Playground Picks in New York City

Family Days: Playground Picks

Recently I was talking to a mom—originally from the suburbs, but who now lives in the Village—about finding a good playground in the city. There are a ton of playgrounds in the city; the Department of Parks and Recreation has a complete list of all of them in every borough. But some are better than others and it’s hard to weed out the good and the bad.

Among the favorites is Battery Park City, which has a great series of playgrounds and parks. Highlights include Rockefeller Park (Chambers Street and River Terrace), which can help you relive your childhood via a wading pool, climbing nets, carousel, as well as a special surface for chalkboard drawing. There are also several after-school events during the spring and summer months such as gardening or art classes. Open from 6am to 10pm. Free public bathrooms.

Indian Road Playground (Seaman Ave & West 214th Street), located in located in Inwood Hill Park, is a good alternative to Palisades Playground in Riverside Park because Riverside is always ridiculous crowded, not to mention the nonstop blaring of horns. The playground has standard equipment you loved when you were a kid: jungle gym, slides, sandpit, etc… and when your child is so dizzy that he or she can barely walk straight, you can always relax on a bench in the park. Open from dawn until dusk. Free public bathrooms are located inside the park in the Urban Ecology Center and at the nearby Payson Playground (Dyckman Street and Payson Avenue).

Washington Market Park is continually crowded, but earns a lot of praise from parents because of it’s safety precautions. The playground floor is cushioned, which is a huge bonus since it’s nearly impossible for a child to visit a playground and not fall, trip, or somehow or another end up with a body part on the ground. There are geyser-like sprinklers in the summer, meaning everyone will get wet, including you. Open from 6am to dusk. Plans for a public bathroom are still in the works, so you’ll have to go elsewhere for now.