Town of Hempstead Rath Park

This is probably the epitome of the suburban, neighborhood park with its expected array of handball and basketball courts, playgrounds, and ample parking space. There’s also a pool area but I believe it is for Hempstead residents only. There are some baseball fields that are utilized mainly by summer and Little League teams across the street from the pool. There’s also a self-​pitch batting cage that is open to the public. It’s fun if you have someone who can throw straight balls so you can actually hit them. My brother is not one of these people as evidenced by the bruises along my arm, leg, and hip area.
I usually only come here to play some pick up basketball but the courts are a bit uneven and when it rains, the water collects easily and leaves puddles all over the place. The only downside about Rath is that it shuts down at sunset, so there is no midnight basketball available for the gym rats. However, I did circumvent this by climbing the fence with a friend and playing some full-​court 1-​on-​1 past 9pm without any night lights. We had to stop every once in a while because there were park keepers and popos driving by but for the most part we were gravy.
The other downside that I must mention is that some of the kids in the area are obnoxiously immature and they tend to frequent this park at all times, day or night, so that may hinder the overall fun had depending upon proximity to these little rascals. I don’t think there is a solution to that except better parenting but that doesn’t seem to be a priority for some in the area.