Yaddo

I have a confession to make.  I'm a mom and I hate playgrounds.  There, I said it.  I don't hate them enough for me to deprive my children of their God-given right to swing and slide, I mean look... here's proof.

But if you gave me the choice between going to the Crossings one more time or listening to my enginerd husband explain the intricacies of his latest research, I'd be hard pressed to choose.

I'm not sure why they irk me so much, but for some reason I just prefer finding places to have fun that have nothing to do with that bouncy purple dinosaur.(My kids don't always let me get away with that, but I sure do try).

Enter Yaddo.

If you have never been there, you should go, and if you have, you know that there is something magical about the place.

The rose gardens, the statuary, the pergola (I had no idea that's what it was called), the fountains... it's all the little details that give this place a special  feeling that's hard to find in a schoolyard, and even sans twisty slide, my kids love it. It's just a great place to wander around and feel like you've walked into a scene from The Secret Garden.

We just went last Wednesday, and while the flowers have yet to bloom, the fountains are still dry, and the statues are still boarded up, we still managed to have the best time.  The gravel paths alone entertained the kids for at least a half an hour with all their digging, and burying, and carrying on.  

Here are some of our favorite parts:

The entrance gate.  We must spend at least 20 minutes hanging out here while the kids get me to guess the 'secret password' so I can get in.  Usually, I give up and just go around the side.

The pergola...or the place they like to pretend is from The Sound of Music. (In the song Do-Re-Mi, Fraulein Maria and the kids run through something kind of like this, and my kids have since made that connection) Note all that glorious gravel.

The steps (there are several sets of these that you can't see in this picture). 30 minutes of up and down, up and down and they still aren't tired.  The nice thing, too, is that you can stand in one part of the garden and see your kids all the way on the other side.

This rock garden is in the wooded section in the back of the gardens. Granted, it's not much to look at now, but there is a mermaid statue, ferns, and tall pines that make it very fairy-tale-esque.

The Yaddo Gardens are open to the public seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to dusk and is very easy to find.  Here are some directions.

*They also have a very clean port-a-potty which has come in handy on several occasions.

Purple dinosaur rating:  None. Just the way I like it.

Riverfront Park, Rensselaer

I haven't done a playground review in a while,but now that it nice and warm, I'm on the hunt for new places to hang out with the kids.

This week took me to Riverfront Park in Rensselaer.  If you take the Dunn Memorial Bridge over to the East Greenbush Target (which I do often) you will see this park as you are spit out onto Broadway in Rensselaer. 

There are a couple sections of this playground, and some are better than others, so let me explain.

Our first stop was the 'playground' playground.  This section had a large selection of slides, ladders, climbing things and it kept my kids busy for an hour.  We hit this place after school, so it was quite busy with kids and their parents.  I personally was not feeling it because every time the wind blew it would kick up a huge cloud of dust from the neighboring construction yard, but I was apparently the only one who seemed to notice.  However, this was my kids favorite place in the park. If it were up to me, we'd avoid it altogether.

Next, we moved on to the swings.  You have to walk under the bride to get there, which is kind of cool by itself because it looks so massive. Underneath the bridge are a couple of tennis and basketball courts as well as a little playground set up for younger kids, old fashioned see-saws, teeter-totters (whatever you call them), and those springy animal things you can ride on. (Now if they only had the 15 ft metal slide that burned you on the way down, just like in the olden days, we'd really be in business.)

This part of the park was really beautiful and unexpected. The sun was setting on the Hudson, and it was novel to see Albany from the other side of the river.  We took a walk down on the pier (we didn't stay long because my son, who has no fear, was getting way too close to the edge), and enjoyed the views.

On our way back, we walked on a pathway along the river which circles back under the bridge, and found ourselves in another big field where we stopped to watch some baseball practice, kite flying, and did some lady bug observing.

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised.  It never looked like much when I was driving above it, but after wandering around, I'd like to go back.  There are plenty of picnic tables and they have free music performances in the summer. You can also check out the murals on the concrete columnswhich were part of a park beautification project in 1995 by the Rensselaer Artists' Movement Society. (The sentiment is there, but let's just say you can tell they are from 1995.)

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Purple Dinosaur Rating:  None. But the river is a nice touch.

Happy Birthday, Small-bany!

It's hard to believe, but a year has already passed since my first post here on Small-bany.

What did we do to celebrate?

Why, visited some of our favorite places here in Small-bany, of course.

1.  We spent the first part of the morning at the Albany Art Room.  If you have not had the chance to visit here, it's definitely worth stopping in.  For $7/hr, your child can have fun painting, stamping, beading, collage, etc. and basically making a mess (I mean, unleashing their creative energy)  in a place made just for that.  They also offer classes for children and adults, summer camps, a pottery studio and space for birthday parties, baby showers,  and any other kind of celebration.  

(*Note:  I just learned that if you visit the Art Room during the week of April 20-26, all profits will be donated to 'Make Art 4 Art' to benefit Albany City School's Art Programs.)

