First in our Parks + Playgrounds Summer Series is Greenridge Park. This post is by Melody with notes from Mom.
This summer, instead of just sitting around the house, being bored, (not cool), we came up with an organized schedule of things to do. It began on Tuesday. We have been to Greenridge Park many times with our MOPS group, for birthday parties, and just for fun with friends! It is at the top of the hill with a beautiful view of the Bay Area. It can be a bit breezy in the shade so bring a light cardigan or hoodie even on hot days.
Unless there are birthday parties going on, there are plenty of picnic tables, benches, and areas to sit, but you can always bring a picnic blanket to hang out in the grass. Another warning is if you have little (or big!) kiddos who like to explore on the sides of the main play area, it is hilly! I have yet to see a kid roll down the sides, but it can be challenging to talk to other parents if you are chasing your kiddo(s) or they are chasing their kiddo(s) to prevent rolling. :p
We went to the park first. It was only 9:00 a.m. because we wanted to get there before everybody else, so it wasn’t that crowded. It also wasn’t that hot, just a little breeze. We invited friends to join but at the last minute and it is also up on the hill and I think people still had their regular school activities going on, so next time we will plan better. The two days before this, it had been hotter than usual so we couldn’t decide a good time to go, so I do am not a fan of complaints of being too hot from any kiddo or myself! :p
This is the main playground area but if you walk a bit down the hill to the right of this photo, you will find a basketball court as well as an unpaved(?) path to the side of it. I believe there are also a few other trails somewhere, but we have never ventured on them before. There are also bathrooms, but they are not in the best conditions, so count on changing diapers in the car/trunk if you have a baby. There are drinking fountains. There is a field behind the tree in the photo and our friends have enjoyed flying a kite and doing those Nerf rocket launcher things, but beware that they can get stuck in the trees.
After we went scootering. Greenridge has a little path that you can ride bikes or scooter around while others play. There’s also a bench that parents can supervise from. We only stayed for a bit, but we did get our walking time by walking down the path. We started our Baby Steps to 5k walking program again, so that’s what Melody is referring to when she said ‘walking time.’ It’s a good summer activity. Note: Go at 9:00, when no one is there! But go with friends!!! It is a bit isolated, but there was also a person or two visible while we were there. They were walking their dog, coming back from a walk, or just walking through on their morning walks.
Side story: There were two older ladies who were walking and talking and one asked if we were Japanese. I said we are Chinese. She asked from where. I said my family was from Guangdong. I’m not sure what else she said because it was in Mandarin. Knowing I am Cantonese-speaking, she should have figured out I have no clue what she was saying, but she continued to talk to me in Mandarin every time we stopped near her. Toishan would have been better! There was only one time when she tried motioning something and I took it to mean her wanting to know what grades the girls were in. So we figured that out, but oh man, that one year of Mandarin classes in college did not help at all.
Yelp | Great Kids Park
We have seen some amazing parks and playgrounds and would like to visit them all, but since we don’t really have time to do that, please share your pics with us! And we’ll be updating with pics from our mini-adventures!
What are your family’s favorite activities at the park or playground? Swings, carousel, rock wall, train ride, tube slide, bridge?
Moy Chronicles 