Stop By If You’re Nearby: At this bright and newly renovated playground we smiled at the surprising details: lots of apples, swaying grasses, unusual rope features, and more. If you are on the Lower East Side in Lower Manhattan, it’s a fun playground to check out.
Completely redesigned in 2017 with input from the community, the playground has structures for all ages, plus basketball courts, a small track, and a garden run by the adjacent elementary school.
The largest structure is for kids ages 5 to 12. It has several connected platforms and includes zigzagging monkey bars made of ropes rather than metal bars, as well as a rope suspension bridge that climbs to a platform with a twisty slide. These rope features are fun challenges for older kids to conquer. There are several activity boards built into the structure and underneath the platforms, such as a pretend clock with braille numbers and musical note chimes.
On the opposite side of the playground is a section for younger children that incorporates apples, vines, and stacked crates into the design for stepping, climbing, and balancing. There is also a low platform with a double slide and a bar for upside-down hanging. The barn with a farmer’s silhouette encourages pretend play.
Soaring leaf arches across the middle of the playground spraying down multiple streams of water, while an apple on the ground shoots water up.
The area for playground babies is in a separate gated section across a pathway. It has only a couple of play structures but offers an open, shaded, soft-padded space for new and learning walkers to safely explore. Next to the baby area are a few swings: two each for little-kids and big-kids, and one universal swing.
What’s More? The playground is named after a community activist who organized youth sports programs in the neighborhood in the 1960s. The Playground’s renovation is one of more than 35 in a citywide program, the Community Parks Initiative, to improve under-resourced parks in densely populated and growing neighborhoods with high concentrations of poverty.
We were impressed by the modern water fountain that includes a water-bottle filler as well as sorted recycling bins – features we rarely see in other playgrounds.
Snack Time/Coffee Break? There are a couple of picnic tables within the main playground, as well as some shaded benches, to take a break for a snack. There is a C.V.S. pharmacy across the street for any quick needs. One block away on Grand St. we visited the quiet and cozy Ost Café to take out a coffee and croissants. A few doors down, Alphonso’s Trattoria Pizzeria looks nice to sit down for a slice of pizza. For a real treat, a five-minute walk west to Clinton Street is Ice and Vice for unusual ice cream flavors like “The Giving Tree” (green tea, green apple, apple cider ganache); we suggest ordering a five-flavor sampler to share.
Visibility/Safety: The play equipment is new and in great shape, and the ground surface is soft and smooth. It may not be so easy to keep track of multiple kids in this playground, however. The swings and toddler area are separated from the main playground by a walkway. There are two exits from the main playground: one leading to the basketball courts and the other to a walkway that leads out of the playground. The gates were not secured when we visited.
Bathroom Emergency? There is a well-maintained restroom with a changing table within the playground, though it is only open until 4 p.m.
Features: Slides, baby swings, big swings, universal swing, monkey bars, water sprays, special climbing features, picnic tables, nearby snacks.
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
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