Given all the appealing features of Ocean View Park in Albany, it seems very under-utilized, even during prime pre-nap weekday hours. Possibly this is because it is hard to find. Here are my guaranteed no fail park finding instructions:
- Go to the Target in Albany (oh, come on…if you are a parent, you’re always going to Target…you know how to get here!)
- turn right out of the Target parking lot onto Eastshore Frontage Road
- turn right on Buchanan Street
- turn right into the Ocean View Park parking lot (not really marked), which is immediately after the US Agricultural Department, um, area.
Once you manage to find it, you will see a large sports field (heavily used on weekends by pint sized Albany sporting teams…who knew that five year olds got their own soccer uniforms?), community gardens, a teen center of some kind, a lawn and picnic area, and a gated playground.
The playground consists of a standard plastic play structure with some unique/cute details, a swingset, and a couple of rock climbing structures. Although the rock climbing structure signage indicates that they are for older children, the playground as a whole would be best enjoyed by the toddler set.
This park is isolated and very quiet, given its close proximity to busy Buchanan St. The whole area is neat and tidy…is this a magical Albany characteristic? The bathrooms are spacious and clean! There was no evidence whatever of homeless guys using the women’s bathroom to shoot up, smoke up, or wash their feet/socks in the sink! Maybe I just have fairly low standards for East Bay park restrooms, but this flabbergasted me.
The picnic area is fairly large, shaded by a grove of redwoods, and includes barbecues. Have I mentioned how uncrowded this park is?
In summary, I would highly recommend this sweet and alarmingly clean park experience to parents of toddlers or young kids. Ocean View Park is quiet and shaded, the playground is fully gated, parking is plentiful, and the bathrooms will provide the least scary pee experience possible in an East Bay park public restroom.
I have to check this out!