Parks & Rec

One of the wonderful parts of city living is all of the parks. There are 4 parks within walking distance when I'm not pregnant and it's not freezing or boiling outside, otherwise there are only 2 to which I'll willingly shove a double stroller full of 2 large-for-their-age children.

Our favorite park is Lindenwood. The kids call it "The Rocks Playground" as it is one of the few parks we frequent that still has a pea gravel floor instead of recycled tire mats. It has huge shade trees, many different jungle gyms for kids of all ages and the kids can dig in the rocks. It's rarely crowded, the moms are always friendly and Daniel makes a new buddy every time we go. Wherever we move to next year, we'll still make a point to come back to Lindenwood.

Clifton Park is the closest and is in the most idyllic setting; nestled among big old houses, next to a huge pond with fountains and nice gardens. When we first moved in, the pond was stocked with fish and the playground was well kept. But since then, a parks employee who was trying to treat an algae bloom mistakenly poured pesticide rather than herbicide into the pond, killing all of the fish. And because of its secluded location, teens and degenerate adults choose Clifton Playground to engage in multiple unsavory activities and often leave the evidence behind on the ground. When Daniel began asking what the graffiti on the slides said I had my reservations about Clifton Park. The second time I found a used condom on the playground I decided this park was now off-limits for our family.

But the granddaddy of all parks in St. Louis is only 6 minutes (by car) from our door. Forest Park is amazing for so many reasons. The free zoo and museums, the waterfalls, the fountains, the bike paths, and our most recent favorite; the river rock beach. When the park redirected the canals and waterways several years ago, they added a small beach made of those smooth, rounded gray river rocks. From what I recall, these rocks cost a fortune at garden centers. And I have to confess that my children have likely thrown hundreds, if not thousands of dollars worth of river rocks into the canal in Forest Park. Sorry, city tax payers. There is something very satisfying about throwing rocks into water. They can do it for hours.