House of Air: A just-opened indoor trampoline park in San Francisco that pledges to give "flight to the flightless," House of Air lives in a most fitting home - the historic airplane hangar at
West Crissy Field. Part of
Presidio Trust's initiative to upgrade the field into a happenin' recreation locale, House of Air's 21,500-square-foot space is divided into five distinct areas: the Matrix (42 conjoined trampolines), the 2x Bowl (a freestyle trampoline layout, inspired by skateboard parks, geared towards
action sports enthusiasts), the Colosseum (22 conjoined trampolines intended for sports like dodgeball and basketball), the Training Ground (a designated space for performance-based training), and Air Junior Bounce House (an inflatable - and tightly supervised - structure for 3- to 6-year-olds). Open until 11 pm on Friday and Saturday nights, we suspect it may become a staple on the social calendars of local teens.
S.L.A.M. (STREB Lab for Action Mechanics): Located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, S.L.A.M. is the studio/laboratory for STREB, a far-out touring performance troupe that mixes "slam dancing, exquisite and amazing human flight and a wild action sport." (Think
Cirque du Soleil in the form of a gymnastics competition.) When it's not being used as the company's rehearsal space, S.L.A.M. is home to a number of movement classes that range from muscle-and-motion exploratories (PopAction) to sophisticated tumbling (Flip & Tuck) and choreography (Action Theory). Also on the roster is a twice weekly 90-minute
trampoline class where, for just $25, attendees are instructed on gravity defying moves for a full-body workout that tones abs, back, butt, thighs, and calves. Sure, your gym may be into that
rebounding craze, but you can't do a seat drop on a mini-trampoline.
Jumpstreet: Denver area residents go stir crazy when they can't make it the slopes during those frigid Rocky Mountain winters. Those who suffer cabin fever, however, can trade euphemistically bouncing off the walls of their house for actually bouncing off the walls at Jumpstreet. The local chainlet of trampoline parks boasts a massive hall of elasticity, decked out with over 100 trampolines on the floors and walls. A large space designated for "open jumping" gives visitors plenty of room to test their aerial skills (or, for the acrobatically challenged, their cardio endurance), while a dedicated
dodgeball arena may leave patrons with scarring memories of elementary school gym class (and bruises they didn't have before walking in). No double bouncing!
