Monday, November 28, 2011
Phillips Richland Park: A Review
Posted by Betsy Phillips on Mon, Nov 28, 2011 at 7:30 AM
Size of Park: Large
Crowds: Light
Approximate Age of Patrons: My age
Topics of Conversation: "Pooping again? But I already used up all the plastic baggies!"
Stray Dogs Seen: None
Types of Vehicles in Parking Lots: Mostly sedans
Perceived Safety: Medium high
Number of Gunshots Heard: None
Dog Friendliness: My dog loved it
Number of pitbulls sighted: Possibly two! If not, then a small boxer or small American bulldog, and my dog.
Accessibility: Fine
Incorporation of Local History: None
Recommended Patrons: Especially people who like trees.
The park is also a great park for all kinds of people. If you live in the neighborhood, it's a great destination to walk to. The park is full of striking trees, a library, plentiful tennis courts, some lovely playground equipment and plenty of open grassy space. You can get a hot chocolate at the McDonald's and sit on one of the benches and enjoy people passing by. Obviously, if you're a library patron, you can enjoy the library and thus the park. And if you're not from the neighborhood, I saw plenty of people parking at the park and then crossing Charlotte to shop; you could join them.
There's a weird white building over by the tennis courts which I thought might have been bathrooms, but the doors were marked "boys" and "girls" so I kind of wonder if they weren't old dressing rooms in some way connected with the school that sits at the back of the park. I know one of y'all will know.
Another nice thing about Richland Park is that, when you stand in it and look around you, you get a great view of an interesting urban neighborhood — an old, beautiful school framed by large historic houses on one side, an eclectic mix of weird businesses, fast food restaurants and theaters on the other. Even the interstate in the distance adds to the feeling of being in a neighborhood in a city. This doesn't feel like an overly designed park, unlike some others. It feels stately and kind of funky. It's nice.
By my count, I only have 13 parks left. I have to admit, I'm kind of bummed about it. We have great parks, and I'm really enjoying searching out a different one every week.
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