Making the most of a fork in the road: Cedar Park playground

Playground: Cedar Park playground
Location: Baltimore Ave. @ 50th St. (triangular island where Baltimore and Catherine veer apart; parking seemed easiest on Catherine)
Date visited: May 28, 2012

Equipment:

• Low monkey-bars (not quite low enough for a 4-yr old but close; chin-height for a short mom)
• Three spinning seats
• One playset with miscellaneous climbing (including a small climbing wall), two medium slides (each straight metal), bench and "shop window"/step under, low and high hanging bars
• modern purple "teeter-totter arch" (some challenge for bigger kids)

Ages: 1-10
Surface: rubbery/cement, grass
Shade(0-3): 1
Water: N
Other: Several long walls (2 ft high) -- great for walking along; shady grassy areas, 2 chess tables, lunch truck (at least when we visited), trolley-watching
Access: Open

Impressions: Brand new, cute playground in a little park in a little park that's really a glorified traffic triangle, offers pleasant settings for a family outing.  Mostly aimed at the younger set (who in fact seem to make up the bulk of real-world use) but a nice variety, although metal slides will get hot in summer.  Pleasant breezes and neighborhood-y feel for a picnic in the grass.  Lack of swings is perplexing!
Overall rating: 8

A local tot lot in Powelton Village

Playground: PEC tot-lot
Location: Corner of Budd & Powelton
Date visited: 5/28/12

Equipment:

• Three hobby horses, all of which work (a miracle in a city oddly full of ultra-rigid hobby horses)
• One small playset, with two slides (low and medium heights, both plastic), fireman's pole, miscellaneous climbing, broken tic-tac-toe
• Broken teeter-totter

Ages: 1-5
Surface: rubber/cement/grass
Shade(0-3): 0
Water: N
Other: picnic tables
Access: probably 24/7

Impressions: A little neighborhood playground -- feels like a neighborhood reclamation project, and indeed, a Google search reveals that the People's Emergency Center (a local community development group) helped build it some time ago.  The playground is a nice snack for a smaller tot, and a nice bonus for the local neighborhood, but isn't much to hold anybody's attention for long, and could use a significant amount of upkeep (and a swingset, ideally...). Overall rating: 5

Cute neighborhood lot: Walnut Hill Community Association Playground

Playground: Walnut Hill Community Association (Alice Jones) Playground
Location: 47th and Sansom (SW corner)
Date visited: 4/14/12

Equipment: One main playset and a number of smaller elements:

1. Playset has some novel elements, including a twisted horizonal "ladder" and the games underneath (car raes, color sorting, and number tic tac toe), a solid bridge, low monkey bar rings and very high ones, a fireman's pole, and a tall spiral (plastic) slide
2. Stepping stone "stumps" with attached vertical ropes
3. A freestanding basketball "bucket" (can be played from all sides)
4. A set of plastic bongo drums
5. Two strap swings

material: modern resin/metal; scale of space: small
Ages: 1.5-11 (marked 5-12); no slides for tots!
Surface: rubbery around equipment; blacktop and brick elsewhere
Shade(0-3): 0
Water: N
Other: picnic tables (including some toddler-sized), checker/chess tables, some blacktop space
Access: marked "9am-8pm seven days," but it's been closed several Sunday mornings, so I doubt it

Impressions: Colorful and creative playset, but a wider range of offerings for games and puzzles than climbing and sliding. The lack of bucket swings seems a misjudgement, especially given that the other equipment offers so much for the youngest set to fiddle with (but not to slide down, feh). They had a small space to work with, and did a good job of covering a range of ages, but perhaps misjudged who the largest bulk of users are.
Overall rating: 7

A mix of unusual offerings: Malcolm X Park

Playground: Malcolm X Park
Location: between Pine & Larchwood, 51st & 52nd
Date visited: 10/31/10

Equipment: Several structures in two neighboring zones: One zone combines the equipment designed for smaller kids (marked 2-5) with a subzone of individual challenging pieces aimed at a range of ages; the second zone is a large playset intended for older kids (marked 5-12).

• The small kid playset has two metal slides and some low ladders. There are also two trucks made of metal and wood, that an be attempted by even pretty small kids. Also right here are two "spaceship" pieces that offer various ways to enter (under, through a hole, etc.) and some dashboard-looking gizmos for pretend play. There's also a purple gizmo that promises some sort of auditory interaction, but it's either broken or inscrutible.
  
  The more adventure-seeming subzone here has a very low balance beam enclosed by rails (although tots will need overhead hands to attempt it) and a similar piece where the walking is on the suspension chains themselves (also inches from the ground). For older kids, there's a wavy narrow "balance beam" that's a couple of feet off the ground (no rails), a climbing net (metal, partly broken) to a fireman's pole, a short stretch of monkey bar rings, a zip line ring, and a set of angled climbing rails that offer a challenge for the more adventurous. There's also a sort of climbing wall here (with footholes rather than knobs), and a little gazebo-covered table with stools around it (several missing their seats).
  
