Park sights in Seattle
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Hing Hay Park
If you need a tranquil spot to rest while wandering the ID, Hing Hay Park lends a little green to the otherwise austere district. The traditional Chinese pavilion was a gift from the people of Taipei. On Saturdays in August you can catch a free outdoor movie here beginning at sunset, sponsored by the Seattle Chinatown-International District, which also runs the summer Night Market here; for a full schedule, go to www.cidbia.org.
reviewed
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Green Lake Park
One of the most popular spots in the city for recreationalists and sunbathers, scenic Green Lake Park surrounds Green Lake, a small natural lake created by a glacier during the last ice age. In the early 1900s, city planners lowered the lake’s water level by 7ft, increasing the shoreline to preserve parkland around the lake. After the lowering, however, Ravenna Creek, which fed the lake, no longer flowed through. Green Lake became stagnant and filled with stinky green algae. Massive dredging efforts to keep Green Lake a lake (instead of a marshy wetland) continue. The lake is prone to algae blooms, which can cause an unpleasant condition called ‘swimmer’s itch’ to anyone …
reviewed
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Denny Blaine Park
South of Madison Park toward the tail of Lake Washington Blvd is Denny Blaine Park, found at the end of a looping tree-lined lane. This predominantly lesbian beach is surrounded by an old stone wall, which marked the shoreline before the lake level was dropped 9ft during construction of the ship canal. Just a little further south on your right-hand side, you’ll find the two-tiered Viretta Park, from which you can see the mansion once owned by Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love (it’s the house on the north, or left, side of the benches if you’re facing the water). Cobain took his life with a shotgun in the mansion’s greenhouse in April 1994. The greenhouse is long gon…
reviewed
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Gas Works Park
Urban reclamation has no greater monument in Seattle than Gas Works Park. The former power station here produced gas for heating and lighting from 1906 to 1956. The gas works was thereafter understandably considered an eyesore and an environmental menace. But the beautiful location of the park – with stellar views of downtown over Lake Union, and sailboats and yachts sliding to and from the shipping canal – induced the city government to convert the former industrial site into a public park in 1975. Rather than tear down the factory, landscape architects preserved much of the old plant. Painted black and now highlighted with rather joyful graffiti, it looks like some odd …
reviewed
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Kerry Park
This is where to go if you want to get postcard-perfect photos of the Seattle skyline, Mt Rainier and the Space Needle. Kerry Park, along the stroll-friendly and prestigious Highland Dr, has one of the three best views in town (the others are from Gas Works Park near Wallingford and Duwamish Head in West Seattle). It’s a magical vista, especially at night or sunset. Going a little further along W Highland Dr will take you to the lesser-known Betty Bowen Park, an excellent spot for views across Puget Sound to the Olympic Mountains. Across the way, check out Parsons Garden, a public garden that’s especially popular for summer weddings.
reviewed
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Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center
In 1977 Native American groups laid claim to the land in this area, and 17 acres of parkland were decreed Native American land on which now stands the Daybreak Star Indian Cultural Center, a community center for Seattle-area Native Americans. Discovery Park has over 7 miles of hiking trails, several of which lead to the Daybreak Star Center. Except for a small art gallery, there are few facilities for outside visitors. The vista point in front of the center affords beautiful views of the Sound, and several steep trails lead down through the forest to narrow, sandy beaches.
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Duwamish Head
Popular for its views of Elliott Bay and downtown, this is the former site of Luna Park. In its days as an over-the-top amusement center, the park covered more than 10 acres and boasted the ‘longest bar on the bay’. This grand assertion unfortunately led to claims of debauchery and carousing, and the park was eventually closed in 1913 by the conservative powers-that-were.
reviewed
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International Children’s Park
If the kids aren’t up for exploring the Asian markets or sitting still for a dim sum brunch, bring them here to work off some energy by playing on the bronze dragon sculpture, designed by George Tsutakawa, a Seattle native who spent much of his childhood in Japan, then returned to become an internationally renowned sculptor and painter and a professor at the University of Washington.
reviewed
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Waterfall Park
This unusual park is an urban oasis commemorating workers of the United Parcel Service (UPS), which grew out of a messenger service that began in a basement at this location in 1907. The artificial 22ft waterfall that flows in this tiny open-air courtyard is flanked by tables and flowering plants. This is a perfect spot to eat a brown-bag lunch or to rest weary feet.
reviewed
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Victor Steinbrueck Park
Victor Steinbrueck Park is a grassy area designed in 1982 by Steinbrueck and Richard Haag. You’ll find here benches, a couple of totem poles designed by Quinault tribe member Marvin Oliver, a few shuffling vagrants and great views over the Waterfront and Elliott Bay. Rallies and political demonstrations are often held here.
reviewed
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Sunset Hill Park
Rising above Golden Gardens is Sunset Hill Park, a prime perch for dramatic sunsets and long views.
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