But after returning to Kosovo from more than two months in American self-exile, home also isn't like it used to be. Once-banned Albanian flags fluttered from buildings. The roads were open, with no sight of the Serb police and soldiers who routinely harassed them. Friends filled the streets, shouting greetings. A total of 213 were killed, and more than 5,400 wounded.
Monkey bars are an endangered species.
Seesaws and sandboxes are things of the past. And places where kids can hide are too scary for grown-ups. Today's playground aims to be safer, cleaner and less prone to lawsuits than those of decades past. Before the game, before every baseball game, Wade Boggs eats chicken and cheesecake. After the game, after every game, he downs two hot dogs, a bag of barbecue potato chips and an iced tea.