East Bay Baby

Codornices Park in Berkeley is one of those parks which has something for everyone. There are trails, a basketball court, the nearby Berkeley Rose Garden, fantastic views of the Bay, a creek, two separate playgrounds, a grassy knoll, and a giant concrete slide of doom.

I had really fond memories of going down this concrete slide as a kid.  Although the original playgrounds have been renovated to accommodate modern safety concerns (no more heavy see-saws or that often injurious log rolling toy…sniffle), the slide remains.  If anything, it is more slippery and dangerous than ever.  Your kids will love it.

Based on these fond memories, I decided to take my toddler down the slide. Unfortunately, I have a lot more, um, inertia now than when I was a kid. Also, I forgot how to brake (you need to dig in your heels  as you slide). So, our trip down the slide was faster than I intended, and I ended up sailing gracefully through the air off the end of the slide and landing flat on my back in the mud. At least my toddler was uninjured, not to mention entertained.

There are many other lovely aspects to Codornices Park. There is a tunnel underneath Euclid Avenue connecting Codornices and the Berkeley Rose Garden, which has a great echo. The grassy hill is perfect for rolling down or picnicking on. The toddler playground is fully fenced and has a sweet wooden train for kids to clamber on or in.  This park is best appreciated on a sunny weekend, when it is full of families having fun, couples canoodling, hippies playing hackey sack, and elderly Japanese tourists recording all these details with oversized cameras.  Street parking only.