PARKS | THE PERKS OF SEATTLE
Text Š 2015 by Perks, Inc All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the copyright owners. All images in this book have been reproduced with the knowledge and prior consent of the artists concerned, and no responsibility is accepted by producer, publisher, or printer for any infringement of copyright or otherwise, arising from the contents of this
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication
publication.
Data
Every effort has been made to ensure that credits accurately comply with information supplied. We
ISBN-13: 958-1-59253-711-1
apologize for any inaccuracies that may have
ISBN-10: 1-52253-714-9
occurred and will resolve inaccurate or missing information in a subsequent reprinting of the book.
Digital edition published in 2015
First published in the United States of America by
eISBN-13: 979-1-61673-TK
Perks Inc, 1113 Dexter Ave N. Seattle, Washington 98109
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Design: Dallas Milburn Cover Image: Dallas Milburn Printed in Seattle
PARKS | THE PERKS OF SEATTLE
CONTENTS
9 PERKS
Introduction Codes and Keys
10 14
Photo Spreads
24
Photo Spreads
36
Photo Spreads Editorial
46 50
GOLDEN GARDENS 16 VOLUNTEER 28 Golden Gardens, photo, 2012, by Blah Blahblah. Wikipedia
GASWORKS 40
INTRO Greenlake Park, photo, 2012, by Blah Blahblah. Wikipedia
11
ODUCT PERKS
Seattle is known for being “green”. This might be because of its liberal tendencies, its immense rainfall, its vegetation, its parks, or all of the above. I moved to Seattle for all these reasons, knowing that it is one of the best cities for parking and by parking I’m not talking about cars. (In that respect it may be one of the worst cities.) I mean going to parks, exploring parks, hanging out in parks, and finding new parks. One of the perks of Seattle is that it has A TON of parks, over 300 to be more exact. Whether you’re in the mood to hang out on a beach, hide in a grove of trees, throw a frisbee around giant fields, or take laps around one of the many lakes, Seattle has a park for you. In my first year living in this city I made it a goal to go to as many of the city parks as possible. The combination of school and rain made this goal pretty daunting, however, a couple of friends and I made pretty good
ODUCT progress. Most of the exploring we did was over the summer when the weather is breathtaking, but don’t tell anyone, this city is too crowded as is. Now we’re all room mates and we’ll continue exploring as many parks as possible, but I’ve decided to create this, little, albeit personalized, guide to the perks, er, parks of Seattle.
Seattle has some amazing parks, but you don’t have to take my word for it. Go out there and explore them yourself! I won’t get close to highlighting all of the parks this city has to offer, but hopefully I’ll be able to shed some light on some hidden gems within and near the city. This guide is not sanctioned by anyone affiliated with the city, it is a personal account of what my friends and I have discovered about the park scene here. This means, some of what I’ll talk about may or may not be legal, condoned, or even safe, that being said, I hope you find some adventure in yourself and explore what this city has to offer.
-Dallas Milburn
13
TION PERKS
Gasworks, photo, 2012, by Blah Blahblah. Wikipedia
CODES & KEYS
Downtown, photo, 2012, by Blah Blahblah. Wikipedia
15 PERKS Each park will have a collection of these icons. This page helps explain what each of them mean. This is meant to be a quick tool for you to see what each park has to offer.
S - M - L - XL
Park Size. Small through extra large. (Small being half a block, extra large being small neighboorhood size.)
Nature Feel. Amount of trees/secluded areas. How “outdoorsy” the park feels.
Fires. This icon stands for whether fires are allowed at the park or not. (In designated fire pits or otherwise.)
Beach Access. This represents whether the park has access to a beach or not.
Chill Zones. This shows whether or not its a good idea to partake in recreational “activities” at the park.
Park Popularity. Usual depends on time/season, but this acts and an average during the year.
Playgrounds. We all need a good swingset in our life. This shows whether there is a playground at the park.
Homeless Population. If you see this icon, you may encounter a lot of homeless people.
