May 01

122. Sadie Alexander Elementary School Playground

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It’s kind of embarrassing that it took us two years into this project to add this playground to our project.  Zora goes to the childcare center next door to this elementary school and frequently plays on this playground.  But somehow, it got overlooked.  The playground is pretty standard futuristic fare.  What really excites Zora, though, is the yard just below the playground that has lots of worms and bugs and other things to discover and show off.  During the day, the students at the playground use the playground and yard.  But in the evenings and weekends, neighborhood kids claim it as their own.sadie1 sadie2 sadie3 sadie4

Philly Playground Project (not yet reviewed)

Visited: May 2014

Apr 03

121. Shot Tower Playground

shottowerIn 1808, Thomas Sparks, a plumber, built this tower to make musket balls and shot.  Before this tower, munitions makers would use molds to form the spherical balls.  But, apparently, if you drop molten lead 140 feet (or so), it will take on a spherical shape.  Anything less than that would yield a tear-drop shape.  For generations, the Sparks made ammunition in the tower.  Today, it looms over a playground, baseball field, and newly-opened spray ground.  And while the story of the shot tower is pretty unusual, the playground equipment is pretty standard.

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Philly Playground Project (reviewed: 9/5/09)

Shot Tower Playground Facebook Page


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Visited: March 2014

Apr 03

120. Weccacoe Playground

weccacoeThe Weccacoe Playground was hopping on the first Saturday of Spring that we visited.  The equipment was fun, but the big draw was an epic hide and go seek game that we played over the entire lot.  There were some neat hiding spaces behind the playground building, behind trees, under a discarded ping-pong table, and near the wisteria (?) covered fence surround the tennis courts.  All in all, Weccacoe is a fine neighborhood playground.  But it looks like it might be even better if the plans put forward by the Friends of Weccacoe Playground (see link below) are carried out.  One complication?  Much of the southwest corner of the playground lies above the 18th & 19th century cemetery of Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church.weccacoe3 weccacoe2

Philly Playground Project (reviewed 8/1/09)

Friends of Weccacoe Playground (a project of the Queen Village Neighbors Association)


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Visited: March 2014

Apr 03

119. Hawthorne Cultural Center playground

hawthorneZora brought one of her best friends with her on our trip to the Hawthorne Cultural Center playground, and I thought we would never leave.  “See you at the bottom!” they shouted to each other as they slid down the swirly slide.  “See you at the top!” they shouted as they raced to the top of the slide again.  And over and over.  The playground sits in the shadow of an enormous communications tower which gives the place an eerie edge, but it’s also graced with a beautiful mosaic and artwork on the wall of the building.  Sadly, it’s also graced by a lot of graffiti tags, too.hawthorne0 hawthorne1 hawthorne2

Philly Playground Project (reviewed: 8/8/2009)


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Visited: March 2014

Apr 03

118. McCall Elementary School Playground

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If you’re not a McCall Elementary School family, you  might not even know this playground exists.  To get there, you have to come in on Panama Street, a small half-block cobble-stone street between Pine and Spruce.  It’s a new-ish looking playground with no graffiti.  No swings, but they do have one of those new-fangled see-saws.  On the Saturday afternoon we were there, some kids were practicing tricks on their BMX bikes in the sea of asphalt between the playground and building.  And ordinarily, I’d be wistful at the asphalt expanse, but the luscious and green Washington Square park is just a block or two north for all your grassy needs.mccall-3 mccall-4

mccall1 mccall2Philly Playground Project (reviewed: 9/9/2009)


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Visited: March 2014

Mar 21

117. Miles Mack / McAlpin Playground

miles mackI really like Miles Mack Playground for lots of reasons.  I see it from the train when I’m coming home from Harrisburg, and it’s a sign that I’m almost home.  There’s a bunch of new equipment, plus several pieces of retro steel equipment, including an amazing old spaceship monkey bars.  Zora’s feeling a lot braver these days that she has in the past.  She didn’t used to go on the tall monkey bars, but when I saw her scamper up those monkey bars recently, it made me feel, well, like I was getting older.  I felt older thinking about the recent history of this playground.  Zora wasn’t born yet when, in September 2008, Miles Mack, a dedicated mentor, peacemaker, and coach, was gunned down after a basketball tournament that he had organized.

