the wonderful times and memories of zimmermans playground for me , siblings , friends ,warrants 5 stars as it was ours playground growing up in the bronx on olinville ave . many old timers called it the concrete square as it was square shaped with different sections with the basketball courts , swing set area , the slides , checker tables and the many benches to sit and shoot the breeze with friends and neighbors . the playground is named after abe zimmerman who owned the corner candy store on olinville and allerton ave , he was a holocaust survivor and would educate us kids about the permanent numbers across his arm . after school and on the weekends the playground was our hangout regardless of the weather . i was not much of a basketball player but the swings was my thrill and i would go fairly high swinging back and forth until i needed a rest . back in the day there was no curfew and playground was open 24/7 and the playground was well maintained and kept clean and safe . as the mid 80s came and the crack horror era arrived the playground was not a place for kids and even though i moved away i would still visit my old hood and was shocked what a dangerous mess the playground turned into . as time passed the crack and crack heads were gone and the playground went thru a major makeover for the better and now the kids and families are back just like the good old days . i will always cherish the memories of zimmermans playground and i am not the only one . read more