
Ages: toddler to 7ish
Surface: rubberized surfaces for each play area
Shade(0-3): 1 -- some trees are the periphery, and the outfield wall may provide a little
Water: none
Other: large & nice baseball field (playground is just over outfield fence), batting cage, pool, rec center
Access: Rec center hours are M-F 1-10 PM, Sat 9-5. There is a small gate on 17th that was open when visited (despite rec center being closed) -- not sure if that's a common occurrence

Impressions: Particularly nice amount of space, with good separation between the various play zones and several benches around. Even relatively scenic between the baseball field, rec center murals, and relatively quiet streets around. Equipment is fairly average (and scant for younger kids) but in decent shape. Rec Center is not particularly welcoming (no posted hours), but then that seems to be the way Philly rec centers are, and is not really the fault of the playground (though it does make it unpredictable whether you can access the playground outside of the official rec center hours, not to mention being able to find out what those hours are...)
Overall rating: 7