Purple Monkey Playroom: Bucktown Drop In Play Space

Talk about a gem in the middle of the city! Purple Monkey Playroom was descended upon on a very snowy Tuesday afternoon by me, Mr. Houseful and the three littles. I do have a sneaking suspicion that the cellist would have enjoyed his time there as well, but I’ll let him continue to say otherwise. Located right of of Armitage and Western at 2040 N. Western, this quaint spot provides parents and children alike a welcome refuge from the hustle and bustle of the city. With free coffee, tea, and wi-fi, parents will love the space as much as their children do.  As a mother, I realize the price of peace. And it is listed above. Mr. Houseful and I sat and figured out that if we visited once a week, it would come to more than the annual pass. And I’m sure that during the spring, summer and fall, when I don’t feel like taking everyone to the museum or zoo and chasing them around, this will definitely come in handy. Either way, it won’t be the last time that Jessica (the owner) sees me and my little ones.

As you can see, Lil Miss Twizzler was extremely impressed from the moment she first put on the red tutu.

Right off the bat, the ladybug and Lil’ Miss found these tutus in the dress up area that they had to put on. I was pleasantly surprised to find that they had one small enough for Lil’ Miss. They think about the tiny people, and I love it.  The balance beam that’s safe enough for little ones. I did hold a hand of each twizzler as they attempted to go across (hence the reason there are no pictures of them walking across.)  There was obviously lots of shopping to do, while dressed in that pretty red tutu.  Sir Twizzler headed straight for the pony. Dreams of being a cowboy perhaps?  There was a tiki-hut of sorts in the north east corner of the play space. Housed under there were a tool counter, and a kitchen. My children played with each area equally. I loved seeing that there were some tools in the refrigerator and some food in the tool case.  The area for parents to sit and drink their complimentary tea or coffee while watching their children play the day or afternoon away.  The kitchen area. There are various beverages (although no Pepsi – I’ll have to whisper in Jessica’s ear about this) available for purchase, including juice boxes and milk for little ones.  The action figure, and blocks area.  This is where the collective spent most of their time. This small slide which the twins approached with some sort of trepidation, soon became the go to attraction for the time we were there. 

The ladybug loved that there were all types of sparkle and ruffly things to dress up with.  And Sir Twizzler who donned his Preacher’s coat and mouse ears went on a task to find as many mouse ears as he could. He maxed out with three pairs. 

There was also music playing softly in the background that we took advantage of. All of it was of course kid friendly, and the addition of tutus encouraged massive amounts of twirling and ballerina like moves.

All in all, I would have to say that we had a fantastic time with this little corner of playland that Jessica created. It was also kind of nice to have the entire space to ourselves for about an hour and a half of the two and a half hours that we were there.

And when the day outside looks like this:

It’s always great to have some place to go to shake your sillies out. Purple Monkey Playroom provides just that space. However, be prepared for your children to give you one of these when you all get into the car, or happen to walk home: