The McChronicles recently received a message that contained this intriguing observation:"We lived in New York City for four years with our young kids. It's very hard to find places to play in the winter for kids because everyone's apartments are very, very small, and there are great indoor playgrounds, but they cost about $15 per person, so taking one kid is $30 (yes, you have to pay for parents).
There's a great indoor playground at the 92nd St. Y (surely the most upscale Y in the country -- more competitive to get into preschool there than to get into Harvard for college. Really.) Okay. So, anyway, the indoor playground is great.
We just moved to Madison, WI. And since people don't have nearly the amount of money in Madison as in NYC, there are not nearly the amenities. One thing that has shocked us, though, is that McDonald's has basically the same playground that the 92nd St Y does but in Madison it's free. When we tell our NYC friends that we hang out at McDonald's all the time, they think we've lost our minds."
We have often mused on the total value package that a McDonald's brings to a community - we think it is pretty high, and frequently undervalued. Do you have any observations on this topic? If so, please comment.
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: The McChronicles
The McChronicles: a blog about, not affiliated with, McDonald's.
Image: The McChronicles
Wow-I'm in NYC, have two kids 2 & 4 and am thinking of moving back to Madison, WI were I grew up.
ReplyDeleteI jsut posted about our NY day and how I've got to get out of here!
I love the New York outdoor playgrounds but winter is rough. I'll be interested to see how Madison feels to you from NYC.
Ellen,
ReplyDeleteGlad we could offer a little insight.
Good luck!
Any insight into where I can find a list of the best McD's Playplaces? I'm mapping a trip from Michigan to West Virginia for the Memorial Day weekend and I want to make the most out of my stops with 2 toddlers - I'm gonna need a Playhouse and it better be a good one! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteIf you know the ZIP codes of the places you will be driving through, then this tool is great: http://go.mappoint.net/mcdonaldsx/PrxInput.aspx
ReplyDeleteYou might also consider The McDonald's Trip Planner: http://go.mappoint.net/mcdonaldsx/TripInput.aspx
Have fun, and we hope you don't, "HAVE TO PULL THIS CAR OVER!!!"
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other URLs:
http://www.mcdonalds.com/usa/rest_locator.html
http://www.netscape.com/viewstory/2007/01/30/mcdonalds-trip-planner-means-fast-food-is-never-far-away/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fseattletimes.nwsource.com%2Fhtml%2Frestaurants%2F2003548173_webmcdonalds30.html%3Fsyndication%3Drss&frame=true
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