2. Stop #2 took us to the Corning Preserve.  We had a picnic by the river, enjoyed a bike ride along the path, and took a little pit stop at the playground.

3. After all that exercise, we headed on over to Emack and Bolio's. I wouldn't normally indulge in ice cream twice in two days, but I was feeling festive... and hot.  The ice cream here is definitely more pricey, but you get what you pay for...good quality ice cream made with good quality ingredients.  May I humbly suggest the 'Deep Purple Cow' (black raspberry ice cream with white and dark chocolate chips and blueberries).  While you are here, check out the Mosaic studio, outdoor garden, as well as their schedule for live music on Friday and Saturday nights. It's also a great place to have a birthday party.


This past year has been a lot of fun, and I hope I can continue for another one.  I have met some great people, got a chance to write for All Over Albany (thanks, Mary and Greg!), and best of all, I was able to discover some really great places and things to do in the area (the whole point of this little experiment!).

Thank you  to everyone who reads this blog and has contributed their ideas and comments.  It's been a lot of fun and I really appreciate your support.

Here's to another year of getting out of the house!

The Corning Preserve

This has got to be one of my favorite places to take the kids. You've got everything a kid could be entertained by in one convenient location.

1. A river (the Hudson, specifically)
2. Boats (because of the river)
3. Bridges (also because of the river)
4. Trains (that go over the river on the bridges)
5. A bridge turns around to let big boats pass by. (I'm sure there is a technical name for it, but I haven't brushed up on my Thomas the Tank Engine trivia).

It's like a living, breathing transportation video for kids.


There is a small playground with picnic tables, but we usually skip that and head on up the path towards the riverfront stage (where you can see the Alive at Five shows, which coincidentally start this week) . Here the kids usually like to put on 'musicals' for me and whoever else happens to be sitting in the amphitheater area on their lunch break. It's even more amusing when they drag me into their little shows... (well, less amusing for me, more amusing for those who are watching).
There is also a secret path behind the two ponds that take you along the highway... the kids usually stand there and try to get the trucks to blow their horns by making the ubiquitous 'up and down pulling motion' with their hands. 9 times out of 10 it works and that basically makes their little pre-schooler day.

Other highlights include a giant compass rose embedded into the pavement (for some reason, they love that thing), a model of a prehistoric bony fish, and a huge hill to roll down.


You can also book your duck tours from here. This place is a winner anytime of year...In the winter, we are usually the only people there, but in the spring/summer it is busy during the lunch hour with all the power walkers.

We saw these baby geese the last time we were there.

There is usually plenty of parking during the day and restrooms (which I have never used because they look kind of scary). You can find it right here.

Directions: From Madison Avenue, go under 787 and turn left on Quay street. You'll see signs for the Corning Preserve on the right about a half a mile away.

The Playground With No Grass

Hidden beneath the looming shadow of the Agency buildings on Empire State Plaza is a little gem of a playground we have come to call (thanks to our friend Julia-Bear) the 'playground with no grass'. I honestly never noticed this place until we were tipped off to its secret locale. Rockefeller included the playground in his original plans for his marble and steel baby, but for some reason it seems so unlikely that I never thought to look for it. However, once you know it's there you'll realize that it's a perfect place to duck away to when you are hanging out at the plaza doing whatever it is that brought you there. (4th of July, GE Kid's Day, catching a show at the Egg, visiting the museum etc.).

Instead of grass they have used that rubbery material, so your kids will never get hurt (maybe not never, but they are more likely to 'bounce' back...badum-cha!) There is plenty of shade, enough greenery, a separate play area for little ones, a wide variety climbing and slideing equipment, and there are usually lots of other kids to play with due to the the nearby daycare center (which might be a blessing or a curse depending on how congested you like your playgrounds). Here's the best map I could find of the area. The playground is right behind Agency Bldg. 1.





Purple Dinosaur Rating: None (but never fear... they do have a little riding motorcyle and car that seemed to keep their mind off of this)


Thanks to Laura D. for the tip!

Handy Dandy Playground Chart

Here is a nice little guide from the Albany Parks and Recreation Office that lists every playground in Albany and what they have to offer.

The City of Albany Playground Guide

Whitehall Park

I'm always on the lookout for a decent playground for the kiddos. My kids aren't picky when it comes to these things, but if it happens to have a couple of those purple dinosaurs, they are especially pleased. So here is the first of hopefully many playground posts that help you find these little gems located around your neighborhoods.

Whitehall Park is located right behind The Albany School of Humanities (ASH) on Whitehall Ave. At first I thought it was part of the school playground, but further investigation proved that it was inded open to the public. (Note: During recess/lunch time, the school kids do use the equipment). They have a good variety of equipment, swings, slides, rock climbing things, tire swings, a couple of picnic tables, and lots of trees. The afternoon I was there, there were lots of kids of all ages and a mommy group meeting at the picnic tables. Overall, your kids will be very happy there... and if you don't mind a little graffiti on your jungle gym, then so will you.



Purple Dinosaur Rating: * * * (although, one of them is an airplane, and one of the dinos is green)