Maria Isabel

I live 2 blocks from this park. I have spent countless evenings relaxing after work on the grass, or I bring a beach chair. It has basketball courts, 2 areas for children (one for toddlers, one for a bit older children), grassy area, benches (the benches are almost always under the sun instead of under a shade, which is too bad) and 2 picnic tables that are usually occupied. (One of the picnic tables is of wood, it's comfortable, and it's under the shade of a tree; the other one is of cement, very uncomfortable, and it sits under the scorching sun). My friends in the neighborhood have organized birthday parties for their children; they go early to reserve the good picnic table and we all have a blast. There is a private area for the neighborhood that is kept under lock; inside are a few plots for gardening that are assigned by lottery every year; and there is also a composting center. I participate in the composting and it's a great resource to have close to home. Group activities (apart from birthday parties) are controlled. A friend went with her capoeira group to do a class in the open park and they were told they needed a permit for groups of more than 10 persons. However, my other friends who celebrated their children's birthday parties had more than 10 persons and nobody approached them to say anything, so who knows what the rules are. There is a community center in the Park that I have never seen open or doing any activities. Some volunteers have been making a special garden East of the basketball court, to avoid erosion, and they planted beautiful flowers and named it the Jardin de las Mariposas (Butterfly Garden). Gorgeous. Some people go in swimming suits to get tanned lying on the grass and it doesn't seem to be a problem. Nearby you have Street Market where you can buy food (I like fresh cut fruit) to eat in the park; and some other shops that sell sandwiches and wraps or whatever, so it's easy to do a picnic here. The park is absolutely amazing, I love living close to it.