Kid things: part 2
Have kids? Have friends with kids? Want to know which places to avoid because you don’t like kids? Scroll below for the next edition of kid things. If you missed it, you can revisit part one here.
Drake’s Dealership is kid-central on weekends. With the wide selection of beer, unstable gravel-y ground and open fire pits it may not be the obvious place to let your terrorist toddlers roam free on a Saturday afternoon, but why not? They have excellent pizza and surprisingly delightful salads and if there’s a wait you can grab an ice cream from the Humphry Slocombe stand outside or better yet, the Red Bay Coffee to amp yourself up til the next nap time.
Dracena Park - if you have a dog, this is an extra great spot as they have this awesome redwood shrouded leash-free running trail and a great rubberized ground to protect your falling children on the playground. And you will need it - as there’s a pretty serious outdoor kids climbing wall. Its in the middle of a residential Piedmont neighborhood, so its quiet, peaceful and feels like a totally hidden find.
Now don’t get me wrong, The Oakland Zoo is great - there’s a Gondola where you can ride up the hill to glean spectacular Bay views without having to endure a hike, plus a little train for toddlers and the animals are sometimes active and awake. But going to the zoo can feel like a bit of an ordeal - so I often prefer a “zoo-lite” experience at The Little Farm in Tilden. Tilden is one of the most beautiful parks in the Bay Area - a sprawling preserve with hiking and biking trails, campgrounds, plus a merry-go-round and steam train. The Little Farm is the ideal place for youngsters. You can bring a head of lettuce or a stalk of celery to feed the animals and wander around the little farm. Sometimes there are special events like music or giant bubbles that kids lose their minds over. Plus visiting Little Farm is totally free, minus the cost of celery.
Speaking of kids losing their minds. My friend Tamara was telling me about this library story-time that kids go insane for. For the uninitiated, public libraries offer “story time” for babies and tots because sometimes stay-at-home moms and nannies just need to get out of the house and lighten their emotional load to have the kids in some slightly supervised group play. And because reading is good for you. So basically the libraries have someone on the staff read books to the kids and do character voices, etc, but this one at the Pleasant Hill Library has a guy who not only reads it a captivating way - he also plays the guitar and sings. When Tamara was describing him to me she said the kids go crazy and “act like he’s *NSYNC or something”. And yes, she used the asterisk, because like me, she’s a millennial and knows the proper way to spell the band name. Anyway - this guy is a local legend, he’s even been on the news, and when i went I was shocked at how captivated everyone was with whatever weird kid magic he has. Find out more about story times and schedules here.
Sideboard- for lunch with kids, it really doesn’t get better than this cozy restaurant in Lafayette (there is also one in Danville). They have toys and games indoors, but the real deal here is that they offer an outdoor picnic service (for no extra charge) on a wide grassy lawn out front. Sideboard provides the blankets, brightly colored sun-shielding umbrellas, croquet - and they’ll deliver your food right to your spot in a basket. Their french press coffee, salads, sandwiches and snacks are solid quality for the suburbs (plus, its all healthy, local, organic// you know the bay area drill) and they have surprisingly amazing english muffins. This is such a great way to spend the afternoon - kids and dogs chilling for lunch with plenty of contained space for the lils to burn off energy. Must visit.
Have friends with kids? Forward this to them!
Thinking of moving to the east bay for some extra space? Check out this Berkeley bungalow for less than a million, or this high-ceilinged house in Lafayette
Looking for other newsletters about life with kids? The New York Times has a good one