Return to Dickinson Square

We're revisiting Dickinson Square Park this week.  Renovated in 2012, the is among the best places for families in southeast Philadelphia - not so much for the play equipment, but for the mature tree canopy, and the large mound of artificial turf surfacing.  It's a comfortable, wide-open space among the narrow streets of Pennsport.  The renovation retains a crescent concrete seat wall and uses it to frame play areas designed for ages 2-5, 5-12, and an array of six to-and-fro slides (two for younger children). 

Equipment:

2-5 play area (appeals most to children 1-4)

• Kompan Blazer - you may know it from other recent playground installations in the city - a three-person spring rocker that is a real winner for interaction among children.   
• A house-theme stair and slide, with an attached horizontal rope ladder.  Young children delight in the slide.  The rope climbers are a nice addition, but get very little use - possibly because of the small size of the ladder.  A 90-degree turn from the stair to the slide (with an open fall of 4' at the top) keeps the parents of young children on their toes.

Ages 5-12 play area

• A compound structure, also by Kompan, that features two spinners, a balance pad, some very modest cord climbers, and an inclined balance bar.  
• (removed) A pyrimidal, rotating climber (possibly a Dynamo Apollo).  The foundation for this climber failed, and it was removed in summer 2017.  

Ages: All ages, but best for children 1-10.   
Surface: Artificial Turf 
Shade (0-3): 3 - Mature canopy of London Plane Trees - majestic, and extremely comfortable
Water: N 
Other: adjacent basketball court, adjacent tables and chairs, a community center, sculpture that children love to climb on, shaded grassy areas, and lots of space enjoyed by dog walkers, a weekly (small) farmer's market
Access: No barriers, standard park hours

Impressions:  This is one of my favorite parks in Philadelphia.  The equipment is successful enough and provides a good variety of play types and challenges, though the removed 5-12 rotating climber is sorely missed, and older children may find the playground a little dull. The real star here is an open turf mound.  It's enormously popular with families in the summer, creates an interesting area for young children to walk and run, and provides a comfortable spot for parents to sit and supervise the playground.  Lawns at nearby parks are generally dominated by dog walkers, making the mound a unique place to sit and relax in the "grass."  If you're concerned about the toxicity of turf mounds - it's worth learning more.  You won't find crumb rubber among the artificial grass blades, and, despite it's popularity the mound has held up well - with only a slight tear at a seam where turf mats cover the mound.  If anything, the mound is too popular; it attracts older children playing soccer and football, and there's not quite enough space for a simultaneous soccer game and family picnics.  It's a sign of the renovations success and Dickinson Square's wide appeal.

Overall Rating: 9/10

New face!

We'd like to welcome a new face to this project -- KK, who has a young child and is eager to update some of our reviews where the playgrounds have been renovated, as well as help to fill in the map with visits to some far-flung locations around the city. I hope that means that the map and the blog can continue to be of service to beleagured parents around the region for many more years!

Happy playing!

May be about done

If it's not obvious, this project appears to have reached an end. Our kid decided she was a little too old for a lot of playgrounds, and once she was in school, we were less inclined to spend every weekend on this single activity. There are a couple of visits hanging about that have never been blogged, and we might manage a surprise outing at some point just to fill in some of the under-represented zones, but in all likelihood our playground reviewing days are past. Luckily, we feel pretty good about the 150 or so playgrounds we managed to visit all over town, and especially for having put together a map of known and suspected playgrounds (recently made functional again!) for the benefit of other parents.

May all your obstacles be surmountable and all your hot days cooled with sprayers and shade!
Best, ACM, RSM, and MSMM

Ziehler playground: ample playground, could use some shade

Playground: Ziehler
Location: B St at Olney
Date visited: Jun. 17, 2013

Equipment:

• Smaller fenced-in zone with fun "firetruck" jungle gym (with low monkey bars) and a low playset with a tube slide (empties even with the ground), 2 medium straight slides, climbing, "tic-tac-toe" critters, and 4 bucket swings
• Zone for bigger kids with 4 strap swings (1 missing) and a higher playset with six slides (including straight, bumpy, spiral and tube slides, all plastic) and lots of climbing options

Ages: 1-9
Surface: rubbery amid blacktop
Shade(0-3): 0
Water: N
Other: basketball, baseball, and soccer fields; extra blacktop and grassy areas; colorful rec center with covered picnic area, swimming pool
Access: 10-6?

