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Staten Island's Children's Carousel: A playground for kids of all ages
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The Carousel for All Children opened in May 1999 and was designed by Gabriella Ward and Jonna Carmona-Graf. The carousel has 51 hand-created animals, and panels depicting Staten Island scenes. It is located in Willowbrook Park, Staten Island, NY.
It was the spring of 1999 - I was fresh out of college and a newbie reporter at my hometown newspaper - The Staten Island Advance www.silive.com - when I was assigned to cover some kick-off event at this newly opened Carousel For All Children. The immense Victorian-style carousel, which is perched right in the center of one of Staten Island's city-sponsored parks, was taking its very first public spin and the Greenbelt Conservancy was hosting a gala with the New York City department of Parks and Recreation to celebrate the event.
But I was 22 and not at all in touch with what beautiful, natural resources our borough had to offer, so I rolled my eyes, hopped in the car and pledged to be out of there in 15 minutes flat.
When I turned down Eton Place upon arriving at the event, my mouth literally gaped: Could this monumental work of art spinning and bobbing in front of me be real? The plucky carousel music seeped into my car windows and I could hardly take my eyes off the tree-lined landscape that framed that beautiful Victorian structure. Of course I stayed longer than the 15 I promised. In fact, I lingered for hours, riding the Carousel, talking to all of the Island dignitaries who had loosened their ties and done the same. It was magical - one of my favorite assignments for that paper which I will truly never forget.
In the 10 years that have passed since my first encounter with the Carousel, I've returned countless times - it sounds strange, but taking a spin on a ginormous carousel in the middle of a New York city park is somehow quite therapeutic. Plus, my two-year-old daughter Erin is now completely hooked. We hosted her last birthday party there and am certain we will also host her next in that very same location.
The park, which is located in the borough's Willowbrook section, also features a playground for the kids as well as a duck pond. The Carousel, now celebrating its 10th anniversary season, opened for the spring earlier this month. Kids of all ages can choose which of the 51 hand-painted animals they'd like to ride - there's pandas, horses, dogs, giraffes and even a dolphin or two. The Carousel's wooden structure displays 40 hand-painted renderings of old Staten Island scenes. A ride, which costs $1.50, lasts for two minutes. A refreshment stand is on the premises. Private parties can be booked there for about $300.
For more information, visit http://www.sigreenbelt.org/About/Carousel/Aboutcarousel.htm or call the Greenbelt center at 1-718-667-2165.
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