Jack W. Lyle Park

another sweet little park in menlo park. since it’s a few blocks away from the main thoroughfare of downtown menlo, and near residential homes and apartments, it’s much quieter here, and much easier to find free, even untimed parking! i love running through this park and people watching as i jog… i see children playing on the structures, young kids and teenagers playing organized soccer games, and adults looking on or just resting on the benches. this is a great family-​friendly park that always appears to be well-​maintained.

«Ask a Unilocal Whisperer»
Question of the Day (QOTD)
October 25, 2010
Q:
Hi there, this is Jenny L., formerly from «the Block» in the Bronx, but now living in Menlo Park with my husband, Ben A., and our twins, Gigli and Good Will Hunting (blame our friend, Matt D., for that one). We recently placed an offer for a starter home on San Mateo Drive close to the bicycle and pedestrian bridge to Palo Alto and are looking for a park to take the kids to play. We moved here to escape from the glare and attention of
and Access Hollyowood and the whole celebrity-​industrial complex, and this quiet residential neighborhood is just perfect. We are bringing a new maid (from Manhattan) to help us, and we’d like to show her a spot nearby to take the twins, or where I clandestinely could hook up with Mark A. (a «friend with benefits») when he comes to visit from Miami. You seem to know a lot about this area, can you help us? Gracias, Unilocal Cuchichear!
A:
Nice to get your message, Jenny L. ¿Cómo están? Glad you have decided to move to this area, it is one of my favorite locations in all of the Santa Clara Valley. Let me recommend to you the Jack W. Lyle Park, a 4.5 acre patch of paradise with a pitch-​perfect soccer field, a sawdust and wood chip strewn playground area with slides, climbing structures, a «tot lot,» half basketball court, and even a learn to read Braille wall with the alphabet spelled out for children to touch and feel (amazing, no?). The park is right next to the wonderful Rosener House for adult day services, and it’s just a lovely quiet spot hidden in plain sight. I think that little Gigli and good William Hunting will simply adore it! Please come and visit this spot soon, Jennifer, and let me know what you think. It is perhaps the finest children-​friendly suburban park that I have ever seen in the United States.
PS — I dedicate this review to the memory of Officer Jack W. Lyle, for whom the park is named. He is the only active duty policeman in Menlo Park history to have been killed guarding the thin blue line: «generous, friendly, good humored; a loving, compassionate family man; killed in the line of duty, September 22, 1960.» You are still missed, Officer Jack!