- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
Julius Kahn Playground
Rating Details »
Category: Playgrounds [Edit]
Neighborhood: Laurel HeightsWest Pacific Avenue & Maple
San Francisco, CA 94118
(415) 292-2004
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
11 reviews for Julius Kahn Playground
I had been going to Mountain Lake Park since we moved here nearly a year ago because it's a bigger park with a lake. However, Mountain Lake gets a more eclectic mix of visitors. I once saw a man in a long trench coat walk through the playground, clearly looking out of place like a homeless child molester. Not saying he was, but he looked very disheveled and out of place. Mountain Lake is a cool park, too.
However, Julius Kahn is two blocks away from us, much much closer. I hadn't been going there as much because coming home is a really steep hill that I don't look forward to. But I recently rediscovered it and I have to say it's better than Mountain Lake.
The Clubhouse is a nice bonus for parents or toddlers to get out of the sun. The park is so clean and well-kept. The flooring is rubber is made of rubber. The swings are clean, my baby loves it.
There are houses that look into the park so it feels safer to know that it's not secluded.
Very well kept, clean, modern. I need to not be afraid of that hill.
You might be asking yourself, "Why is an adult male writing a review of a playground? Isn't that kind of creepy?" Well, yes. As I began typing this I realized how this could be construed as a bit odd, but here you go. I was raised on this park. Rory's Adventure Camps, Viking Soccer, random birthday parties for kids I was good friends with (and not so good of friends with). Once I grew up a bit more and got past the whole playground thing and after I regained vision from the time my brother stuck a sand covered stick into my eye in the dune behind the basketball court I returned with friends at night to drink forties and run from the park police. Oh the days of our youth.
But those are days long gone.
What gets me about this park now is that it has changed. I drove by it the other day thinking I would clamber up to the top of the old wood structure and slide down the stickiest slide in the world, but I was met with some freakish plastic spectacle, rock climbing wall and all. Where are the monkey bars that taught me the hard way about getting the air knocked out of you? What happened to the metal bar that "divided" the swing set from the rest of the playground but was really there to break the legs of kids who swung really high and jumped off? What has happened to the dangerous places of our childhood that miraculously never harmed us more than a scratch or scrape?
Why did I write this review? Is it even a review? Okay, here you go:
The basketball courts are good when there aren't a lot of people there who hog full court for three on three. The tennis courts are pretty sub par and the wait, in my experience, has been over an hour with people cutting you (yes, adults I find are much worse at cutting because when you call them out they glare and argue and want to really fight you over it). The parking situation is still dangerous as hell because you never really know when there is a small child running behind you.
3 stars for the memories. This place is pretty not so great anymore.
Great playground, Eureka Rec center, ( in the castro ) has the exact same play structure & rubber matted floor.
I think there are 2 other parks that have this play structure also, very safe and soft :)
Great views.
I liked this park even before they redid it. It's always lively and there's plenty for kids of all ages to do. My favorite thing to do is laugh at the moms who freak out when their kid wants to play in the wet sand and little fountain. Some people are so uptight about it--they're kids they get dirty--deal with it!
One star off because the bathroom is locked on freakin' holidays---when it's the most crowded cause kids don't have school--DUH!
This is a fantastic playground in the Presidio. Nice, clean play area. Beautiful setting...
It can get a little crowded on the weekends, and even during the week depending on the time of day.
It's not my favorite but, it is still a great place to take the kid.
[My only concern is the dogs left off of the leash. I'm not anti-dog or anything but, when there are signs posted to keep your dog on a leash... I know there are dog parks in the City. Oh well. ]
If you're looking to play some hoops around the Presidio, look no further.
I just wish it had more than one bball court. It does have a few tennis courts, though.
First the backdrop for this playground is gorgeous, right in the middle of the Presidio trees.
Then all the elements present in this playground send me back to childhood and make my imagination run, so imagine that of a child.
My baby already enjoys their swings. I can't wait for him to show me the creative ways little ones go about exploring the various equipments.
We actually looked up the company that makes them http://www.kompan.com. They have fascinating products.
As kristina l. pointed out, this is indeed one "fancy" playground. A great place to run the little ones into the ground. The two play areas (one for small children, one for big kids) have enough activities and structures to occupy and engage even the shortest attention spans for long periods of time. Children and Peter-Pan-Syndromers alike will be enchanted by the lush green surroundings and the vast options for play. There is also a great children's clubhouse sort of thing, where there are often activities going on for drop-in. On nice days, they even put out an impressive selection of musical instruments (xylophones, drums, bongos) that even I can't resist banging around on. The restroom facilities are superior to other parks and playgrounds in the city and there are basketball courts adjacent to the play ground where the cute boys shoot hoops (sometimes even shirtless...)!
Where do you go to entertain guest toddler triplets who are going stir crazy in your suddenly little house? Here. Burn 50 minutes swinging, sliding, merry-go-rounding, see-sawing, excavating shells embedded in the man made rock formation. Bring extra jackets, it's brisk. Come at 5pm PDT, when its way quiet and you can actually get to all the play things.
We call this the "fancy playground." It has fancier things than any playground I ever went to when I was little. My sister actually stumbled upon this playground when she worked at an after school program and thought our nephew would love it. She was so right. They have two sections - one for toddlers and one for older kids. They have the usual play structure, swings, and sand. They also have this fountain type thing that has water come out when you push a button so you could gather water to make things with wet sand. The clubhouse is right outside the gated area and they leave a bunch of toys out for the kids to play with - the usual sand toys mostly. They also have this huge spinning thing with netting that my nephew absolutely loves - although he refuses to go on it if there are any other kids on it. He's still learning to play with other kids. We only go on Saturdays, but try to go early because it gets packed. Lots of parents like to throw birthday parties there.
My daughter loves this playground. there's sand and shovels/small buckets that are left in the playground for any child to use. I don't feel paranoid letting her play while i watch closeby, b/c most of the kids here are running free with parents everywhere chatting or talking on cell phones. This is not your regular urban park. It's in the Presidio flanked by multi million dollar homes. If you listen in on random adult conversations you'll get snippets like, "Oh, I have to go to Bermuda next week...(what a drag!!)" and during the week day you'll see bored posh moms and nannies and kids in Burberry denim jackets. If you can get over the class factor and the definite lack of diversity (unless you're a nanny) in supposed uber politically correct, nonprofit SF, and forget the fact that on the other side of town, in front of city hall and worse neighborhoods, like the tenderloin and SOMA theres a crappy playground structure (which looks like it could be harboring hidden hyperdermic needles) and where drug dealers abound, then this is a GREAT park for any child to play in. It's a shame that most kids can't have it this good. I'm not hatin', I'm just sayin', it's too damn bad that other children in grittier areas can't have just as nice, or just as big, or just as safe a play area. With that said, bring your kids. It's so nice, a lot of the kids don't even wear shoes in the sand!!
