Great vibes, no notes. This feels like a walled garden in the best way - not a huge space but well laid out, with very distinct gated sections and an interesting squirrel motif throughout. There’s a lot of open space and seating, and the high walls keep it shady and moist. Feels like a real hidden gem, especially considering how crowded the waterfront park is, only a few blocks away. Don’t tell your friends!
This hidden neighborhood playground has great shade trees coverage, and it's a true gem in Long Island City.
Long Island City's proximity to Greenpoint and the renovation of the Pulaksi Bridge a few years ago to give bicycles their own lane had meant access between the two boroughs has never been better. Andrew's Grove is positioned perfectly too, just two blocks from where the bridge connects to Queens.
The well-shaded playground is tucked away midblock, and on a quiet street. There are tables and benches in the front of the park, with the playground equipment set off in the back. There is also a community garden two lots down that shares some perimeter fencing at the back, which gives the park a feeling of being bigger.
There are small statues of squirrels hidden around the park. These also form the splash pad. They are a cute addition that tickled our toddler who ran around the park spotting them.
The toddler equipment is a compact piece with good stairs and ladders, with platforms of different levels. The piece also formed a loop leading to a slide, so toddlers can run around in circles or climb and slide.
The equipment for older kids looked as though it was trying to be a treehouse with brown supports and green accents. This was a fairly conventional shape with a spiral slide – a workhorse style for New York City playgrounds. But it works.
While the equipment isn't quite as new as the waterfront playgrounds, there's nothing here that leaves me wondering how the equipment is supposed to be used. Climb, run, slide, hang. It just works, and unlike otter playgrounds of this vintage, the equipment is still in good condition.
The playground is also adjacent to a Mexican restaurant, across the street from a Greek restaurant, and nearby to plenty of other options. We might not plan a trip to Queens only to come to this playground, but it will definitely be our go to spot whenever we're in the neighborhood. And with all the family-friendly breweries in the area, that might be sooner rather than later.
The land was originally acquired for a school in 1900, but not built on. A park was eventually built in 1928. The park was named for John F. Andrews, but even the parks department knows very little about him.