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Philadelphia Playground Project (reviewed 6/11/2011)


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Visited: March 2014

Mar 21

116. 29th & Chalmers Park

29th&chalmersYou can locate an awesome playground in just about any space.  Put it next to an old prison, in a traffic triangle, next to a busy roadway: we can work with that.  But this playground just can’t seem to overcome its siting deficiencies: it’s next to a cemetery AND on the top of windy treeless knoll.  It has perfectly serviceable equipment, albeit a little trashy, but it’s hard to overcome these limitations.  I suspect that, like some playgrounds, this one is destined to always play second fiddle to the popular basketball courts and expansive pavilion and picnic grounds.

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Philadelphia Playground Project (not yet reviewed)


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Visited: March 2014

Mar 21

115. Shuler Playground

shulerI’m a sucker for those old-timey double UFO structures.  And when you enter Shuler Playground, there’s a beaut, right in front of you.  The rest of the playground equipment is pretty standard.  On the Saturday afternoon that we visited, the soulful R&B station pouring from the radio of the guys across the way washing their cars set the tone as Zora and I dared each other to do even wilder moves on the toucan rockers.  We had the place almost all to ourselves, although the swimming pool was still empty, and I bet that when it’s full, the place is hopin’.

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Philly Playground Project (reviewed: 3/17/13)


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Visited: March 2014

Mar 21

114. Panati Recreation Center

panatiOn children of the neighborhood surround Panati Rec Center, you totally deserve better.  Near the hulking shell of an abandoned factory (or two), is this small rec center.  It’s brightly painted–much like the Fishtown Rec Center–but is full of litter and needs a hug.  It has a few pieces of equipment, but nothing very exciting.  Sadly, there are places where equipment previously existed but now only their shadows remain on their rubberized mats.  The rec center has the logo of the Allegheny West Foundation.  I don’t know much about this local CDC, but I’m rooting for you guys.

PS.  Vincent G. Panati, according to a little Googling, was a lawyer who served as the Pennsylvania Secretary of Revenue, and died of pneumonia in 1958.

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Philly Playground Project (reviewed: 3/17/13)


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Visited: March 2014

Mar 21

113. Pocket Park at North 22nd Street & Ontario

pocketparkIf I had my way, every empty lot in the City would have a pocket park.  And every pocket park would look as great as the park on the corner of North 22nd Street and Ontario.  There’s a sliding board and a monkey bars, a small wall to sit on, plenty of shade trees, and a few benches and tables.  We happened upon it almost by accident, as we were driving in our car share car over to Jerome Brown playground.  What a great(er) city this would be if such serendipity occurred more frequently.

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Philly Playground Project (not yet reviewed)


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Visited: March 2014

Mar 21

112. Jerome Brown Playground

jeromebrownWhat a treat!  This is one of the best neighborhood playgrounds we’ve been to.  It’s nestled up against some very busy train tracks, too–at least busy on the Saturday afternoon we were there–so a nirvana for a kid (or dad) who loves to watch trains while they get their play on.  Lots of typical playground equipment and in really good condition that were very heavily used while we were there.  There’s one odd tripartite climber-fire pole combination that I’ve never seen before.  Bonus: there’s even some green space you can run on.  (PS.  That first photo of Zora, below, is her striking a power pose; she doesn’t need to pee.)

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Philly Playground Project (reviewed: 3/17/13)


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Visited: March 2014

Mar 21

111. Wissahickon Charter School

wissahickonZora and I were driving up Wissahickon Ave and spied this big rope climbing sphere that was, in a word, un-pass-up-able.  I’m not sure if this amazing playground is open to the public, but we pulled into the parking lot of Wissahickon Charter School, bounded down the stairs, and had a great time.  It’s a little strange having so much fun just a few feet from the speeding cars down Wissahickon Ave, but the playground is exquisitely designed–with help from the good people at Kaboom!–and has everything you want except swings.  Slides and tic-tac-toe games and rock climbing and a car race game and drums and monkey bars.  My only issue–and really, I’m grasping here–is that the playground phone didn’t seem to work when we visited.  One of our favorites.

