Plenty of sparkling new playgrounds in Central Park are tricked out with posh design elements and expensive equipment, but we chose this oldie but goodie because its charms have withstood the test of time. An extensive sand area, rustic summerhouse-like structures made of wood, and a stone bridge alone would endear it to local families, but the coup de grace is the 45-foot-tall, carved-granite slide that awaits in the playground’s leafy back. Shiny, smooth and pretty darn fast especially when kids use stray pieces of cardboard to sit on, the “ride” is well worth the wait on line along the steep rocky path leading to the top.
