Playgrounds – Page 2 – ketchupface.com

I love, love, love this place!

In the spring and summer months, Kerrisdale transforms their skating arena into a playground for toddlers and kids (up to 12 years old). Admission is 3 dollars for children 6 months to 2 years old. The toddler area is perfect for wobbly yet energetic tikes. There’s plenty to do and it’s safe, safe, safe. I feel comfortable letting Caden loose without fear of environmental factors like trafffic, dogs, big kids etc… He’s free to roam in this enclosed but spacious, “no shoes, socks mandatory” environment.

The odd time, I sneak in a coffee and it’s like I’ve died and gone to heaven. I can actually relax while I wander around behind Caden. There’s so much to do that he’s entertained for a full 30 – 40 minutes. He races between the slides, play houses, forts, obstacle courses, and bouncy castles (not to mention the foosball tables and air hockey table we discovered last vistit). Nothing is funnier than a 23 month old playing air hockey. I actually enjoyed our game; that is, until he got more interested in scoring on his own goal.

I highly recommend a visit to the Play Palace but you’d better hurry, the last day is September 2nd. After that, the arena will, once again, be used for hockey and skating lessons.

Thank you Play Palace for giving us some good times; for making sharing fun; for teaching us to jump with two feet and, most importantly, for giving us somewhere to play away from the the blazing sun. Sniff…sniff, we’ll miss you. We’ll also miss the vanilla ice cream cones we got next door at McDonalds (does that make me a bad Mother…I blame the teething for the ice cream…that’s my story and I’m sticking to it)

Kerrisdale Cyclone Taylor Arena
5670 East Boulevard Vancouver, BC
(Corner of East Boulevard and 41st, behind McDonalds)
Arena Office: 604-257-8121

This morning, I visited Kokopelli Cafe (for the second time), grabbed a $2 latte, propped up my exhausted hubby in a chair, and let Caden loose in the play area. Finally, I was able to relax for a few moments while I watched Caden try to play with a little girl, who wanted nothing to do with him.

My hubby ordered a small but satisfying sandwich containing turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce with a side salad for $7.95 and a 12 oz. blueberry smoothie.

While Caden struggled with rejection from the opposite sex, I thought back to my first visit to this establishment. It was a Friday afternoon (their busiest day) and the place was loaded with kids and parents. This time, I’d dragged my Aunt along for the adventure and we managed to nab the last table in this small establishment…whew!

After Caden was busy playing, I approached the gal at the counter for a chat. I asked her which of the baked goods was the most popular. She directed me to the cheese scones and the double dutch chocolate brownies. All their baked good are freshly made on site. My Aunt loved the scone which was good (for a scone) but let’s face it, a scone ain’t no brownie now is it (as you may have guessed, I ate most of that one).

I also ordered a blueberry smoothie for my son who is just learning to drink from a straw. It was really good but honestly, he was more interested in playing than drinking. The good news – more smoothie for me! It was yummy, fresh tasting and not too sweet.

I really like this place. It’s a great “re-fueling station”. Moms (or Dads) can take a few moments to chill (while their children play), gulp down a $2 latte, get their second wind and race off again feeling a little more human.

Kokopelli Cafe
4593 Dunbar St
Vancouver, BC
Ph: 604-228-0818

Memorial Park (also known as “that park”) is the green space tucked neatly behind the Dunbar Community Centre at Dunbar and 31st Avenue. In addition to the playground, there’s a lawn bowling club, tennis courts and a baseball diamond with bleachers.

The day we visited, there was a lot of activity in the park. At one end, there was an intense game of Tee Ball while at the other end a small group took Tai Chi lessons.

The playground was busy, full of kids “playing nice”. This park has three main structures, one for bigger kids with a spiral slide and the second (very similar to the apparatus at Chaldecott Park) contained a fort, mini suspension bridge and zip line. Yes, I said zip line…wheeeeeeeeeeeeee! That part of the playground was a little advanced for my little guy but he was intrigued and stood quietly while he watched the bigger kids give it a try. Third structure contained tubes you could crawl through, a tube slide and a horizontal ladder to climb on or swing from.

This playground, like many I’ve visited, frustrates me. My 21 month old loves all slides but has a hard time accessing them due to the odd design of these structures. They use different types of ladders to give kids access to the slides. These ladders are tricky to climb…shheeesh…what’s wrong with an old fashioned set of stairs. Here we go again…my poor back…I watch parents lift their kids up to the slides so they can slide on down. The only park I know of (at this point) with easy access to the spiral slide is the Granville Loop park.

Memorial Park is another park from my childhood. It was fun to visit and feels like home to me. We’ll be back to check out the zip line and perhaps even play a little Tee Ball in the future.

Kerrisdale Play Palace is perfect for parents

Kokopelli Cafe, a refueling station for parents

Memorial Park has something for everyone