Meet Seattle's Newest Waterfront Park

Image Courtesy of the City of Seattle

Eight years after planning began and $30 million later, Lake Union Park is scheduled to open on Saturday with a free and open-to-the-public ‘sunrise ‘til sundown’ celebration. There will be music (including the Seattle Opera), canoes, paddle boats, seaplanes, toy boat building, a fitness field jam-packed with yoga, dancing, Tai Chi - you name it - it's there. For food they’ve got Ivar’s and Molly Moon’s - even a root beer garden (seriously) for the adults.

And if your bourgeois sensibilities aren't adequately stoked on all that good stuff, you can purchase tickets to the Green Tie Gala fundraiser this evening (if tickets are still available). Seattle’s own Tom Douglas will cater.

In all seriousness, the 12-acre park is a pretty grand achievement. Come 2012 the park will (fingers crossed) host MOHAI in the ‘Armory’, a former Naval Reserve Building, which sits right up against the water. The park was funded in part by Seattle’s Prop Parks Levy, from funds allocated by the Seattle City Council, The Seattle Parks Foundation, and by private donations. You can see a gallery of the completed park, here.

The model boat pond promises to the most useful of the park’s amenities as the LUP grows in popularity among city residents. The completion of the LUP coincides with the mayor’s budget proposal, set to be released Monday, which is speculated to include cuts to parks & recreation up to 15%. Sad. Take advantage of the well-maintained park while you can. Bike, walk, transit-it to the party on Saturday. Just don’t drive.