Beautiful park with a nice neighborhood vibe. Its the equivalent of Marine Park in Brooklyn…read more Definitely looking forward to visiting again this year now that the weather is getting nicer. Definitely worth a visit!

Nice medium sized park in Middle Village. Easy to get to from the nearby neighborhoods in central…read moreQueens. The park is divided into two sections by 80th Street. The much larger western side has all of the sports fields, courts, playgrounds, facilities, and plenty of seating areas. It's always busy no matter the weather or time of day, with everything from afterschool sports to dog meet-ups to people jogging. The main seating area (above the baseball fields) includes a 9/11 memorial, and on a clear day, you can get a view of the Empire State Building. The smaller eastern section is the quieter, "no active sports" area. It has more trees and a few benches, making it a peaceful spot to sit and relax. There is a walking path that circles and winds through the entirety of Juniper Valley. The outer path on the perimeter is about a mile and a half and makes for a great place to walk or run without having to dodge cars. It's also pretty scenic, with many beautiful brick homes lining the park.

Nice little oasis in Elmhurst NY…read more While it was raining the day I visited there were plenty of trees, grass and places to picnic. There also was plenty of play structures for the kiddos. The park itself was quite clean as well There also is a memorial to local Vietnam War vets which is always nice to see and it was well done.

A nice family friendly park in Elmhurst that is well maintained by the city .Plenty of space to…read moreroam along the trail path , plenty of grass area to sit and relax , playground section for the kids and the moron adult who was hogging the slide , plenty of benches along the whole area of the park and it's very clean and safe . Came with a friend who wanted to see his girl sing with her group in the performing area which has free events mostly on the weekends and the locals seem to enjoy the shows as the couple next to me are regular park visitors and love to talk and talk while I was trying to listen to the music .overall a nice park in Elmhurst for the locals and non locals like me .

I try to visit this park almost every day since I am not working. It is shady and has a…read morewalking/jogging path that goes all the way around it equalling about 1/4 mile. You will see many families, people exercising, and doing yoga. There are two playgrounds and many other game areas as well as bathrooms. I walk here to use the walking and jogging path, as well as sit down afterwards and admire the trees and the view West of midtown. There are also benches specifically for doing sit-ups and pull-ups. Unlike many of the parks in the city, you will not see homeless people here or drug addicts. There is quite a bit of litter on the ground which is sad, since there are so many garbage cans in the vicinity. However, I am so happy to have found this park near my residence.

I'm delighted to have discovered this park. It appears small on a map, and it is, but feels wide…read moreopen and spacious once you're walking in it. There are trees, slopes, benches and all the other usuals in adequate abundance. I was worried that since it is near a high school it would become crowded and loud, but not so. The teenagers are scarce and mostly very polite. It is a happy place, where people bring their kids and dogs. For us young at heart, the swings are often available :) Pro-tip: for a tranquil, quiet stroll visit the ancillary cemetery where you can walk completely unhealed.

Been to this park a few times for a couple outdoor events…read more Park isn't as shiny and newly renovated as the other parks. However, it's very spacious, and a great area for the kids to play. The gates of the handball courts are set up a bit odd, so you'll definitely be running out the court to get your ball. Unpopular opinion, but I'm not a fan of the pool. It's a bit small, therefore it gets soooo crowded during peak season. Great park to get your steps in as there are no shortage of slopes and walking paths here.

AKA Windmuller Park, this spot near Doughboy Plaza has some hoops…read morehttp://www.nycgovparks.org/parks/lawrence-virgilio-playground/history

McCarren Park has something for everybody , from the pool, multiple sports fields and turkey's nest…read moreon the corner - you just can't go wrong here! I have taken group fitness classes here over the years, I met my husband in this park almost 15 years ago, I had a pizza party here with a group of college students way back, and I have even sold my own junk on the greenpoint corner. I love McCarren Park!

Brooklyn's version of Central Park. Here you find anything and everything…read more Great park to chill

This is a small neighborhood park. It's mostly dominated by a dog park so it's fun to sit and watch…read morethe dogs and their antics. There are a few benches near the walking paths. A nice slice of greenery in a mostly residential area.

