Posts Tagged ‘park’
The Best of Brutalism: Freeway Park
Brutalist architecture looks ugly. Exposed concrete and featureless slabs. Boring, but obtrusively so. The architectural equivalent of a cinderblock pillow. Brutalist architecture looks powerful. Massive, fortress-like structures. Comfort and frivolity doesn’t belong here—only cold, solid strength. Brutalist architecture looks iconic. Gray giants imposing themselves into whatever landscape they happen to dominate. Honest. Anti-bourgeois. Unapologeticly present.…
Read MoreActivate Westlake Park
Westlake Park is the place to be this summer, thanks to a partnership between the city and several downtown organizations. That “Activation Partnership” is bringing activities and events to Westlake Park in order to reverse the area’s recent reputation for drug dealing and violence. This summer, you’ll find desirability instead of danger. Families instead of…
Read MoreLuna Park
You can still see them, once every decade. An army of pilings sunk in the tide flats off West Seattle. They stay submerged under all but the lowest tides, hearkening thoughts of Easter Island. Relics of an earlier, forgotten age. Luna Park once claimed those pilings. Some called it “The Greatest Amusement Park in the West”;…
Read MoreSeattle Parks: Johnine’s Favorite Dog Park
Can you guess Johnine’s favorite dog park? Here are some hints: 80+ acres of trails and open space 4 acres(!) for off-leash dogs ½-mile off-leash trail through a beautiful forest 1 extra off-leash area for small/shy dogs Guessed it yet? Need more hints? View platform offering breathtaking views of Puget Sound and the Seattle…
Read MoreSeattle Parks: Schmitz Park
Seattle has it all. Beautiful waterfront? Check. Bustling nightlife? Check. Old-growth forest? Check. That’s right, Seattle has old-growth forest. Not in the mountains, and not in some Eastside suburb. There’s a patch of 100% authentic old-growth forest right in West Seattle’s Admiral District. Welcome, Schmitz Park. It’s a beautiful little canyon tucked away in the…
Read MoreSeattle Parks: Oxbow Park
Sorry, Texas. The world’s biggest cowboy hat and boots belong to us. Georgetown’s Oxbow Park, to be specific. It’s a tiny park, smaller than a single acre. It’s a local person’s park, unnoticed by most in Seattle. But Oxbow Park has a 44-ft wide cowboy hat and a pair of 22-ft high boots. If that…
Read MoreSibling Rivalry
Kerry Park and Parsons Garden are Queen Anne’s most beloved pair of siblings. The two sit only a few blocks apart, and you can spot the similarities in an instant. Both within walking distance of the Space Needle. Both with million-dollar views. Both well worth a visit. But these dime-sized parks are far from identical.…
Read MoreSeattle’s Rooftop Park
You don’t need Amazon stock to afford a skyscraper view of Seattle. All you need is a free half hour and the guts to do a little exploring. There’s a rooftop park on the seventh floor of the Fourth and Madison building, and the sights are incredible. [pb_slideshow group=”4″] It’s a penthouse-quality view for the…
Read MoreThe Urban Waterfall
Pioneer Square has a secret waterfall. This hidden gem is twenty-two feet high, flows over granite boulders, and is open to the sky. No, it’s not tucked away in some corporate lobby, and it’s not guarded by tickettakers. Waterfall Garden Park is open to the public, and it is completely free. The waterfall is part…
Read MoreWest Seattle’s New Pocket Park
We Real Estate Gals like parks. They give neighborhoods personality, get people outside, and make community happen. We praised Seattle’s new parklets a while ago, and now, there’s something even bigger on the horizon in West Seattle: a pocket park. When George Watton, 94, died last January, he left a hefty donation for Seattle Parks:…
Read MoreThe Guy Who Single-Handedly Made Phinney Ridge
Before Guy Carleton Phinney (1851-1893) came to Seattle, the land west of Green Lake was wilderness. You might have found a few homesteaders there, but the rest was dense forest and wild animals. Hinterlands. In 1879, the entire 4 square miles around Green Lake could claim only a few hundred residents. Now, the neighborhood of…
Read MoreGals in the Neighborhood: Gas (Fire)Works Park
If you’re in Seattle for Fourth of July, Gas Works Park has your back. It’s the place for freedom festivities. Flag waving, fireworks watching, friendly partying. Trust us—it’ll be good. Gas Works Park is a gem, for starters. The city abandoned an old coal gasification plant in 1954 when imported natural gas rendered it obsolete.…
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