April Hill Park

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Bug's Report:

The park is very small with a nice small playground and field,nice for daisy picking and playing with your dog(s). Really weird play structure thatI cant figure out how to work it.WhatI liked about the park was the big tree,you could go into the leaves and hideout in there.What I didn't like about the park was the playground was awfully small and there were little three year olds that tried to talk to you and all they would say was"blah ga noo met ra bug". There were boys there about 8-10 years old and were talking about nachos...really!But the neighborhood was beautiful. After, I made a daisy crown and got coffee ice cream from a place near by called baskin robbins.yum! you should go to the park!


Bear's Report:

I love the park but the borein part was that pepole said THATS MINE, DONT DO THAT or DONT GO ON THERE that maks pepole sad so wach out or... any way lets get bake to the pont. it was smal bad but the good pont about it was um little kids can play weth stuf.


Mom's Report:

This was a cute little neighborhood park in Southwest Portland, nestled in a neighborhood of single-family homes. There was a soccer field, a little playground with newer equipment, and a natural area that was pretty much off-limits. It was well-maintained and fairly easy to get to. There is no parking, just a little residential street that dead ends at the park.

The park appears to be well-used by the families in the area--we saw several while we were there. The park also seems to act as a shortcut between two neighborhoods, so there was some non-park foot traffic. The patrons of the park were pretty evenly divided between parents with their children at the playground and people playing with their dog in the field (all labs for some reason?!). Unlike Alberta Park--which felt very welcoming and inclusive--April Hill Park gave us a bit of a negative vibe. We didn't feel like we were particularly welcome there, possibly because we were not residents of the neighborhood? For whatever reason, it was palpable enough that the kids even remarked on it when we left. No one was unfriendly, but we did get some strange looks and there was a definite sense that we were outsiders there.

No climbing trees, but the grass was liberally seeded with daisies that the kids gathered in armloads. They made bouquets and crowns. There is no official dog area, but the soccer field provides ample space for a romp. We saw a few messes, but there are some plastic bags stashed in a post behind the park signs. There was a portable toilet for public use, but we didn't check it out.

All in all, a cute neighborhood park that gets good use, but that might not be often used by non-residents of the area.

Ankeny Plaza

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Mom's Report:

If you want to see Ankeny Plaza, you will have to go during the week. On the weekend, it is buried beneath the wonderful Portland Saturday Market. The Portland Parks & Recreation site has a wonderful historical blurb about the plaza that the children read before we went. We went on a Saturday, so after winding our way through the crowd and the vendors of the market, we finally found the Skidmore Fountain that is the centerpiece of the plaza. During the market, it's usually surrounded by lounging shoppers and ringed by scorpion swallowers, fortune tellers, balloon artists, and musicians. The children enjoyed connecting the text we read from the parks website to the actual fountain--a terrific Portland/Oregon history lesson. They also enjoyed shopping and getting their faces painted.

Saturday Market has just moved into a new location on the Waterfront Park, but the plaza will continue to house some of the vendors. The children and I have decided to try visiting the plaza again at a later date, when we can go during the week and see the plaza for what it is without the tents and crowds.

The plaza is very easy to get to--it's right on the Trimet line in downtown near Burnside and there are lots of parking lots in the area. Good luck getting side street parking, though. If you go on the weekend, there's the Saturday market with all of its wonderful vendors. You may or may not find it kid friendly, based on your own standards. It can get crowded and some shoppers are less than kid friendly, but I've never had a problem taking the kids. They love looking at all the crafty goods and interesting people. Some people take their dogs, but I prefer not to. It's a little too crowded in places and I don't want to trip anyone with the leash! I can't imagine the plaza is all that interesting during the week--it's not very big and the fountain is the only thing to see. You could head across the street to the Waterfront Park, though, which is a lovely walk along the river.


Bug's Report:
The park\plaza is fun...we didn't really see it though, we saw it under the Sunday Market.There's not much to see but the fountain is lovely,a beautiful woman holding something(i forgot.),the fountain has lion heads around the edges.The Sunday Market is really fun too.I got a dragon painted on my face by the face painter!
you should go...its really cool,bring your wallet!



Bear's Report:

Um I was gitting my face pantid and I pitkt a BUNNY RABBIT with a bolon. And I had to be vary stile but it tikelde me a bit and it felt werd.Then I got off of the stule.Then we went to walk around a bit and go home.

Translation: Um, I was getting my face painted and I picked a bunny rabbit with a balloon. And I had to be very still but it tickled me a bit and it felt weird. Then I got off the stool. Then we went to walk around a bit and go home.