Its too bad that the only people who can enjoy this park are dog owners who let their dogs run free…read morethrough the whole park and destroy the grass. now noone can sit on the lawn, its just dug up dirt and feces, really an eye sore

As a kid I would come to this park all of the time. It's fairly big and never too packed. There is…read morea small area for dogs( if you have a small dog just be careful because the gates are large and they may slip through the gates) there is a nice size playground, water area, basketball courts, handball,skating area and bathrooms in the middle. This park is hidden in the neighborhood so I dont think many people in the ridgewood area know about it. A block or so up is the YMCA and a police station. Its also not far from the freshpond train station for the M train. It's about 2-3 blocks from freshpond. I really like this park and I definitely recommend this place to others.

This should be categorized under PARKS, but the menu did not allow that…read more Mafera Park is located just a few blocks from the Fresh Pond Road station of the M Line. It is the best park in this part of Ridgewood, and is only steps away from the Police Precient. It is equipped with softball fields, racket ball courts, a basketball court, and possibly a roller-hockey field. (Although I'm not sure if it is still in place after the renovation.) The softball field recently has a major renovation which turned the grass into astroturf. I'm not sure if that is an improvement, but I know it makes for very uncomfortable picnicking. The softball field is very actively used by the community. My review here will focus on the playground, which is what I use the most. This playground is extremely active and often very crowded, except in the very early morning hours. It can often be too crowded which is why we exclusively go when it is less crowded. This community has a LOT of children, more than MANY neighborhoods. The playground has two distint areas, one for toddlers, and the other for grade-school kids. The toddler area is equipped with baby swings, and a jungle gym featuring two slides, a bridge, a fireman pole, a tick-tac toe and various other features on this kind of equipment. The grade-school kids area has larger swings, and a jungle gym area featuring a bridge, various levels of height, a double slide, and a twisty curvy slide. It also has many ladders and a various fireman poles and a some monkey bars. Lastly there is another piece of equipment detached from the other areas that features a double slide and a few levels. The middle of the park has a sprinkler area in the shape of round balls with a central area for getting wet. Now that the description is out of the way.... I go to this park nearly every weekend with my daughter. In the summertime, the sprinklers aren't open till around 10:00 - 10:30. The Park Dept generally comes around 9 and opens the bathrooms that are typical park bathrooms, stinky and "clean enough if you have no where else to go". There is also one water fountain that is usually clogged with leaves, debris and water balloons. I find the equipment adequate for it's purposes by am dismayed by the lack of attention this well used park gets in terms of maintenance. The double-slide in the grade-school area has had a sharp ding on the right slide for over six months. If a kid is going down this slide fast, they can easily cut their hands on this ding. After repeated complaints, the city has not fixed it. All it takes is a metal file to file it down. Why it still hasn't been fixed is beyond me. An area near the toddler swings, just short of the sprinklers has indentations in the cement where it has sunk. As a result this area is always filled with water and leaves. Why hasn't the city flattened this area out? The playground itself is open to the rest of the park without a fence seperating it from the rest of the park. Almost all decent playgrounds have some sort of containing fence to contain the kids who WILL wander off. I don't understand why this park does not. On the weekends, this park gets very dirty. I wish it was cleaned more often. There are rubber tiles on the ground of the park in only a few areas that are coming apart. Toddlers learning to walk easily trip on this thing. My basic complaint is the lack of resources this park has. Comparing this park to other parks around the city. -3rd Street Playground in Prospect Park. It has triple the number of features and equipment for a larger variety of age groups. It is particular important for the really young babies, where there is a large learning curve between 12 months and 24 months. It was cordoned off, like most playgrounds. - 9th Street Playground in Prospect Park. Features a sand pit, two sets of sprinklers, and two extra large jungle gyms, and a staff that is on duty during the day. And wow, what nice bathrooms for the public. - Hecksler Playground - The biggest sandpit I have ever seen in a park. A mote on various levels. The asphault on the ground is very soft so when kids fall they don't get hurt. - Union Square Park - Again much nicer. - 23rd Street Park (Manhattan) - Again much nicer. So the elephant in the room is.... How come parks in Ridgewood aren't this well equipped? We are one city where resources are allocated equally... I think not... We know the truth.

