Coan Park is a large open space divided into sections. These sections include a playground, an exercise station, tennis courts, a baseball field, a recreation center, courts for basketball and foursquare, pavilions, and an expansive field. It is located by the Edgewood neighborhood, a nicer neighborhood of Atlanta. I went to the park around 5:30, right as the sun was about to set. During this time the park was quiet, save for the occasional child playing or family talking. Cars seldom passed by, though the low roar of city traffic could be faintly heard. Roughly every ten minutes someone would walk past. Most were families or people walking dogs. The park was very grassy and had many trees growing, giving it a natural feel. It also felt very peaceful and welcoming, as the playground and exercise station were right by the parking. There was ample parking that was free, which encourages people to come. The area also had a nostalgic feel. Most prominently heard were families talking, children playing, birds chirping, and the bouncing of basketballs.

The playground is mainly yellow, red, and blue. By sticking to primary colors, a sense of childhood is evoked. It is medium sized, but has different types of areas. Some features include slides, climbing areas, a drum section, and tunnels. There are also two groups of swings. One set of four swings was for small children, while the other set of four were normal. The ground was make of a rubber mulch to provide a springy surface kids are less likely to get hurt on. There is one weathered green bench overlooking the playground. The playground is one of the sections closest to the street, enticing visitors. It is surrounded by a stone retaining wall. This is where many of the residents of the park were playing, such as a little girl and her father. The only noise from this section was their talking and the creaking of the swings.

Opposite the playground on the other side of the parking lot was the adult exercise station. It was one of the more empty parts of the park, with just one group of people here. There are eight machines meant to be used for exercising. Each one works different muscles, though most of them focus on muscles in the arms. A sign on each machine explaines how to use them and which muscles they work. There are also two bars for pull-ups, one taller and one shorter. The people in this section were mostly sitting and talking. There were two children however that were playing on the pull-up bars.

Past the parking lot and centered behind the playground and exercise station was the recreation center. It was a small beige building with fading letters. A power line connected to it runs very close to the ground. Past the playground is a grassy area cut with paved sidewalks and streetlights. In this area is two basketball courts and a court for hopscotch and foursquare. The courts have lights so they can be used at night. The courts are well maintained and have the word Converse on them. This was a popular area, as many boys were playing basketball. Past the courts was a fenced in tennis court. This was also lit. There were three separate courts inside. This is less well-maintained than the basketball courts as there were holes in the fence and cracks in the pavement. A fence ran along the sidewalk between the tennis courts, pavilions, and xylophone area.

The pavilion area contains eight benches scattered around the outside of it. It has bleacher seating facing the xylophone area and the baseball field. There is a smaller pavilion off to the side of the larger one with four grills and a fireplace. A water fountain is also nearby. This area was quiet, with almost no noise to be heard. Just past the bleacher seating was coral, red, and white tiles with hieroglyphics.

The tiled area is beside the xylophone area. In this section of the park, there are three groups of xylophones. Four of them are wooden, one of which is set up like a piano, while three are metal. There are also two sets of wooden pipes meant to create music. Each xylophone has four mallets attached to it, two on the higher side and two on the lower side. All of the xylophones worked and made music. For each xylophone, the largest one is around the size of an arm while the smallest is around the size of a hand.

Past the pavilion is a baseball field. There are two benches in the dugout. The field is fenced in. On the side across from home plate, a large sign advertises for Blue Cross Blue Shield. This area was empty and silent the whole time I was here. Past the field, on the other side of the recreation center from the basketball and foursquare courts and behind the exercise center, is a large open grassy area. This space had the most trash, including a tire. This space was also empty and quiet during the time I was there.

I stayed at Coan Park until well after the sun had set, but I never once felt in danger. The area is well lit and feels like a safe place, which is hard to find in Atlanta. The people I passed were polite and smiled at me, and none of them felt remotely threatening. There were still many people in the park after dark, including people playing tennis and a couple walking their dog. Each area was within view of the other areas, and I could see the parking lot from most parts of the park.