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I was walking through Golden Gate Park on Tuesday, and I found myself at the Children's Playground on the east end of the park. After the wave of nostalgia and feeling old, the question occured to me. What was my favorite part of a playground? It was a toss-up between the slide and the swing, but in the end I picked the swing. There's just less work involved.

So, what's yours?

Swings. You don't have to do any work.

Initially I would have said the round-about Oh, the memories of pulling high G's and clinging on for my little life

But from the poll.. I'd have to say... Swings.

Perpetual Motion my butt!

Swings! I used to launch myself off them at their highest point. Ah... flying through the air 2 metres above the ground at 40 km/h... fun. Until I hit the ground, at least.

Only two meters? They must have short swings where you're from. Either that or you just didn't swing very high. I regularly pull even with the bar, sometimes getting above it (though that is followed by an abrupt drop with an even more abrupt stop at the end).

Whoops, hehe. Sorry. Forgot to put in an "other" option.

I've always been a swinger.

Monkey bars, 'specially once I learned to walk on top of them which teachers & lunchladies really, really didn't want me to do. I think I gave them migraines every time I went to walk on top of them.

With the monkey bars, I either walked or crawled across on top of them, something I figured out easily at a kindergarten field day. Then, as still now, my upper body strength sucks.

Swings, and then jumping off

playgrounds today SUCK. They are designed to cater to the rightous fury of soccer moms who insisnt on insulating their children from all possible harm, thereby watering down the experience of childhood. In my day the Monkey bars were the shit! but nothing held a candle to the mighty spinning-what-the-hell-is-it-called thing of doom! Picture a dozen kids holding on for dear life as you spin faster and faster. One by one kids succumbed to the intense g forces and were flung loose and skid across the grass on their face, staining their skin green and getting a mouthfull of dirt. One would remain and would be the glorious champion of the playground. For about 30 seconds because you would do it again.... unless you drew enough blood, then you'd have to go home. ahhhhh, those were the days!

Col. Crackpot wrote:In my day the Monkey bars were the shit! but nothing held a candle to the mighty spinning-what-the-hell-is-it-called thing of doom!

Merry-go-round.

At least, that's what we called it.

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:

Col. Crackpot wrote:In my day the Monkey bars were the shit! but nothing held a candle to the mighty spinning-what-the-hell-is-it-called thing of doom!

Merry-go-round.

At least, that's what we called it.

the merry-go-round is powered and has horses.

MONKEY BAR VARIANT!

Remember that geodesic dome thingy? MAn, that thing was the shit! It could be anything from a spaceship, to a Soviet missile base, to a submarine, or a ship, or exactly what it was! A half sphere made of rusty rivets and multicolored connectors and poles. Imagination makes it whatever you want! How much time did I waste on that thing? Wow...I loved that thing...

Those minature complexes with the swinging bridges and obstacles; you gotta scale a set of tires to get inside, and slide down a pole to come back down. We'd play tip around it, pretty cool.

Those things that go around faster the hell. Heck, I think I pulled 40 KPH once on those things.

Imagine 15 6 year olds in that thing, facing outward, screaming their butts off, then puking in mid air...

Monkey bars are by far the best, the sheer variety you can get on them, the number of baby teeth I've broken out by falling face first into the iron bars, ah the memories.

Second to that, the swings. Almost nothing beats a good game of distance-jumping from the swings, or, if you were really good, you'd get the swing really high in the air, then flip off backwards and land on your feet.

Then possibly the slide, but only if it were already attached to the swing, because then you could get on top of the swingset for some truly good height.

Of course the merry-go-round. But it has to be those insanely compact, pure-metal deals. Get several six-year-olds on that, then one overly strong twelve year old pushing, and see how many kneecaps you can inadvertantly jam woodchip shards under.

-Damien

Gotta say some sort of Monkey bar variant. Especially the ones that look like a cage to get trapped in. I seriously loved those things.

BoredShirtless wrote:Those minature complexes with the swinging bridges and obstacles; you gotta scale a set of tires to get inside, and slide down a pole to come back down. We'd play tip around it, pretty cool.

OMFG! I almost forgot about those! To be 9 years old again..... playing army or pirate ship all day long in the summer sun.

Col. Crackpot wrote:

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:

Col. Crackpot wrote:In my day the Monkey bars were the shit! but nothing held a candle to the mighty spinning-what-the-hell-is-it-called thing of doom!

Merry-go-round.

At least, that's what we called it.

the merry-go-round is powered and has horses.

Yeah, well we called the mighty spinning-what-the-hell-is-it-called thing of doom! a merry-go-round, too.

I don't recall many see-saws at the parks we used to go to, which makes me sad.

We had a swinging suspension bridge on our fort which was the most fun thing ever. If you stand on just the right place on the bridge and have a big guy jump on the other end, the bridge would launch you a good 5-10' into the air depending on how well you timed things. I'm surprised no one got killed on the thing.

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:Swings. You don't have to do any work.

Well, you have to do some, but it's slight. I like to feel like I'm flying...but my butt's planted in a seat.

Besides, ever do that really unintelligent game when you swing as high as you dare and jump, and see who lands the farthest? I welcome the breaking of my own ankles.

'Raine

Spanky The Dolphin wrote: I don't recall many see-saws at the parks we used to go to, which makes me sad.

that's likely because one too many was used as a catapault for younger siblings.

CrimsonRaine wrote:

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:Swings. You don't have to do any work.

Well, you have to do some, but it's slight. I like to feel like I'm flying...but my butt's planted in a seat.

Besides, ever do that really unintelligent game when you swing as high as you dare and jump, and see who lands the farthest? I welcome the breaking of my own ankles.

'Raine

No, 'cause I was a smart sissy boy.

Swings. When I was in high school, I'd have moonlit swinging parties on the hill behind my house.