The SunBreak » parks

7 Odd Things to See in Seattle Parks (North End Edition)

RVO — Sat, 08 Jun 2013 19:00:57 +0000

However, along with the physical beauty of our parks comes an ad hoc collection of oddities and one-shots, truly strange stuff. Over the century-plus development of our park system, any number of relics and memorials have found their way onto park property. In some cases, time has robbed these items of their meaning and context.

Discover Pass Won’t Pay Parks’ Bills–Now What, Legislature?

Michael van Baker — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 17:20:48 +0000

In looking for budgets to cut, the legislature apparently decided that something so loved was obviously worth something, and why not extort that from the people they're supposed to represent? Further, why not ask Parks & Recreation to defund themselves completely within in an incredibly short time-frame?

Why is the Legislature Trying to Kill Washington State Parks?

Michael van Baker — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 18:48:10 +0000

During the 2007-09 biennium the state's general fund provided about 66 percent of the parks budget; by 2011-13, that amount will have dropped to about twelve percent. Even that isn't enough: "With many areas of state government reeling from budget cuts, lawmakers in Olympia have given Washington's parks system an unprecedented mandate to begin operating with no state funding beginning in 2013," reports the Seattle Times.

Shakespeare in the Park at Volunteer July 9 & 10

Michael van Baker — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 16:47:16 +0000

The Seattle Outdoor Theater Festival begins the weekend after the 4th of July, when summer traditionally arrives in Seattle. Theatre groups GreenStage, Theater Schmeater, Wooden O Productions, Open Circle Theater, Last Leaf Productions, Young Shakespeare Workshop, Balagan Theatre, and Wing-It Productions are all participating. It's not just Volunteer Park, of course. Play producers will be visiting parks all around Seattle.

First Look at James Corner’s Waterfront “Ring”

Michael van Baker — Mon, 23 May 2011 18:07:37 +0000

"If you squint your eyes," said James Corner at the initial design presentation for Seattle's central waterfront, "this, too, almost has a sort of circularity, where it's embracing and enclosing the city and looking out to water bodies. [...] It's really a device to bring together a sense of the collective and focus it." He was talking about the Olmsted Legacy, Seattle's park system, and how he hopes to recapitulate that with an Elliott Bay ring. "Seattle has in a sense turned its back on Elliott Bay over years," Corner argued, "it's now going to become a frontage."