Dog Friendly. This shows up if dogs are allowed in the park or if there is a designated dog park somewhere in the park.
Family Friendly. This takes into account the homeless population and drug use at the park.
Photo Opportunity. This shows if there is a great photo opportunity near.
GOLDEN GARDENS L
17 PERKS
Golden Gardens, photo, 2012, by Blah Blahblah. Wikipedia
Golden Gardens is almost a dream come true for me. Before I moved to the pacific northwest I’d always dreamt about bonfires on the beach, specifically, the beaches in the northwest. Growing up in Colorado I never had the chance to hang out at a beach, apart from lakes, which seriously lack the vibe I was looking for. One of my goals moving up here was to have fires on beaches with friends; Golden Gardens makes that goal a reality.
Golden Gardens, photo, 2012, by Blah Blahblah. Wikipedia
Golden Gardens is located in Ballard, just north of Seattle proper. It is host to a long beach, a marina, wetlands, marshes, and walking trails. From the beach, visitors have stunning views of the Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains. The park has grassy fields, play structures, fire pits, walking trails,
19 PERKS
sand dunes, groves of trees, great sitting logs, tide pools, and more. Its just one of those parks in Seattle that literally has it all. The first time I rallied a group of people to go to Golden Gardens and have a fire was at the end of my freshman year at Cornish. We bought firewood, hot dogs, beer, smores, and more. We grabbed our blankets, music devices, legal marijuana, and good spirits and we went our merry way. When we reached the park we were slightly surprised to see that pretty much everyone else in Seattle had the same idea. The entire parking lot was full, with cars even parked on the grass, luckily we did find a spot, but it wasn’t without trying. The beach is huge, something we didn’t quite understand at first when wondering
through the hordes of people swarming the “required” fire pits and recreation areas. We kept walking though, north, towards the dunes and less “family friendly” areas of the beach. We noticed fairly quickly that pretty much everyone was just digging holes in the sand, throwing some wood down, and starting fires (contrary to the rules, which require fires to be contained in the designated fire pits). This was a great discovery considering every single fire pit was in use. So we threw our stuff down, dug a hole, and built a fire. All around us were groups of people much like ourselves, laughing, drinking, smoking, listening to music, enjoying the views, enjoying the beach, enjoying life.
Soon after our fire got burning properly, the sun began to set and we witnessed one of the gems of the northwest; a clear sunset on a warm day at Golden Gardens. Like all Seattle parks, Golden Gardens does have rules and I do not endorse breaking them, however, I will say that some of the best experiences of my life have been sitting around a fire at Golden Gardens with a group friends drinking a great beer, smoking some great weed, and listening to some great music. As far as the police presence goes at the park, there isn’t too much to worry about. If you’re burning christmas trees, which many people do as a new year’s ritual, you may attract some attention, but as long as you’re out of the park by 11pm, you shouldn’t have any
issues partaking in recreations of your choice. That being said, I am a huge proponent of “Leave No Trace” practices and highly recommend leaving the park as clean as you found it, if not cleaner. Throw away your trash, put out your fires, drink responsibly, respect other beach-goers, and remember, everyone at the beach at sunset is there for the same reason; to enjoy a beautiful view, get a buzz, and forget about the city for a little bit. Just in case you’re looking for a simple checklist of things to bring, let me do some of the work for you. If you want to have a good time at Golden Gardens you should really pack the following along in your bag. A car, mostly so you can get yourself and all your friends to this awesome park. Beer, not necessary to
21 PERKS
Golden Gardens, photo, 2012, by Blah Blahblah. Wikipedia
have a good time, but there’s just something about drinking a good beer on a beach. Music, whether this is in the form of speakers, or a guitar, you’re gonna want to bump some tunes when you start kicking it. Food, think beachfire, that means hot dogs and s’mores, but also plan ahead with some bags or conatainers so your food doesn’t get covered
in sand. Blankets, although the beach stays pretty warm during the summer, its not a bad idea to have a blanket to sit on/wrap yourself up in. And that’s about it. As always, have fun, be safe, and don’t get arrested.
