McGuire Playground: rambly fun tucked away in Fairhill

Playground: McGuire

Location: Mascher St., just north of Lehigh Ave.

Date visited: 10/1/11

Equipment: 1 large rambly playset with many elements:

• low jointed bridge and 3 short solid bridges
• 4 metal slides = 1 medium straight, 1 high spiral, 2 small straight pairs
• lots of climbing, including submarine-style tube climbing
• monkey bars (6 feet up)
• metal climbing rope net
• a few low stools under the playset
• fireman's pole

Used to be 6 swings, but all missing

Ages: 2-10

Surface: rubbery surrounded by blacktop

Shade(0-3): 0

Water: N

Other: handball court, basketball (hoops but no nets)

Access: (not posted)

Impressions: Jumble of platforms and ladders is appealing despite its Impressionistic patina of graffiti. Playground needs some attention (chunks of rubbery surface missing, some rust spots on equipment, missing swings), but we had a good time there on a cool fall morning and suspect others would too.

Overall rating: 7

McPherson Square: grassy park with a small playset

Playground: McPherson Square

Location: Large block-sized park, bounded by E,F on East and West, Clearfield and Indiana North and South

Date visited: 10/1/11

Equipment: 1 small playset in a larger grassy park -- compact but decent: 1 small surved and 1 tall bumpy slide (both plastic), climbing wall (tilted), chain rope net

Ages: 1-7

Surface: rubbery by equipment, surrounded by grass

Shade(0-3): 0

Water: N

Other:some nice trees (away from equipment), library building in center of park, el tracks nearby

Access: (not posted)

Impressions: Too minimal for any sort of trip, but could make a fun "snack" if you were visiting the library branch or doing other business in the area

Overall rating: 7 (for quality), though significantly smaller than average sized

Hissey Center: zone for the smaller set in Kensington

Playground: Hissey Center

Location: Indiana Ave. & Budinot St.

Date visited: 10/1/11

Equipment:

• Medium-height small platform with straight metal slide and several ladders
• Several cement climbing animals ranging from a foot-high turtle (perfect for crawlers) to a standing turtle, and sitting elephant & camel
• Four bucket swings
• Higher playset with miscellaneous climbing and 1 tall straight metal slide
• Several large zones of rubbery surface with no equipment (maybe used to have 1 set of swings and 1 other piece?)

material: modern res/metal; scale: large

Ages: 0-7

Surface: rubbery, separated by blacktop

Shade(0-3): 2

Water: N

Other: basketball, baseball field (?) and extra grass, extra blacktop

Access: (not posted)

Impressions: Nicely shaded playground looks a little forgotten--missing equipment makes you think less of the small pieces that remain. In fact, what's here is probably pretty good for the smallest set (especially toddlers), although some broken glass may keep crawlers from playing at liberty here.

Overall rating: 5