Lincoln Square Recreation Center

The variety at this recreation center is pretty awesome, though I did not play on the structures so I cannot speak to that. My boyfriend and I bought some pastries in Oakland Chinatown and came here to eat them and hang out. We sat on some park benches and enjoyed the sunny day. There is a small soccer area, community garden, play structures for kids, and a few chess tables. Seems like a safe area that’s relatively clean. Fun place to hang out for people of all ages. The pirate ship play structure seems legit too.

Okay park for the kiddies… not the cleanest and part of the play structure had yellow caution tape on the little walk bridge which was disappointing.
Niece still had fun as there are about 4 swings, 3 slides, and climbing poles… the ground is a foam cushioning so if the kids run and fall they won’t hurt themselves… enclosed area which makes it a little ‘safer’ for the kids to play and small group of seniors do tai chi, kids/​adults playing basketaball and practicing soccer… bring some Purell for your kiddie for after as i wouldn’t recommend using the bathrooms unless desperate!
Place across the street from Alice Street Bakery which is a great place to stop by to get some chinese buns and pastries.

Very Special
I went here with my family and parents yesterday.
My son had a lot of fun playing.
My first impression wasn’t the best one.
I had to use the men’s restroom inside the Lincoln Neighborhood Center.
It’s somewhat small, and it was rather filthy.
I thought for a second that I was going to catch something (a night with a cheap hook– came to mind).
I struggled to lock the only stall, but that had to do with me being in a hurry (I almost did a ballerina move to keep the door closed– having long legs has its advantages).
Some sticky gunk got stuck to my left shoe (I think it had to do with the main rubber-​surfaced play area). I didn’t even notice it, though, until my son pointed it out when we were home.
Anyway, the playgrounds were all pretty clean.
I felt bad for this guy in his 30’s.
His son wore him out and had him playing the «I’m too old» card (the guy didn’t want to climb any more «stairs»).
2 girls were climbing over fences to get to the different areas.
They were just lazy.
:
The old clubhouse is in the background (my dad pointed this out to me).
:
The little bench on the right should be fixed.
Someone playing with it could get hurt a little.
Scenic Surroundings:
From here, you can get a clear view of the Tribune Tower (
) and downtown Oakland in general.
A cute Asian woman was around, but I only stared at her until my eyes fell out.
Lincoln Neighborhood Center (
):
It’s spacious inside overall.
It’s also cool inside.
My dad chatted with some people before we left.
He went on a nostalgic trip (my parents both lived in Oakland for decades).
I like how casual the atmosphere here is.
The recreation center attracts people of all ages, and it’s a great celebration of Chinese culture.
I certainly enjoyed exploring it yesterday.

Dirty! Dirty! Dirty!
I grabbed a broom and dustpan from the rec center and had to sweep the boat area. There was broken glass, straws, takeout containers, etc all over the park. It is very sad such a popular spot for so much activity in this Chinese community is soooooo Dirty and neglected by all that share it!

A favorite park in Chinatown, the small toddler playground is nice, clean, and separated from the rest of the area. There are a couple of swings, soft ground surface, and a good play structure.
What really shines here is the big-​kid playground, with the huge ship structure. I can’t wait to take my daughter to explore it when she’s bigger!

I’m glad to see that despite all the big businesses taking over smaller neighborhoods; at least one recreational center manages to continue operating day to day. This is one of my favorite places to bring my children on my days off, they offer multiple basketball courts, 2 play structures, a racquetball wall, a miniature AstroTurf field, a workout area and multiple tables with tiled chess/​checker boards. In addition to great outdoor activities, this center also offers plenty of classes and special events for adults and children alike including but not limited to Tai chi, yoga, dance classes, art classes, and movie nights. Just drop by and see for yourself, I’m sure you won’t be disappointed :)

Nice and very clean park located on the outskirts of Oakland’s Chinatown. The center piece of the park is a Chinese Junk Ship. A must see if your in the area.

Perfect park for the kids. Separate section for infants/​toddlers and the big ship for older kids, but that doesn’t stop the little ones from playing on it! There is a big grassy area for playing ball, lots of basketball courts, a small tennis court, lots of benches and stone tables and seats for eating or playing checkers/​chess. Cleaner than most parks. Right in the heart of Chinatown so you are never hungry or thirsty. There is a water fountain if needed as well as separate ladies and gents restrooms.

