My friend Amy H and I have been threatening to play tennis for a few weeks now. Yesterday, we…read morefinally made good on our promise, and it was a blast. In the two weeks leading up to the actuality of the event, we waffled on timing - "Oh, that's not terribly convenient for me, I like to nap at 1:42pm on Sundays" or amounts of humidity/sunshine - "Holy hell it's hot out! Eff this!" and locations to, you know, hit it around - "We could head to the courts by UEC, or at Lake Park, or the ones down by the lakefront but I don't want to do that because people will watch us down there and we'll wait until we get gooood to play there," etc. Little did I know that *Pumping Station Park has two more than adequate courts just kickin' it in the back of the park, behind the "batting cages" and next to the basketball courts. Win! *I never knew what the park across the street from Colectivo Humboldt was called until I went to check in yesterday and had to ask Amy. Pumping Station Park... the more you know! This park is small but mighty: a baseball/kickball diamond, tennis courts, batting cages, a basketball court... they've got what you need, MKE. Lots of leagues play sportballs at this small but mighty park... I often see practices of all types and sorts. (Read: post-work/school days and summertime weeknights can be busy.) Adequate green space to play catch with a real-life leather football with your significant other, too. If your significant other is good at throwing a football from 50+ yards, you may end up jamming the living daylights of your ring finger like me and subsequently endure a re-occurring sportsball "injury." Ow. My tender tendons. I'll be back to play lots more tennis with my friend Amy and maybe my friend Jessie, too. (And though it's a long shot, maybe L, too.)

This field brings back so many good memories. I graduated from Riverside in 1963. I lettered 4…read moreyears in baseball and we played all our home games here. The field looks almost the same as it did back in 1963 with a lot of improvements. What is missing is the light pole in left field. It was in fair territory and it took me awhile to learn how to play around it. I also remember that chasing the foul balls down the hill was assigned to the freshmen or youngest players on the team. I chased my fair share of foul balls. In 1963, we posted the best record ever for a Riverside baseball team with 12 wins. We also ran from the high school across the Locust Street bridge to the field everyday for practice with Coach Buro following us in his car! But it was also the many many days we played pick up baseball games during the summer after the season was over. We all practically lived at Pumping Station. I am glad to see that the Riverside continues to play their home games here and have kept up the success and tradition of baseball at Riverside High School!

The Christmas light that I saw there was beautiful and it was at night too…read more The Christmas light that I saw there was beautiful and it was at night too

Zeidler Union Square is pretty much a standard park in a city with many parks. It's small, but a…read morenice place to bring your dog for a short stroll if you are nearby. On Wednesdays June through the end of October the park comes alive when a farmers market is held from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. featuring local produce, crafts, live music and food vendors. Get there early if you only have an hour and plan to order from a food vendor! There is a unique gazebo in the park which is industrial in nature, and features an interesting roof if you step in and look up. The bordering fences also tell an interesting tale. Parks are generally places where people like to hang out, however this park seems to sometimes attract people who might be considered to be loitering rather than enjoying the park's virtues, but overall I dub this park A-OK.

I am writing to express my concern regarding the event held on Saturday, June 20, at Richard E…read more Maslowski Park. The conditions created by this event were completely out of character for our neighborhood and inappropriate for a small city park. The large crowds, excessive noise, and overall level of disruption had a significant impact on nearby residents and families. Of particular concern was the volume of traffic moving through our neighborhood. Numerous vehicles were speeding on residential streets, creating dangerous conditions for children, pedestrians, and families. The situation raised serious safety concerns for those who live in the area. I was also unable to bring my children to the park because of the environment that had developed there. The park was crowded with adults engaging in behavior that made it unsuitable for children, including loud music, profanity, smoking, and what appeared to be public intoxication. Public parks should remain safe and welcoming spaces for families, yet the atmosphere associated with this event prevented many residents from using the park as intended. In addition, I was surprised to learn that admission to the park required a $50 entrance fee, along with an additional $10 parking fee. As a Glendale resident, I have always understood Richard E. Maslowski Park to be a public park available for residents to enjoy. Being denied entry because I was unwilling or unable to pay these fees was frustrating and left me questioning how a public park could become inaccessible to the very residents whose tax dollars help support it. The person in charge, Terrell, was extremely rude and dismissive throughout our interaction. When I attempted to explain my concerns, he was unwilling to listen and did not give me an opportunity to be heard. His attitude made the experience more frustrating and left me feeling that my concerns were not take seriously. He is definitely not someone I would expect the city to have representing it. His behavior was unprofessional and did not reflect the level of courtesy and respect that Glendale residents should receive I urge the City to review the planning, permitting, security, traffic management, and enforcement measures associated with this event. Future events should be managed in a way that protects public safety, minimizes disruption to surrounding neighborhoods, and preserves reasonable access to public parks for Glendale residents.

This is an excellent park to take all ages of children. Close to the Oak Leaf Trail, this space…read moreoffers swings, slides, bridges, climbing bars, interactive panels, and many more creative options for kids to play, learn, and burn off some energy! There is plenty of open space between the play areas for kids to run around, and the benches and picnic tables offer a chance to sit and share a snack or lunch. If you visit the park during the day, don't forget your sunscreen as there are no trees to provide shade. This is a great addition to the Glendale community, and as a resident, I'm looking forward to going more often to enjoy music, the beer garden, and, of course, more time with family.

