Pretzel Park - Not Just for Dog Lovers

If a playground can be Avant-garde, then the playground at Pretzel Park (Manayunk Park) would fit that bill.  Outside of the swing set, I have never seen playground equipment as unique as what is here.  Other than a rock climbing like wall and a small slide, I’m not even sure what to call everything!  I think this playground is best suited for older kids, but my toddlers (and toddlers belonging to my friends) found ways to maximize their fun.  I’m beginning to think it doesn’t matter what the age recommendation is on a play set, little kids are always going to find a way to play and have fun on the equipment meant for the older kids. 

OK, how to describe the equipment.  Well, I think there is a merry-go-round.  Except this merry-go-round isn’t flat and  I don’t think you can really run around pushing it and jump on.  It’s basically a ring and one half is higher than the other.  I pushed it slowly and my kids smiled as they went up the hill and screamed and laughed as they went down.  It was a lot of work on my end since I had to work to control the speed, but I really enjoyed the rarity of it.  

There were a couple of poles that had seats on them that spun around down the pole. I guess the older kids would figure it out, but I’m not sure how a kid would get on at the top to spin down.  Thing One did enjoy, if only for a short time, standing on another pole seat and spinning around on that.  It spun a little too fast for him to enjoy it longer, as he was happy to get off of it (then get back on later, of course).  There is a zip line type monkey bar set that you need good arm strength in order to cross.  I’m not sure I could do it, but my friend said her 4 and 6 year olds love it. 

The rest of the equipment is useless in my mind.  Again, I’m sure an older kid could figure out a way to have fun on it, but I don’t see there is much of a point.  The ladder curves and doesn’t have a rung high enough to get to the zip line, there is a chair that is suspended by cords that had an upside down looking chair over and neither of them moved much.  I guess kids can sit on it and climb on it, but I don’t know what fun it brings.  There are two flat seats as well that I feel the same way about.  I think there was more here at one time.  There are several 3-4 foot poles that look as if they were once attached to something.  It’s too bad whatever it was is gone now.  I wonder if it was something that was destroyed maliciously or deteriorated by time, use and weather.  

There is a special advantage this playground has over others in the area, or at least it is an advantage to my kids.  The R6 train passes by, it’s located on a bus route, and it’s frequented by lots of dogs. For my boys, it’s the trifecta!  If we had seen babies in strollers on the day we were there, it would have been the most exciting day of the summer.