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Philly Playground Project (not yet reviewed)


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Visited: March 2014

Mar 21

110. Cloverly Park

cloverlyThere are just a few pieces of playground equipment here, including a stegosaurus climber that conjures up the fond nostalgia of Clark Park back in our hometown. Amidst this reflection, it’s intriguing to consider how these spaces contrast with the latest Covington home market update, where the trend is towards maximizing both indoor and outdoor living areas. But Cloverly Park has what every community space should boast: an expansive field of green space surrounding it where children can run and play tag, much like the open backyards coveted in the current home listings. Plus, amidst these urban play areas, there are at least two trees that are perfect for climbing, standing as natural sentinels at the edge of the field. All this natural and manufactured charm is tucked in the shadows of a couple of high-rise apartment buildings, a reminder of the varied housing options the city offers.

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Philly Playground Review (reviewed: 9/3/11)


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Visited March 2014

Mar 21

109. Capitolo Playground

capitolaA big exhilarating and colorful playground with lots of equipment, including rockers and–Zora’s recent favorite–a tic-tac-toe game.  It’s probably the most racially diverse playground we’ve visited, at least on the sun dappled Sunday afternoon that we were there.  The only downside for this vegetarian dad?  The wafting smell of searing cheese steaks from neighboring Pat’s and Geno’s is omnipresent.

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Philadelphia Playground Project review (9/22/09)


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Visited: September 2013

Mar 21

108. Columbus Square Rec Center

columbus squareI ran into my friend Maripat when Zora and I came to Columbus Square Rec Center.  There are two parts of the playground: a fenced in place for the infants and toddlers and a bigger place for the bigger kids.  It’s an idea that ought to be replicated more, I think.  The playground itself is great.  And the Rec Center offers a baseball field, a dog park, a sprayground, a rain garden with flower beds, and more.  I’m a fan.

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Philadelphia Playground Project review (7/18/10)


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Visited: September 2013

Mar 21

107. DiSilvestro Rec Center

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For the first time, Zora really truly understood that I was documenting our playground adventures for a website.  And she insisted in writing the names of the playground.  She chose a good one to start with.  DiSilvestro is a pretty standard playground with a beautiful mural wrapping around two sides of the playground building.  If I had my way, I’d jackhammer out some of the concrete on the sides of the building and plant more grass.  But I’m West Philly, and this Rec Center is in South Philly, and I guess sometimes our two neighborhoods will have to agree to disagree.

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Philadelphia Playground Project review (visited: 8/15/10)


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Visited: September 2013

Feb 21

106. Gold Star Park

gold star parkIf you live near Gold Star Park, I suspect you don’t go there for the playground.  The equipment is fine, but the treasure is really all of the lush green space around it.  The day we were there, lot of neighbors were letting their dogs run about, someone was twirling a hulu hoop, a couple kids were talking on a bench.  It was like the Rittenhouse Square of South Philly.

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Philadelphia Playground Project (reviewed: 7/18/10)


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Visited: September 2013

Sep 04

105. Richard Wright School Playground

richard wrightWhy on earth would you design a playground with this much asphalt?  How much nicer would this expanse of land be if it were all ripped out and replaced with grass.  Oddly, this sea of asphalt is across the street from a meadow–a real life urban meadow that doubles as the grazing field for a horse stable.  The playground itself, one of many built with the help of the Philadelphia Eagles, is fine enough.  But caution: the swinging bridge has a few broken connectors and little feet can easily fall through the cracks. The highlight of this playground–other than the two adorable sisters that played with Zora and me when we showed up–is the rock climbing wall which Zora only recently has finally figured out.

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Philadelphia Playground Project (not yet reviewed)


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Visited: August 2013

Sep 04

104. Roberto Clemente Rec Center Playground

robertoclementeThis awesome playground, across the street from the Spring Gardens Community Garden in the Spring Garden neighborhood, has something for everyone.  On the hot Sunday we visited, we ran through the misty sprayground, climbed the huge wire pyramid, smelled the pink roses, and raced around the play structure.  It’s a real delight.  It’s clean and well taken care of.  A great tribute to its namesake.

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Philadelphia Playground Project review (7/9/2011)


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Visited: August 2013

Sep 04

103. Cecil B. Moore Rec Center

cecilbmooreI bike past this playground almost every day as I ride up Sedgeley Ave to work.  The playground is tucked behind the rec center building (which itself sits behind the swimming pool), nestled against a giant muralized wall.  The facilities have seen better days–all of the infant swings were missing, trash was strewn about, there was a hole in the fence–but it’s a fine neighborhood spot.  Highlights include a retro double spaceship climber, a concrete turtle, and the painted alphabet on the crack blacktop.

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Philadelphia Playground Project review (not yet reviewed)


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visited: August 2013