23 PERKS
BONFIRES Beach fires are allowed at Golden Gardens, they’re one of the biggest draws to the park and offer the most fun. Here are the SPD’s rules and regulations for beach fires: FIRES ARE ONLY ALLOWED IN DESIGNATED FIRE PITS USE ONLY CLEAN & DRY FIREWOOD, NO PALLETS OR TREES DOUSE YOUR FIRES WITH WATER, NOT SAND DISPOSE OF TRASH IN TRASHCANS/RECYCLING, NOT FIREPITS ALCOHOL & DRUG USE IS PROHIBITED IN THE PARK AT ALL TIMES
Golden Gardens, photo, 2012, by Blah Blahblah. Wikipedia
However, based on our “research” it is safe to say that as long as you find a clear spot on the beach, you can dig a hole and make a fire with no issues. I’ve seen people burning christmas trees, pallets, and more.
KERRY PARK Kerry Park, photo, 2012, by Blah Blahblah. Wikipedia
“the view”
25 PERKS
Kerry Park is host to one of the most iconic views of the Seattle skyline, boasting views of downtown Seattle, Elliott Bay, the West Seattle peninsula, Bainbridge Island, and Mount Rainier. Kerry park is the place you take your photographer friends. Unfortunatly, the park is nearly always crowded on clear days, which takes a bit away from the experience. Further down the street you will find another park with views of the Olympic mountains. The park is found on Queen Anne Hill and was given to the city by the Kerry family in 1927.
S
DENNY PARK Denny Park, photo, 2012, by Blah Blahblah. Wikipedia
“the first”
27 PERKS
Denny Park can be found in the South Lake Union neighborhood of Seattle. The land was donated to the city by pioneer, David Denny, in 1861. At first it was a cemetery, but in 1883 the graves were removed and it was converted to a park, making it Seattle’s first. Today, the park has gone though many renovations, but remains one of the few downtown parks. This park is conveniently located near Whole Foods, Cornish College of the Arts, and the Westlake Corridor. At night, the park can get a little sketchy, with many homeless residents posting up intermittently, but generally this is not a dangerous park. This is a good place to kick back in the grass, enjoy some trees, throw a frisbee around or just as a nice shortcut during your commute.
S
VOLUNTEER PARK XL
29 PERKS
R Volunteer Park Conservatory, photo, 2012, by Blah Blahblah. Wikipedia
Water Tower, photo, 2012, by Blah Blahblah. Wikipedia
Volunteer Park is one of the largest parks in Seattle and by far the biggest park on Capitol Hill. This is again, one of those Seattle parks that has everything. The park features large open grassy areas, clumps of trees, great walking trails, wading pools, a conservatory, water tower, the asian art museum (part of the SAM), art installations, historical markers, and more. Volunteer Park is also home to some of the best climbing trees in Seattle, see if you can find them. The park is also near a cemetery where Bruce Lee and his son are both buried. Instead of talking about the park itself, I prepared some interview questions for my friend to see what he thinks of Volunteer Park.