Impressions: This playground is a bit faded and worn (with some loose trash and graffiti), but actually offers reasonable play options for younger frolickers, in a setting of wide grassy ball fields.  Middle school across the street probably generates some weekday traffic, but lots of places for a shady picnic on the weekend.  The thing this space most needs is more shade, and there are several grassy squares in the pavement offering places to start a tree-planting project.

Overall rating: 6

Barrett/Lindley playground: nice spot in North Philly for the smaller kids especially

Playground: Barrett Playground (according to sign onsite; Google map calls it Lindley playground)
Location: 8th and Duncannon (location of playground; large field is on Lindley, at 7th)
Date visited: Jun 17, 2013

Equipment:

• Small kids' zone (fenced in, shady) has a cement turtle (can climb on or under), 4 bucket swings and a small playset with a jointed bridge and three plastic slides (2 straight, 1 curved)
• Bigger playset has 3 tall straight slides (2 plastic, 1 metal), 1 spiral plastic slide, monkey bars, and a fireman's pole
• 4 strap swings near bigger playset
• freestanding "totem pole" water sprayer, surrounded by a cement circle

Ages: 1-11
Surface: rubbery, though dried out/hardened in spots
Shade(0-3): 1 (some in small-kids zone, none in big-kids zone)
Water: Y (see above)
Other: chess tables, extra blacktop, tennis courts, large football field (plus multiple baseball, though seemed largely unused), basketball, small rec center
Access: fenced in, but not sure about hours, presumably standard rec center hours

Impressions: Nice spot for little kids, with a deeply shady protected corner of the park.  Decent offering for older kids, but the equipment gets no shade from the many trees (although the swings do) and the raggedy ground surfaces and occasional trash and graffiti detract a bit from the experience.  Basically fine, with a relatively quiet residential setting, but not a draw from any distance

Overall rating: 7

A little playspace between rowhouses and industrial stretches in Brewerytown

Playground: Unnamed
Location: Jefferson at 30th
Date visited: 7/27/13

Equipment: Two zones, close together but fenced:

• The playset is large and meandering, which is fun in itself. It includes two high slides (straight and spiral) and one lower (curved), all metal; a solid bridge; crawl-through hoops and store window underneath (+ small bench). There is also a set of "stepping stone stools" here.
• The second "room" of the playspace has swings: 4 strap and 2 bucket. This also opens onto a lot of extra grassy area, including a great hill for rolling or running down.

material: modern resin/metal; space: small
Ages: 1-10
Surface: rubbery
Shade(0-3): 0
Water: N
Other: nice basketball courts, baseball diamond
Access: not marked (dawn to dusk?)

Impressions: A little corner space nicely divided up into quadrants for play and sports. Beter-than-average playset, given the space, but the playground could use some love, especially on the trash-containment and graffitti-fighting fronts. (Lack of signage may result from this being a private undertaking -- maybe an Eagles project? -- so not under city oversight.) All-metal slides were hot on a sunny day, but the grassy hillside is very enticing!
Overall rating: 6

A second visit: A new face for Francisville playground

Playground: Francisville Rec. Center playground
Location: Wiley, close to 19th and Brown (rec space fills most of block) -- there are many entrance gates
Date visited: 7/27/13
Equipment: Three distinguishable zones:

1. One structure here has lower platforms, two plastic slides (one curved and one bumpy), one tall metal slide, and misc. climbing including a rope net. There's also a medium-sized playset with two metal slides (one wide and one narrow, both straight), climbing, and a shop window and bench underneath. There are two bucket and four strap swings nearby.
2. There's an updated water zone with a cute central palm tree and a ring of pavement sprayers. (We didn't see this in action.)
3. This zone has a lone playset with one metal slide (left from before the update?) and a lot of fun games painted on the ground (incl. hopscotch and a maze race) and a low brick wall.

material: modern resin/metal; scale: large
Ages: 1-8ish
Surface: colorful rubbery around equipment; blacktop elsewhere
Shade(0-3): 1
Water: Y
Other: basketball, playing fields, colorfully painted rec building, pool
Access: 9:00AM-10:30PM (summer); 2:00pm-10:30pm (winter)

Impressions: We went back to this playground (review from 2009 here) after a tip that it had had a facelift. It is indeed more colorful and inviting, and equipment is fresh and functional (as reflected in our improved rating). However, there is still nothing to challenge older kids (e.g., monkey bars or spinners) or really make this a top draw for those from other parts of town. Still, nice trees could shade a picnic for a longer day, and with both a sprayground and a pool, this playground worth considering for hot summer afternoons.
Overall rating: 7-8