DeSalvio Playground, Nolita

Climb, hang, and spin at this corner neighborhood playground, and enjoy many treats nearby.

Within the small lot of DeSalvio Playground, there is plenty of open space with room for running and scooting, a half basketball court, and water sprays. The compact, lime green and maroon playground equipment stand out with features like curvy climbing ladders, a spiderweb climbing structure, circular monkey bars, and three different slides. There are a few rotating poles to stand on and spin, spin, spin! For the littlest kids, there is a small structure to walk through and around, with a couple of interactive panels.

Visibility/Safety? You won’t lose a kid within this playground, and there is room to safely run around with soft tiles underfoot. One caution? It is not entirely secure: The playground area is surrounded by a low fence and on one side there are tables and benches that are available to everyone (with or without kids). There is only one entrance to the park, but this tall gate has been wide open on my visits.

Bathroom Emergency? There is no bathroom within the playground.

Snack Time/Coffee Break? You can take your pick with many options for treats and coffee within a couple of blocks. Three favorites are Rice to Riches (flavored rice pudding), Van Leeuwen ice cream, and Softside (soft-serve ice cream). To honor the heritage of the playground’s namesake, visit the few remaining original Italian establishments in the Little Italy neighborhood: Ferrara Bakery (since 1892), Lombardi’s Pizza (1905), and DiPaolo’s Fine Foods (1925).

Features: Slides, monkey bars, special climbing structures, water spray, benches, tables, nearby coffee & snacks.

Fun Fact: The playground is named for two generations of Italian-Americans who were influential in city politics, and benefactors of the Little Italy neighborhood, which was established nearby by Northern Italians immigrants in the late 1850s. The son, Louis DeSalvio, spearheaded the creation of the playground in 1955. The playground was fully reconstructed in 2019, and at first it had a challenging rock-climbing wall that reached directly to the windows of the luxury condo apartment next door; but no more peeping – that climbing wall was taken down.

Gianna Abruzzo is EatPlayExplore's playground correspondent and the person who knows Manhattan's parks better than anyone. Brooklyn-born and mother of three, she has raised her girls on these playgrounds and spent years championing the parks that make this city liveable. She created a collection of embroidered iron-on patches to celebrate them. Shop her patches here and follow her on Instagram.