Ivy Hill Park

Even though I’ve worked in Newark for seven years I’ve spent very little time in the city doing anything other than working and eating so I was pleasantly surprised to spend some time in Ivy Hill Park yesterday. My daughter and I went to see the Essex County high school softball semi-​final which was held at Mike Sheppard field-​the same field that Seton Hall’s softball team uses.
Oddly enough, my GPS found the park, but not the field so I had to do a little driving before I actually found the field. Anyway, according to the Essex County Parks website, Ivy Hill Park is about 19 acres and from what I saw it seems to be a bit of an oasis on the border of Newark and South Orange. The park includes ten hard surface tennis courts (also used by the Seton Hall University athletic department), three baseball fields, one combination football/​soccer field, a band concert area, a lighted basketball court, and a playground and shelter.
The Seton Hall softball field seems to have been carved out of the park and is a gorgeous field… would be great if my daughter got to play here in high school. I really think it’s great when cities have parks like this one… like I said, a little oasis. I know Newark and South Orange don’t have the best reputations, but this area of both towns is pretty nice. A big thank you to Essex County for caring enough to provide nice green park space for its residents…