I grew up on Park Lane right across from Franklin Park's White Stadium, which has the "Golden Stairs to the Park" at the bottom of the deadend, leading down to Olmsted Street. They were beautiful slate and puddingstone stairs until they fell apart. The city finally replaced them, but with concrete lacking any of the romance of the originals.

So there are many memories of Franklin Park, which was essentially our playground. On snowy days off from school we'd cross country ski from our street into the park and ski down the big hill in the golf course, ending in a crash at the bottom.

We loved visiting the Bear Dens and pretending to lock each other in.

The Kite Festival was always a zany fun day.

The year the Bottle Bill was passed, my mother got a group of us kids to gather cans and bottles in the park. Then we brought them to the Boston Common and added them to a huge pile. The Bottle Bill was passed and we learned a great civic lesson.

On Thanksgiving Day, several of the families from our street would sneak into the stadium for a game of touch football in the chill while the turkey was roasting at home.

Now I live in Dorchester and mostly drive through Franklin Park, watching improvements from the road such as the new golf clubhouse.

Of course we went to the zoo a lot as kids and it's been nice to rediscover the park and zoo with my daughter.  Tonight I told her about the castles in the park and we'll go and hunt them down soon.

-Kirsten