Back in the days this was my stumping ground as a kid without much going on after school this place was consider a social gathering. The ship that us to be here was built with solid wood and has all the bells and whistles like the deep drop slide that extends from top of ship to bottom of sand pile. The ship was sponsor by a group of non profit organized community club name Wa Sung. Started in 1953 with mostly local asians that had friends that were locals putting together this community. The best part is that there were chinese athletes most notable baseball players. Not MLB stats but very close to it. The best part was that during the summer kids can get free lunch arounf noon time. Parents would be their kids waiting for the doors to open. On good days you would get 2oz of trail mix, fresh fruit, carton of milk, and a ham cheese sandwich.
The after school activities here were good too. I remember blue painted wire cage that held the basketballs, footballs, soccer balls just drop in your bookbag for collateral. Mary Ann, Val, Mrs. Lee, Quach were the recreational staffs on duty sometimes Mrs. Lee daughter Pam would show uo every now and then to help out. There was also an area were immigrant kids comes out to play with a pocket full of marbles. Never did understand why they aim for an 2in hole dug on the ground. Then there was the infamous wall that was use for dodgeball, torn down now. As a kid that wall serves me best for baseball instead of having a catcher the wall would bounce the ball back. It can never get sick or tired it was there ²⁴⁄₇. Those were the better days of being a kid only thing that was immigrant kids tends to stay within their pack and the ABC’s were the same, in the end didn’t really matter.

i wish they made places like these when i was growing up.
the lincoln square recreation center can be spotted from blocks away with its signature ship docked between the building of OAK Chinatown.
this landlocked ship is near by a number of schools which use it as a safe haven for their student’s physical activities or outdoor classroom. it is also at a redesigned portion of the city and the blocked off roads make it much safer for the students.
until next time,
cheers

This is one of the few parks in the Chinatown area. They’ve spent tons of money years ago renovating this park. The slides are fun. There is also an area for toddlers nearby the park with the boat play structure. There’s usually many folks playing basketball here. They’ve recently, installed turf grass nearby and I guess a mini track surrounding the turf grass. A few tables for eating and playing checkers/​chess. You’ll notice that a few tables have «missing» chairs, but I have to assume that since this was built in the last year or so that they have intentionally left out the 1 to 2 seats per table to accommodate for wheelchair? Just a guess. There is a place for wallball, yeah remember that old game from our younger days! I’ve seen people hit tennis and ping pong against the wall ball courts.

The playground itself is wonderful with a Chinese Junk ship that the kids all love.
Regrettably, I’m decreasing my rating because the bathrooms and port-​o-​potties are only open when the Lincoln Rec Center is open. I understand that abuses of those by a few means that they have to be closed, but a playground for young children without a toilet isn’t useful. So just be warned that on Sundays there are no bathrooms.

This park kicks butt! It’s done up to fit into Chinatown, and that’s cool. It has a full pirate ship or junk for kids to play in, and all the latest playground stuff in primo condition.
My kids are too small– I’s say it’s for elementary school children – but when they get older we’ll go here more often.
It’s clean and well lit, and it’s a great place to cut from 11^th to 10^th Streets without the agony of traffic lights. There are a lot of people in this park, so it’s loud– a place to do activitites, not read a book.

I really like how they changed the park. My baby sister is now starting middle school so there is really no reason why I’d frequent this place anymore besides my younger cousins. It is slightly traumatizing and embarrassing to say most of my memories here were from the teny bopper days.

Every since they remade the park, people some here much more often. it was looking a little sad. It looks much cleaner, safer. I love playing basketball here

This playground makes me wish I was a kid again. I would have played on the ship structure from morning until night.
The first time I went to this playground was when my daughter was about a year old. This was before they renovated it. I was afraid that we’d fall through the holes in the decking of the ship and there were splinters everywhere. She was just learning to walk so we didn’t stick around for too long.
About a year ago I was looking for a place to take my youngest that was new and fresh and I saw here on Unilocal that the playground had been renovated. I took my boy down there, and found a veritable wonderland for imaginative kids.
The new play structure is freaking ossim! There are so many different things to do, places to climb on and off, different ladders and bridges, and four separate slides. It’s well-​finished, with no splinters. It really is a work of art. The designers put a lot of thought into it, and how children might make use of it, and did an excellent job making it an endlessly entertaining arena for youngins.
This place also feels safer than some playgrounds in Oakland, despite it’s urban location. It’s usually crowded with families with young kids except early in the morning. When the nearby school lets out, it fills up with older kids as well and can become a bit chaotic at that time, and maybe too much for new walkers and toddlers.
The downsides of this place are that it gets trashed up pretty rapidly because people let their kids run around with snacks then don’t make sure the little nippers use the abundant garbage cans. Also, because the play structure is so solid and large, you can’t see through it to the other side to see if your active and naughty two year old has done a runner up the block. It really should be fenced off, with only one or two exits that can be seen from all angles, but as it’s really intended for older children, I guess it’s catch as catch can. Sometimes it can get too crowded. And I tend to be one of the only parents who will step in if the little boys get to fighting and break it up, which probably has to do with the differences in culture between me and the majority of the patrons of the playground.
There is a smaller playground just across the basketball court for smaller kids that IS fenced off, with only one exit. But it is small and my son wants to run with the big dogs and can only be convinced to play there for a brief time on the way to the main attraction.
All things considered, this is one of my favorite city spots to take my kids to play.

OK, I haven’t been back yet, but a reliable source points out that my business info needs updating.
Please note: The park is actually located on Alice Street (but it no longer goes through between 10^th and 11^th Streets).