An Upper West Side Playground Honoring A Local Athlete
Spray showers and play space on West 108th Street, named for a neighborhood captain who served in Vietnam.
🏃 A Captain Remembered
Anibal Aviles Playground gives a family play break a neighborhood story. This Upper West Side playground at 111 West 108th Street remembers a young man who lived nearby on West 109th Street and grew up in the local sports scene.
Aviles took part in neighborhood athletic programs, belonged to the Catholic Youth Organization, and captained the basketball and track teams at J.H.S. 54. He then enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and was killed in action in Vietnam in 1966, and the park keeps his name on the block where he played.
Today the space works for kids who need room to move, with spray showers for warm days and public restrooms close at hand. Hours run 7 AM to 6 PM every day of the week, which fits a morning outing or an after school stop. Let the kids play first, then share a little of the story behind the name on the walk home.
