Manhattan Beach Re-Visited

New York City has five boroughs - Manhattan, Queens, Kings (better known as Brooklyn), the Bronx, and Richmond (aka Staten Island). So where in New York City would you find a place called Manhattan Beach? In Brooklyn, of course! Why? Fuhgeddaboutit, that's just the way it is. Maybe Wikipedia has some background on the name...

Manhattan Beach is a small public beach that would be connected to Coney Island's beach, at the eastern end of the Boardwalk, had it not for some private property in the way. I lived in the area for a while before I made a trip, on bicycle with my nephews, there one day. I returned a second time with my son. He had some fun playing in the sand and then in the playground. It is a small quaint area, quiet and clean, far from the maddening crowd. At least based on the occasions I visited it, which I am sure were not peak season.

I recently re-visited the place, again on bike, as I had a little extra time after reaching the eastern end of the Coney Island Boardwalk.

There is a beach house, I suppose for people to change clothes and take a shower to wash off all the saltwater.

Last time I came the beach was wide open. This time there were this structure I suppose to protect erosion or what not.

There is a barbecue area right off the beach, although there was a sign warning partying people to stay x feet away from the fence.
If you are not into swimming or getting sands in your shoes, relax on the benches or throw some basketballs in the court.

Pat Parlato Playground did not look any different. Some water fountain is still there, plus the typical playground structures. I once told my son, perhaps jokingly, that I would take him to playgrounds wherever we go. He may not care much what I said, but nowadays whenever we visit a playground I would take a photo of the place, especially with its name. I should put together some Google map of the photos I have. Perhaps I'll call it Every Child Needs A Playground.

The biggest difference I know upon my third visit to Manhattan Beach is the bike lane. I remember well the second time I came, perhaps in the afternoon, I parked the minivan right outside the park, on the street, on Oriental Boulevard. Now there is a bike lane and then a buffer zone. I am sure some motorists complain about the loss of convenient parking but as a cycling enthusiast, I welcome the change very much.

Russell Pedersen Playground Re-visit

It is nice to work from home. Yesterday, in the morning Wife took Son to Tae Kwon Do practice then to a friend's house. Then they decided to go to some playground and asked if I could come. Luckily, it was already late in the afternoon. I started the day early so it was almost time to go. About an hour later I was done with work, and already home. No commuting. No taking the PATH to Hoboken to wait around for a long time before the train would go toward 33rd Street. It's probably about five minutes in Hoboken, but altogether, from the time taking the train from Pavonia to Hoboken, sit there and wait, then finally head toward 33rd Street, it always feel like a long time. Of course, you would need to catch the train at the right time, otherwise you would have to wait another twenty minutes for the next train. With telecommuting, as soon as the computer shuts down, I'm done with work.

The place turned out to be Russell Pedersen Playground in Bayridge. I already took Son and cousins there last year. It has plenty of parking space, usable restroom, a set of bars and beams suitable for Olympic competition, and of course it shares the block with Fort Hamilton High School, so the track is nice. I actually ran 2 miles on the track, 1 mile followed by a rest then another mile. After a while, everyone was hungry so we all went to Eighth Avenue's Chinatown for dinner at some Malaysian place. If I had to work in the office, at most I would join the group late at the restaurant instead of having all that quality time outside.