Worth a Trip: Big kids especially will find opportunities to hang, climb and swing at the Hester Street Playground. Community involvement was significant in the five million dollar 2010 redesign, and there are distinguishing features that should make local kids proud and attract playground adventurers from around Lower Manhattan.
The playground is near the southern end of Sara D. Roosevelt Park, which is a narrow block wide by a seven-block long strip of park running from Canal St. to Houston St. The sunny and spacious two-level playground has distinct play structures by age group and separate spaces for swings. There is plenty of open space in the middle to run around.
On the upper level, for toddlers there is a small fenced area that includes low climbing platforms, a small slide, three roofed structures for pretend play, and separately gated baby swings. The play area for older kids also starts on the upper level with a variety of connecting monkey bars, including a set that slopes down a few feet to the lower-level structure with platforms, a bridge, and twisting slide. Other climbing options include a narrow corner wall with footholds up to a platform, a free-standing wall with cutouts to grab onto from either side, and a rope web that spans in multiple directions. There are four big-kid swings in a gated zone; more fun for swinging are two tire swings that balance each other like a see-saw. Separately, there is a large sunken sandpit and nearby water-sprays.
We were delighted by a few other special elements. “Dancing Chimes” lets kids create music by stepping, jumping, and hopping on nine brass tiles that create different sounds when pressed. A cement sculpture in the toddler zone depicts a cityscape that includes a bridge and pier, parking garage, subway entrance, and taxi cab. Colorful mosaic tile squares designed by neighborhood schoolchildren decorate a low brick wall. And the bright red, curved design of the swing structures are seemingly a nod to traditional Chinese architecture.
Visibility/Safety? From the center of the playground, an adult could keep track of kids in multiple areas. The gates on the south and east sides of the playground were wide open on our visit, so a little-kid escape is possible here. The ground under the play structures is rubberized tiles. The equipment seemed well maintained with no hazards seen at the time of writing.
Bathroom Emergency? Just outside the gates of the playground is a Parks Department park house that includes bathrooms that are easily accessible and visible, with a few stalls and a changing table. However, the women’s bathroom was unsanitary at the time of our visit.
Snack Time/Coffee Break? There are plenty of benches, which get some shade, lining the inside perimeter of the playground. Outside the playground gates are a few picnic tables. There are fun treats nearby for snack time: Kung Fu Tea, one among many bubble tea shops in the neighborhood, is just across the street from the playground. Penguin Ice Cream, featuring trendy rolled ice cream, is a few doors farther on Hester St. Among many Asian eateries nearby, we found dumplings and dim sum shops for a quick lunch. A five-minute walk from the playground, at the south-east end of the Park on Canal St., is Off The Bridge, a bike repair shop that also serves espresso drinks with Irving Farm coffee.
Features: Baby swings, big-kid swings, tire swings, slides, monkey bars, sand pit, water sprays, some shade, benches, picnic tables, public bathroom, nearby coffee & snacks.
What’s more? Sara D. Roosevelt Park includes a track and a turf soccer field, as well as basketball and handball courts. The M’Finda Kalunga Community Garden provides plots for members to garden, and hosts nature and multi-cultural activities for the community, such as an annual ladybug release, Cinco de Mayo and Sukkot celebrations.
There are two other playgrounds farther north in the park, but these are not recommended patches to play at this time. The Rivington Street Playground, which is shaded by mature trees in and around it, has big-kid swings, two generic play structures for little-kids, and a forlorn ride-on camel sculpture. The rubber ground tiles in this vast but mostly empty space are uprooted, uneven, and certainly trip-hazards. The Stanton Street Playground has potential, with large and varied play structures separate for babies, little kids and big kids (including monkey bars, slides and fire polls). Unfortunately, the area just outside the playground’s high fence did not feel safe when we visited on a recent afternoon. It is an area frequented by the homeless and drug addicts, and the park house is boarded up and only used for Parks Department storage. There is no public bathroom near either playground.
The Sara D. Roosevelt Park Coalition is a nonprofit community organization that is dedicated to “protecting and improving the community for the people who live and work” there. According to the Coalition’s president, these are their current priorities for advocacy: renovating Rivington Street Playground and reclaiming the Stanton Street park house for community use (which is the first step to addressing safety in that area).
Connect: Community events at the M’Finda Kalunga Community Garden are listed on the Garden’s website: https://www.mkgarden.org. To get involved in volunteering, supporting, and advocating for Sara D. Roosevelt Park, contact the Coalition at http://sdrpc.mkgarden.org.
Where Next? There are so many playgrounds to visit – we’re off to the West Village next!
Gianna Abruzzo is a Brooklyn-born adventurer with nearly ten years of experience exploring playgrounds – in Lower Manhattan, around NYC, and in eleven more countries – with her three daughters. Gianna seeks to share a sense of community and pride in the places we play. Follow her on Instagram
Related articles:
 |  |  |
Macaroni KID Lower Manhattan is the family fun go-to source for the latest and most comprehensive information in our area. Subscribe for FREE today!
