Introducing: The $8-million playground

Earlier this week, after five years of planning and an outlay of $7.5 million, a new playground opened in lower Manhattan. The brainchild of high-end architect David Rockwell, whose work includes interiors for W hotels, the multi-level playground features water geysers, pulley systems, and some 350 moveable foam parts kids can use to "make their own play space." "Play associates" are on hand to help children build canal systems and such (and make sure sticky fingers don't take any foam bits home). The city's mayor, Michael Bloomberg, who was present at the park's opening, called it "transformative" and said it allowed "kids to create worlds of their own design." Honestly, it seems to involve "far more deep thinking than necessary about the way children play," says Ralph Gardner in the Wall Street Journal. All my favorite childhood moments took place "without a 'play associate' in sight." Watch a Fox discussion on the park below (or a local report here):

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