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Corte Madera Town Park
- Good for Kids:
- No
2 reviews for Corte Madera Town Park
This is the park closest to my house, so you'll find me here with the spawn many times throughout the week.
The park itself is a pretty great use of public space - large soccer playing fields that are almost constantly in use for different leagues, tennis courts, backboards for tennis, basketball courts, a baseball field, picnic and barbeque areas for people.
On weekends during the good seasons, there are always birthday parties and other festivities going on here.
The park also hosts a pretty great playground, which is what usually gets us there. There are lots of age-appropriate structures in the playground for children from crawling age on up to ten or so.
Also, the park has bathrooms with running water, but, oddly, no soap, and two porta-potties right by the playground.
So, with so much to offer, why only 3 stars?
A) ICE CREAM TRUCK MADNESS:
There seems to constantly be an ice cream struck parked, vulture-like, just outside the fenced entrance to the playground. My daughter isn't old enough to hassle me for a sugar high yet, but even without having to have that as a daily battle with her whilst heading out for sunshine and outdoor play, we have to deal with the ice cream trucks' annoyances... namely, kids get gooey goodies from the trucks, then smear them all over the seating areas of the playground.
B) LITTER:
Folks litter little deathtraps like water bottle tops (great for toddlers to choke on!). Also kids sprinkle leftover food such as peanuts and other choke-and-anaphylactic shock-inducing goodies all over the grounds. It's FABULOUS to have your 14 month old sit in the sandbox and come up with a mouthful of used chewing gum!!!
Seems to me that it would be spiffy if the park just disallowed consuming food or drinks within the fenced perimeter - there are plenty of picnic tables just outside the playground, after all.
C) OVERCROWDING:
This playground gets used by a LOT of groups, from the Rec & Parks Department summer program, to after school programs, day cares and mothers groups. Unlike the usage of the picnic areas, the group usage of the playground does not seem to be regulated in any manner, so on any given day you can show up with your one or two children expecting the "normal" capacity of 20-40 kids in the playground and find sometimes well over 100 because several groups have converged at once. With the big kids tearing around, it can be pretty hairy for little ones and you really have to keep an eye out!!!
D) NO SHADE:
There's virtually no shade in the playground, especially over by the toddler area - the big kids' area has some mature trees. On hot, hot days, expect to keep your kids off the slides or bring 'em home with seriously chapped buttocks from the fired-up plastic.
E) NOT CLEANED WELL ENOUGH:
Back to the litter and smeared ice cream problem - there have been popsicle streak marks all over the cement seating area you encounter when you first walk in for MONTHS. Would it kill Parks and Rec to bust out a little TSP????
So, that's my gripe. Perhaps it's familiarity breeding contempt, but, this playground could be so much charming and pleasurable if the aforementioned details were attended to. If I didn't live so close, this would be on the lower end of the regular rotation list of parks to go to.
Town Park Tennis Courts - Review
The courts themselves are not that bad. There are 2 courts, pretty even, flat and not so dirty. The courts have lights and one of the 2 has a bench.
The tougher part is the NOISE!!!
If you are a serious tennis player, these courts are NOT for you. Here is a list of the obstacles you need to deal with:
- Parties - lots of screaming babies, cheers, music, blow-up jumpy fan noise, etc
- Skateboard park right behind court - you here a TON of skaters on the ramps and the sound is loud and fierce
- People - benches situated right outside the court gates - overflow of foreign cologne can be brutal if you are trying to play a match. Its a smell that sticks in your noise for hours
- Children or novice players on adjacent court - their balls crossing over to yours to interrupt play
- Smoke - BBQ smoke just feet away from courts - will blow into your face
- Ice cream truck - the constant mind numbing music from the ice cream trucks makes you want to pluck your eye balls out
If you live in Corte Madera and want to play tennis, this is a LAST resort to playing a match.