Ridgewood Reservoir use to be a freshwater wetland on the border between Brooklyn and Queens. What…read moreis now the upper area of Highland Park. I either go for a walk or run along the trailway all the time. Just recently after doing some research the 3rd basin used to be Ridgewood Reservoir until 1989 when the reservoir was drained out. One of the many fascinating history of this once Reservoir. There use to be a waterfall. At a certain distance while walking on the trail way you get to see portions of the abandoned and once waterfall. At first you would assume it was used as stairs to get to somewhere down, but nothing like it. I could only image the view. Another fascinating history behind the Ridgewood Reservoir, there used to be a keepers house and guest house. Only a small part of that house remains while the other part is long gone. Not sure if people while out running or just taking a stroll notices these tiny historical fragments distance away. Ridgewood Reservoir is very peaceful, quiet, and very well preserved naturally. If you are the walker type it can take you about 20 minutes to walk Ridgewood Reservoir. For those bike or running enthusiasts less.

One of my good friends who lives in East New York recently told me about this magical place just a…read morefew months ago. While visiting my folks the other day in Fresh Meadows, I decided to bike to the Reservoir and see what all the hype was about. I have friends who live nearby and they are always telling me to visit. While visiting my parents the other day, I borrowed my dads old 79s Italian road bike and went for it. It was about about 8 miles but it was worth it. The reservoir is not to be confused with Highland Park though they are right near each other. If you've ever have noticed a bike path on the right hand side of the Jackie Robinson highway going east bound (nearby exit 2 or 3 perhaps), this it where that leads to. If you're biking like I was, there's a pretty decent amount of bike rack space on both sides of the water. The bike racks are also pretty publicly facing so seemed decently safe to me, as long as you have a decent or good lock. With by bike secured, I was able to walk around and take in the spectacular views of the water while enjoying the sounds of hundreds of singing birds, who too decided to spend the day relaxing by the reservoir. I couldn't help but forgot that I was still technically in New York City. Seriously, it felt like I was somewhere here on Long Island. The best part about this park, is that if you're adventurous, it turns out there are some really cool hidden paths all around. I found one that gave took to this unobstructed and extremely private view of the water. I had the entire one half of the park to myself. It was just me, my thoughts and nature. Bring some binoculars if you have any and go bird watching. I spotted some beautiful Red Robin's and blue jays. If you're ever out this way, I HIGHLY suggest you check this place out.

Great neighborhood park since forever!…read more I've been gong here for 15+ years and it now makes me think of Woodstock & The Summer of Love. Killer vibe, extremely diverse crowd - locals & transplants - and tons of BKLYN Hipsters & Hippies! This is the Beautiful Nightmare the Far Right is afraid of but it's all Love, Peace & Music!!!

This is a decent sized Bushwick park. It has a good amount of bench seating. The central area…read moreattracts a lot of skateboarders and there's a nice set of mini hills that work for roller scooters as well. A nice place to catch a bit of fresh air.

Such beautiful views…read more Went on a morning walk looking for the East River and discovered this nice park in Williamsburg. Love the views of Manhattan. Such a great way to start the day. I actually walked to the park every morning on a long holiday weekend vacation. So relaxing.

I made it here accidentally as I was supposed to be at a nearby rooftop but they were full and…read morecouldn't take us. With the clock ticking and almost running out of daylight, I decided to walk another couple of blocks towards the river waterfront to hopefully find a spot where we could see the sunset, and this is how I made it to Bushwick Inlet Park. People always say that things happen for a reason and I couldn't agree more in this case. One of the things I like about NYC are the sunset city skyline views when you see it from the distance. Bushwick Inlet Park was perfect for this. It was a quiet and well maintained park with a few people walking around. Really loved how quiet was. Can't be happier I made it here.