I am originally from the Morris Park section of Da Bronx. We played in a playground called Loretto Park. The park was between Morris Park Ave and Van Ness, and Haight & Tomlinson Avenues, The “parkie” (attendant) was a woman we called Polly. If you were from the Bronx it was a sliding pond, a see-saw, and a spaldeen. Nothing else would do. The City of New York even painted a skully court in the park for the young kids to play on…us older kids played it in the street. I can remember being the first kid in the park after lunch. The sliding pond was about 200 degrees in the sun, and all you wore were shorts, you’s sit on that hot stainless steel board and burn you freakin butt….but it was fun, and no one cared less. There were no rubber mats at the end, or sand pits, you just landed on blacktop and took the abuse like a man. It was fun in those days.