  
• The larger playset has a range of challenging climbing options, 4 metal slides (2 straight, 1 double, 1 spiral), and solid bridges. Also connected is another long zip line ring, some climbing walls, and a balance/bounce platform (I dunno how to describe this, but it was fun). Nearby is a pair of plastic basketball hoops at different heights in the center of a small cement area.

material: modern resin and metal, or as marked; scale: substantial play space inside a full-block park
Ages: 1-12
Surface: rubbery around equipment, mostly grass elsewhere
Shade(0-3): 2
Water: N
Other: picnic table, small covered area (bandstand?), tiny muraled building (shed? rec. center?), grassy park

Access: open park (dawn to dusk?)
Impressions: Wonderfully colorful and creative playground with challenges for all ages, in a grassy park full of mature trees. Some graffitti and signs of abuse, but not yet enough to interfere with the wealth of fun here. Rating docked for lack of swings, which can be critical for babies, but otherwise pretty neat, and worth a trip from other parts of town. Definitely stuff here we've never seen anywhere else, especially for families with kids of varied ages.
Also note: coffee shop and pizza place both across the street widen the options for an outing here.
Overall rating: 9

A welcome retreat in West Philly: Clark Park playground

Playground: Clark Park
Location: 43rd & Chester (1 block south of Baltimore), SW corner
Date visited: 7/28/10 (late afternoon)

Equipment: Two zones within a few yards of each other:

• Tot lot (marked 2-5 years) has two playsets: (1) good-sized standard playset, with two slides (both metal), a narrow solid bridge/walkway that would give toddlers a safe thrill of adventure, unusual kinds of climbing options, and under-set play zones (a crawl-through hole, "shop window," etc.); (2) a smaller, lower, dinosaur-shaped piece with low steps and climbing and two smaller (plastic) slides, as well as a crawl space/fort underneath. There are also 4 bucket swings in this zone.
  
  
• Older kid area is also multi-level, with a range of challenges including 3 slides of different heights (all metal, 4-7 ft), a rope climbing net, a ring-based monkeybar stretch, a solid bridge, and a variety of spaces underneath (hole, bench, window, etc.). Also 3 strap swings and one chair swing in this zone.

material: modern resin & metal, plus rope wall; scale: large play area in extensive park.
Ages: 1-10 (12?)
Surface: rubbery throughout play areas
Shade(0-3): 2+
Water: N
Other: big grassy park with paths, picnic and play areas, basketball court, low stone wall; water ice cart and 2 semi-permanent porta-potties present on day of visit; occasional theatrical and musical events in the evenings
Access: unfenced

Impressions: A cheerful and neighborhoody playground, busy but not crowded, with colorful equipment in a pleasant open park full of mature trees -- the presence of additional green areas across the streets to east (a garden) and north (more park, including a cement climbing turtle) increase the feeling of expansiveness here. The equipment seems very well designed for a range of ages, and includes types of climbing in both zones that we hadn't seen before. Great for families with kids of many ages, and for combining play with a picnic or trip to a nearby cafe (I glimpsed patio tables a little farther up 43rd). Also happily multiethnic. Worth a trip!
Overall rating: 9

Running and climbing, free from cars: Penn's central square

Playground: Levy Park on the U.Penn. campus
Location: follow the walkway SW from 34th & Walnut, or North (then E) from 36th and Spruce
Date visited: several times in summer/fall 2009

Equipment: Paved walkways, grassy areas, a large button sculpture that can be clambered on, a flight of sub-standard-size steps, and grassy hills of various steepness.
Ages: 1-3
Surface: Grass, stone, pavement.
Shade(0-3): 2
Water: N
Other: People-watching, benches, occasional events.
Access: college campus green, with expected flows of traffic and occasional events.

Impressions: A great change of pace for new walkers and other explorers -- this campus expanse offers grassy areas good for lounging, picnicking, or playing, as well as walkways in many directions, all of which is well buffered from automobile traffic. Additional great toddler features include the famous Button sculpture, which is irresitable to young climbers (who can drop down through the holes), and a flight of shortish steps (look to your left when facing the button and library) that make for great practice stairs -- my 18-21-month old and I average 6-8 trips up and down per visit. She also loves running down the grassy hill at the end of her more serious work... Downsides include large numbers of pedestrians, depending on the time of day, and occasional tents or other activities that take over the prime real estate here. Upsides include numerous restaurants and coffee shops in the vicinity (especially along Walnut and Sansom). For those with kids who love buses as much as mine does, this plaza also makes a great cross-town destination; catch the 42 or 21 on Walnut (get off at 34th) or the 40 along Lombard (get off on Spruce after it returns from its detour) for a pleasant outing.
Overall rating: 9 (for toddlers only)