Parking

I have a new favorite park. Well, a new favorite park that I probably will not get to visit all that often because it's a bit far from where I live and I don't have much business in its neighborhood. I'm talking about Coxe Park, on Cherry Street and Beechwood Street (which interestingly enough, Google maps is unable to find. It's between 21st and 22nd streets.)

Coxe Park is super small and, like a few other parks gave me the feeling that I wasn't supposed to be there. It abuts a row home and for a second, I thought I was in someone's very carefully maintained side yard. The fact that no one else was there, even though the day was sunny and warm, didn't help the feeling. I settled onto a bench and started reading—and no one yelled at me to get out, so there's that.

It seems that the park was built in 1974 with help from the Logan Square Neighborhood Association and named for Daniel Michaux Coxe, a "friend and good neighbor." The Coxe family had a long history in Philadelphia, dating back to the 1600s. I couldn't really find much about them, or at least anything that seemed like it would interest anyone, so if anyone has any info, please share in the comments.

Coxe Park looks very much like it was built in the '70s, meaning it is small and consists of brick pathways and planters. Its few benches are diminutive in size and painted light blue. The playground boasts a very retro looking horsey seesaw, a candy cane striped twisty slide and yet another concrete dolphin statue, identical to—but in better shape than—the one in Weinberg Park. In the way of public art, there's a sculpture of Ben Franklin holding a kite, aptly titled Benjamin Franklin and His Kite, by Agnes Yarnell.

The park is a mere block or two away from the Schuylkill River Trail, so next time you're walking or biking on the trail, it would be totally worth your time to take a detour and visit Coxe Park, especially if you are a fan of old-style playgrounds.

Upcoming Events in Parks:

Get Involved:

• Dickinson Square Park (map) Clean-Up – Saturday, 9 a.m.

Farmer's Markets:

• Fitler Square (map) – Saturdays, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Clark Park (map) – Saturdays, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
• Rittenhouse Square – Saturdays, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

If you know of anything exciting happening in your local park in the near future, please e-mail amy@phillyist.com!