Well, la dee dah, what have we here?All kids love to play, yet some not just in any playground.
Tucked away in the gut of the Financial District, they named it Imagination Playground. It's a kid's paradise, a state-of-the-art playground equipped with all the cutting-edge extras I have never seen before. Complete with fancy restrooms, sunning areas, beach volleyball and tennis courts, skateboarding ramps, etc., it is enough to make even a professional athlete weep.It is hard to imagine that this was a former parking lot now transformed into a playground for the children of the privileged few. It's all in here, no need for their parents to flee to the suburbs for the weekend and get away from their affluent digs in TriBeCa. The esplanade surrounding the playground runs along the Hudson River offering postcard views of the New York Harbor, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island all for joggers and walkers to enjoy.
Aside from the play equipment you should see the fencing used to enclose the play areas. The materials used don't come cheap even for those with deep pockets like the residents of this community. My problem with this is the money spent to build this playground came from my pocket too.
They mean it when they put up the sign Dog-free area; Sally ended up carrying Oliver as we wander inside the grounds. Walk in like me with a camera and start clicking away and you'll get those strange looks from the parents or the nannies. It worked - I was able to steal only a couple of shots. Such snobs. The kids look happy but it felt like a world away from where I came. We don't have the Climbing Boulders or the Challengers. Kids have to wait their turn to get on a slide or to swing from a monkey bar but just the same they immerse themselves in pure, wholesome play.
I kid you not, this is not the cookie cutter City playground. I learned a lot about playgrounds when Philip and I surveyed our neighborhood before we installed our own at the Condo. Those found in Queens and possibly in Harlem, Brooklyn and the Bronx are way inferior to this Imagination Playground. They are non-imaginative and many have the old crumbling asphalt flooring. None of them are enclosed either.
One recreation center in Queens and the adjoining soccer field sits above ground of a waste water holding facility. It is hiding sludge and I can't say for sure if the swimmers and runners above are even aware of this. If they are not complaining of any smell emanating from underground, then it's fine. For about two years during its construction we were wondering what could possibly be coming out of this structure and I already had suspected it's got to be a treatment plant of some sort. Hide it if you must but I commend the Mayor for maximizing the use of city land for both recreation and sewer overflow mitigation. However in a wealthy community the residents will be outraged if this was even attempted. None of these are the children's faults and I'm happy for them, but what an inequity. And who am I to challenge the Dept. of Parks or the system?
How did I discover this playground? Sally is visiting New York for Thanksgiving and staying at her daughter Emily's flat in TriBeCa. She asked us over for lunch soon after which we took Oliver for a walk in the nearby playground and park. Lucky dog, I could get used to this. My heart stops when I think of the asking rent for this super-sized one bedroom apartment. It's a homey pad with picture windows and loads of space for entertaining. I did enjoy playtime with Cliff and Oliver.
The rooftop solarium serves up a 360 degree panoramic view of a world of skyscrapers. Like meticulously arranged matchboxes, some of the neighboring buildings are glass-wrapped with multi-million dollar views of the city and more. It's simply breathtaking.
Movin' on up? Not in this lifetime.
My friends know me well enough to know that it is not likely that I struck it rich. Let's hope they don't get confused if they see me up here on this landscaped rooftop terrace.