31 PERKS
Dallin, what is your favorite thing about Volunteer Park? Well, I just really like how big it is. There’s always going to be a spot for you and your friends to hang out without being disturbed. And the fact that there is free parking right in the middle of the park is really great. Have you been inside of the Conservatory? Yeah, that place is amazing. The building is split into different humidity zones for different plants so you’ll see everything from tropical orchids to desert cacti. Its a really nice way to get out of the feel and sound of the city and just look at some beautiful plants. What is something about Volunteer Park that you think people should know about? There’s this great outdoor theatre set up in one of the fields and the city puts on small shows during the summer. Its a really cool venue and probably used to be a lot nicer when it was well-kept,
Volunteer Park, photo, 2012, by Blah Blahblah. Wikipedia
but its still a cool place to hang out or watch some theater. I think a lot of people overlook the stage because its got graffiti and isn’t too pretty, but it has a lot to offer. I’ve heard about some “great” climbing trees, do you know anything about those? There is a clump of trees on your left as you drive past the SAM and towards the conservatory, inside this clump of trees are glorious branches sans sap and other bad pokey things. You can pretty much climb to the top of all three of the trees, so if you’re a climbing tree person, you should really check these guys out. What’s the weirdest thing thats happened to you at the park? Well, there was this day when we got together with a bunch of friends and got a little day drunk and went to Volunteer Park. Things were all going great and we were having a fun time until I decided it would be a good idea to try to slide down one of the slides on my feet. Obviously, the second I started sliding I fell
33 PERKS
HISTORY Volunteer park has some really interesting history. It was orignally named “Lake View Park” but the name was changed to Volunteer Park in 1901 to honor the volunteers who fought in the Spanish-American war. The whole park was then redesigned by the Olmstead Brothers, the men responsible for designing the entirety of the Seattle park system. The park featues the beautiful conservatory; a great display of flowering plants with over 600 species. There is also the water tower, which stands at the highest point of capitol hill. The “Donut” View, photo, 2012, by Blah Blahblah. Wikipedia
Finally, Volunteer Park also boasts an offshoot of the Seattle Art Museum, the Asian Art Museum, located in the art deco building near the water tower.
right on my ass and got a pretty bad bruise. It wasn’t that weird or crazy but its probably the most memorable moment I have at that park. Have you ever made it out to Bruce Lee’s grave? Yeah, its actually a litt more challenging to find than I thought, but once I saw a crowd of people who didn’t seem like they knew each other I knew I was there. I was never really a huge fan of Bruce Lee, but his grave is really cool and I guess its just one of those things you have to do in Seattle.
Cherry Blossoms, photo, 2012, by Blah Blahblah. Wikipedia
As you can see, Volunteer Park has a ton to offer, so if you’re bored on the hill and need something to do, head over to the park and relax. Unless its raining, in which case you’ll have to improvise. I would suggest walking over to Vivace or one of the other great coffee shops nearby. Enjoy!
35 PERKS
Volunteer Park Conservatory, photo, 2012, by Blah Blahblah. Wikipedia
CAL ANDERSON PARK
Cal Anderson Park, photo, 2012, by Blah Blahblah. Wikipedia
“the hang”
37 PERKS
M Cal Anderson Park is one of the main hang outs in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Its located right off broadway in the heart of the district. It features large fields for sports, bathrooms, basketball courts, a fountain, wading pools, grassy knolls, walking paths, and more. Cal Anderson is a great place to kick it with some friends during the day, but after dark the park becomes some what of a homeless refuge so proceed with caution. The park’s name comes from Washington’s first openly gay state legislator.
DISCOVERY PARK
“the beach”
39 PERKS
XL Discovery Park is one of Seattle’s largest parks, if not the largest. Its located north of Seattle proper on the shores of the Puget Sound. The park boasts large amounts of nature, trails, and wildlife. You’ll find forests, beaches, bluffs, prairies, and more; even a lighthouse. The park resides on the former location of Fort Lawton, a large U.S. military base. The ambiance and relative deserted nature of the park is what draws most people. Try spending a day on the beach and build a driftwood fort.
