Rainbow Playground

Amazing skyline views ! Great park with lounge chairs and sprinkler park for kids.

They close the water park at 5pm, check before you go. Ll the games are in a very good condition.

Great spot to take a ferry walk around and manhattan view

My son enjoyed a lot the playground and showers. It was so much fun!

This place is for toddlers and has a great sprinkler. Kids love it.

We had a great time! Nice view to Manhattan, extremely safe environment to play for kids. 5 stars!

Fun playground good for afternoon/nightly activities but not a lot of lighting at night

Since its opening, "Rainbow park" (named after the colorful covering of the play"ground") has been criticized by parents for a) lack of shade in the Summer, b) politically correct, gender neutral playstructures , and c) a lack of enclosement that allowed kids to simply run away and out of the playground. This issue was fixed after Assemblywoman Nolan intervened at the NYS Parks office after she met with the Long Island City Parents Group.
Two or three other issues remain: there is no or little shade in the Summer, neither for kids nor for parents and nannies. It would be easy to erect a tarp over the playstructures like is customary at other playgrounds. Like dog owners, parents and nannies should be able to sit under a roof protecting them from the elements.
WiFi transmitters with charging stations have a limited utility on busy sidewalks where people are in a rush to get to the subway. Parents and nannies watching their kids often spend long periods of time at a playground - long enough to do emails, surf the web, and charge their phones.
The politically correct, gender neutral playstructures don't appeal to kids who are excited by fire trucks, pirate boats, castles, and a cluster of three or four little playhouses. Just take your kids to the playground next to the Queens Science Center, sit back, and observe the difference in fun and engagement!
To balance this review, let's mention that the climbing net (pictured), the monkey bar structure, and the structure with the two slides are hugely popular with kids.
The water feature is a complete DISASTER: it frequently breaks down and is serviced by a company based in ... you're right, CALIFORNIA. It has to be continously supervised by a park employee. All that because of a not fully developed, frequently misfunctioning, extremely expensive technology that recycles and filters the water like a public swimming pool.