Favorite Places x2: The Adventure Playground and Fourth Street in Berkeley, California

These two favorite places go together beautifully, with something for everybody!  If you are visiting the San Francisco Bay Area and don't know about the Adventure Playground over in Berkeley, you should - there aren't too many of these parks and this is a great one.  It was created in 1979 and still has that old 70s feeling, where kids run (relatively) wild and build their own world.  

By helping with a bit of cleanup, kids may earn hammers or paintbrushes, which they may use to make their own mark on the place.  They may also simply play - there's lots to climb on, in and through.  There's a zipline (for ages six and up), which my son's favorite part.  He also loves rolling down the small hill tucked inside a plastic barrel.  To each his own!

One of the excellent things about this park is it's location. It's right down by the water, with wonderful views in all directions, a little beach right next to the entrance, and plenty of places for walking and exploring.  It's a beautiful spot.  It also happens to be a few minutes drive from one of the best shopping districts around: Fourth Street in Berkeley. While Fourth Street is home to some chain stores, you will also find a large number of small and beautiful independent stores - The Gardener,  The Builders Booksource, Rabat (shoes), Castle in the Air, Miki's Paper... There are also several wonderful places to eat - I love Tacubaya, Bettie's To Go (I love eating a slice of their pizza out on the sidewalk), and O'Chame.

Back to the Adventure Playground: as a city park, admission to the Adventure Playground is free. However, for a small fee (a $10 flat fee as of this writing), kids aged seven and older maybe left here for up to three hours. Can you see where I am going with this?

Here's what you do: After registering at the office (a few steps from the Playground), drop the kids (remember, they must be at least seven) at the Adventure Playground. Then head up to Fourth Street for  lunch a bit of shopping.  When you're ready, pick up the kids... but don't leave yet.  Take a walk together down to the pier, or around Cesar Chavez Park.  It's a wonderful way to experience the bay - the views are fabulous, the air is bracing, and there's just so much to see.  

P.S. On April 18, the merchants of Fourth Street are hosting a sidewalk sale, with deals ranging from 40-60% off. Wish I could be there!

On the Web: PlayGroundology and Magical Urbanism

From Playgroundology, who found it on Architektur fur Kinder

I'd like to introduce you to a couple of my favorite websites - PlayGroundology and Magical Urbanism. These sites are not travel sites, exactly, but they are a terrific resource for the traveler nonetheless - and I think they're particularly terrific for the traveler with children.

PlayGroundology is a rich compendium of all things playground, from all over the world. The site looks at not only the nicest playgrounds, but also simply interesting ones, wherever they are found.  However, the site's primary focus is really play itself. There are posts on films, art exhibits and installations, playground news, old photographs, and other fascinating tidbits, all related to play and playgrounds. You can search by country - the U.S. and Canada are heavily represented (the writer is based in Halifax, Nova Scotia), but there are also posts from Tunisia, Hungary, Sweden, and beyond.

From a recent post on Singaporean playgrounds and new stamps celebrating play - the Toa Payoh Dragon Head Playground

The other site that has recently grabbed my attention is Magical Urbanism.  This one's a bit difficult to search by country, but get lost in it anyway - you may discover the inspiration for your next trip. This site catalogues the moments of urban life that take you by surprise, inject a little joy into the environment, or simply brighten your day when you encounter them... the kind of things I want my child to experience wherever we are. These aren't necessarily big destination places, but primarily everyday sites, made better by art.  In one post he points out the fabulous Toledo Metro Station in Naples, designed by architect Oscar Tusquets Blanca and involving a number of artists including Robert Wilson and Francesco Clemente. What child (or parent, for that matter) wouldn't thrill to a subway ride beginning here?

These benches, created by the Danish artist Jeppe Hein, would be so fun to encounter on a walk through De Haan, in Belgium, if that's on your itinerary... They hold an obvious appeal for children.

And look, look, at the amazing "Slinky Slings Bridge" in Oberhausen, Germany (by Tobias Rehberger and Schlaich Bergermann and Partner) - my son would love it.

I love these sites because they aren't travel sites - they don't tell me what famous sites we "must" visit - but they do inspire the explorer in me. They make me want to get out there and look around. They don't highlight "adult" places or "kid" places, but rather human places - places that are good - inspiring - for people, period. And more than anything, when I travel with my kid, I want him to be inspired, along with me.