Location: Kirkland/Eastside Address: 13159 132nd Ave. N.E., Kirkland Acreage: 9.76 An example of a great neighborhood park, this park drew me for a spring birthday party last year, and I have been back twice to enjoy it again. It is a square, and it sits appropriately on the corner of 132nd Ave. N.E. and N.E.… Continue reading 132nd Square Park
Category: eastside
Google Playground and Cross Kirkland Corridor
Location: Kirkland/Eastside Address: 7th Ave. S. and 5th Pl. S., Kirkland (between Google Buildings B and D) Acreage: ~ 3.0 I’ve been on a new mission to find cool examples of public-private partnerships that result in public spaces. Did you know that Google’s Kirkland campus has a park at its heart? Opened in 2015, the… Continue reading Google Playground and Cross Kirkland Corridor
Jasper’s Dog Park
Location: Kirkland Address: 11225 N.E. 120th St. Acreage: 2 A group of determined dog owners (with the cute nickname KDOG) poured their time, money and energy into creating an off-leash park in Kirkland. This park is the result, which opened in 2012 near the busy Totem Lake area. Park at the corner of 113th Ave.… Continue reading Jasper’s Dog Park
Lake Sammamish State Park
Location: Issaquah/Sammamish Address: 2000 N.W. Sammamish Rd., Issaquah Acreage: 512 It doesn’t matter if you live on the Eastside or in Seattle, if you haven’t been to Lake Sammamish State Park you should schedule a trip. This huge recreation area manages to strike a careful balance between people and nature. Ballfields and popular swimming beaches… Continue reading Lake Sammamish State Park
Calkins Landing
Location: Mercer Island Address: S.E. 28th St. & 60th Ave. S.E. Acreage: approx. 0.08 The most newly spruced up in a series of Mercer Island waterfront street ends, Calkins Landing is a fantastic small public space. A paved path curving like a snake through the lawn creates a nice way to access the park, and… Continue reading Calkins Landing
Slater Park
Location: Mercer Island Address: 2835 60th Pl. S.E. Acreage: approx. 0.5 Just a half-block north of Garfield Landing, another street end park in Mercer Island, you’ll find Slater Park. More developed than most of the other street ends on the western side of the island, this park has an old-fashioned formal design with brick-lined paths… Continue reading Slater Park
Garfield Landing
Location: Mercer Island Address: S.E. 30th St. & 60th Ave. S.E. Acreage: approx. 0.07 Garfield Landing feels even a little more private and special than the previous street ends I wrote about as I’ve been exploring Mercer Island’s waterfront parks. Here, tall trees shade a long stretch of grass that begs for picnics and afternoon… Continue reading Garfield Landing
Proctor Landing
Location: Mercer Island Address: S.E. 32nd St. & 60th Ave. S.E. Acreage: approx. 0.15 I’ve been checking out waterfront street ends on Mercer Island lately, and Proctor Landing is a pleasant discovery. Unlike most other street ends I’ve come across, this one has parking available for a handful of cars so it would make a… Continue reading Proctor Landing