Discovery Park, photo, 2012, by Blah Blahblah. Wikipedia
GASWORKS PARK L
41 PERKS
S Gasworks, photo, 2012, by Blah Blahblah. Wikipedia
Gasworks, photo, 2012, by Blah Blahblah. Wikipedia
43 PERKS
Gasworks is one of the most iconic Seattle parks. The park takes up most of the north shore of Lake Union and is home to a large, out of commission gas factory, hence the name. This park is really popular during the summer boasting views of the downtown skyline and great sunset opportunities. The surrounding neighborhood, Fremont, has a lot to offer from great eats, bars and coffee shops to thrift stores and art galleries. Long story short, Gasworks is one of the top five parks in Seattle and you won’t be disappointed. You’re also about five minutes away from the famed “Fremont Troll” so be sure to check that guy out. Gasworks has everything. Beaches, trees,
fields, grassy hills, play structures, fire pits, bathrooms, great views, and adrenaline opportunities if you are so daring. The park features a historic sundial at the top of the prominent hill, inlaid with stones, glass, and metalwork. The most iconic feature of the park is the large gas factory that is fenced off in the middle of the park. The factory makes for unique photo opportunities, interesting graffiti, and cool parkour locations. Unfortunately the main buildings are fenced off and it is illegal to go inside and climb on the structures. Many people do, as there is graffiti all over the place and obvious ropes to help people on to the structures. Which brings me to my craziest Gasworks story.
One night a group of friends and I made our way to gasworks to watch the sunset and hang out for a little bit. After it got dark my friend and I were walking past the fences to the factory and heard some people hanging out under one of the structures. We wanted to freak them out a little bit so we decided to see if we could get behind the fence. We found a little hole where we could crawl under so we got through quick and tried to find a way up. After a couple minutes of wandering around through tunnels and doorways we found a rope leading up to the first floor of the structure. We climbed our way up, being as silent as possible, and crawled over to a ledge above the voices we heard earlier. After a couple minutes of listening we quickly found
out that the people weren’t just hanging out, they were drunk and one of them had injured themselves really bad. They were discussing whether they should call the cops or not because they weren’t able to get their friend out from behind the fences. At this point my friend and I crawled back a ways to decide what to do. We wanted to get out in case the cops showed up and got us all arrested. We got back down the the ground level and saw that the group of people were all standing right by the hole where we got in. We hid for a couple more minutes until we heard sirens. At that point we had no choice, we walked right out in front of the people, passed them, and slipped out the fence. We almost tripped on their friend who we hadn’t
45 PERKS
noticed played face down, motionless, on the ground. Not two minutes after we got out and walked away, three cop cars and a firetruck pulled up and drove down the grassy hill from the parking lot. They surrounded the fences and started talking to the people. Meanwhile, my friend and I ran back to the car and counted our blessings. Gasworks can be fun. Gasworks can be scary. But its safe to say, Gasworks is never boring.
Gasworks, photo, 2012, by Blah Blahblah. Wikipedia
GREENLAKE PARK
“the lake”
Greenlake Park, photo, 2012, by Blah Blahblah. Wikipedia
47 PERKS
Greenlake Park is the park that surrounds Green Lake in the Wallingford neighborhood. This is a super popular park featuring a large lake, wading pools, a swimming pool, walking paths, and a paved path all the way around the lake. It usually attracts a lot of people looking to relax in the grass, exercise on the paths, or play in the lake. This is one of those Seattle parks that offers everything. There is also a bathhouse which has been converted into a theater featuring smaller plays.
M
WASHINGTON PARK ARBORETUM
Arboretum, photo, 2012, by Blah Blahblah. Wikipedia
“the trees”
49 PERKS
L Washington Park Arboretum is an arboretum that resides within Washington Park just south of the University District. The park is a joint effort between the city and the University of Washington. It features hundreds of different species of foliage; trees, shrubs, bushes, flowers, and more which gives it a very unique walking experience. There are some wonderful walking trails that take you through the park as well as a couple of large open fields to hang out and relax in.
The Bridge, photo, 2014, by Laura Dux.
51 PERKS
I hope this guide gives you a little taste of what the parks in Seattle have to offer. This was never meant to be an extensive guide, merely a personalized collection of parks and stories. I wish for you to break out of your metal boxes and explore the natural world around you. Seattle may be a huge and growing urban center, but there is way more to this city than just the grey & orange buildings. Find a new park, go somwhere off the beaten path, take friends to Alki beach, make a fire at Golden Gardens, climb a tree at Volunteer Park, or get arrested at Gasworks. Whatever you end up doing, you’ll be doing it outside.
DALLAS MILBURN