Kinsey Park used to be a cool little park back in the days, but it has changed a lot since I used…read moreto be a child. Back then the pond was always stocked with fish and was always kept clean, now this pond is overgrown with filamentous green algae and often there is little life left within the water. Kinsey Park sits on a total of 6 acres of land and has a picnic table inside the pavilion. There is a small nature trail that goes back into the woods. This can be a nice place to sit and relax for a quick lunch in the park. They also have a playground area for kids, although it is old, it still gives kids something to do. On West Kinsey Park Drive there is a parking lot for visitors, this parking lot is only big enough to hold about 2-3 cars. If the city of Brookfield ever decides to finally maintain Kinsey Park I'll update my review. Until then, don't expect too much from this park. You'll better off driving down a few miles to Rainbow or Greenfield. [Review #249] (Eighth Review of 2015)

What a delightful place, tucked away in Mequon. Easy to miss, this Sculpture Garden is just off…read moreBrown Deer Road. My son attended 'garden summer camp' here recently and he absolutely loved it. For context, he's four years old and the camp was 3 hours each morning for a week. His camp leaders were so sweet. He and the rest of the kiddos were able to explore so many different trails, discovered bugs and animals, and did daily crafts. Beyond camps and classes, you can attend various events and exhibitions here, or simply come to walk and explore the grounds. Very relaxing nature spot!

I cannot explain to you the history or anything about this place other than it exists and it's a…read morelovely plot of land. There was basically no signage outside so we just followed the GPS into what looked like private property and through the gates. Inside there was a parking lot and in the short distance a house. We entered the house and really didn't gather any information there. The guy working kinda just wanted to be on his computer. No gift shop, it was kind of bleak. I think they could do more here to promote the place and make money (I assume money couldn't hurt!) There are no walking paths, just grass. You are left to wander aimlessly as you choose through the property so we did. Lots of space between the sculptures so if walking is an issue, this place is not for you. My 13 year old really enjoyed the pond and wildlife. We saw a lot of frogs and a few turtles. I have to say, it's very pretty. But I do wish I had some more information to take home with me about the garden.

You will see a lot of families since there is a small playground and a splash pad. There is a…read morepavilion for events, meetings or any social activity. The park is pretty safe. It connects to the Beerline Trail. This trail is absolutely gorgeous. It runs along the Milwaukee River, so there is a lot of photo ops. Oh! It's really lovely. It's only 3 point something miles, but it connects to the Oak Leaf Trail, a much longer trail. Overall, 5 stars. The Beerline Trail is awesome!

Gordon Park isn't all that big, but I am delighted it has been preserved. There are interesting…read morestone foundations and walls on the east end of the park that just beg for an explanation, including one circle that begs for rituals. When I visit with my nephews and niece, we imagine Druids feeling at home. Of course, in pleasant weather we have actually seen folks LARPing in medieval gear as if to prove us right. The splash pad is silent in fall and winter, but the playground remains active on sunny days. Off street parking is ample and soccer games are fun to watch, even if you don't have skin in the game for either side. Maybe Gordon Park isn't a big one or a famous one in the County's excellent park system, but it is so accessible -- you can just tumble out into Riverwest and Harambee neighborhoods from there.

Indulge me for a min while I talk Milwaukee history: Once…read moreupon a time, maybe 10+ plus years back, the Park East freeway ran from the west exit of the East point parking lot to I-43. Myself and many others got our coffee and were scooped up and whisked on to our morning commute by a huge double decker freeway that rose up over what is now the Aloft and that one lonely Ace hardware. (C'mon, MKE, its been over a decade.) What even I didn't know until recently was that for 20+ years before, from 1970 to 1990 the land from east point to the lake, between lyon and ogden was completely razed of homes/buildings and sat vacant for 2 decades. (This is why if you walk down lyon st. one side is cute Victorian houses and the other side is all new apartments.) The plan was to continue the freeway right through the lower east side, to the lake where it would cut through veterans park and meet the hoan bridge & 794. (This may also explain the one oddly placed shell gas station at the end of farwell.) All I can say to all this is how *^/@ed up would the lower east side, the lakefront, (& quite frankly, my home) be if this monstrous freeway had been constructed? Instead of the lagoon at veterans park and the stairs at ogden it would have been all concrete pillars and exhaust fumes. So, in closing there's nothing particularly special to me about this little park/square/green space. But its nice and I'm very glad history was written the way it was and this park is therefore actually able to exist.

I love my "park across the street". I'm not sure what crawled up Stephen's pant leg, but this park…read moreis nice for taking my puppy out to do his business, sitting and people watching, and whatever else you like to do in a park. It is really like a little oasis on the busy eastside. AND, as Sam C points out, what a great history and tradition!

This nice, clean, well maintained little park is very pleasant. I just wanted a place for a…read moresolitary picnic in the Time of Pandemic and the picnic tables in the grass with no one around on a beautiful sunny spring day .... it was perfect, though perfectly lonely as well. I'm not sure how much traffic this place has when times are more normal. There's a playground, a basketball court and...a pickleball court. I think this may be the best outdoor pickleball court I've ever seen...so I need to change my initial rating upwards. In terms of outdoor pickleball courts, this is as good as it gets.