Category Archives: Parks

America for sale – $1M gets you in

Posted on December 14, 2025 by Jim deMaine

By Danny Westneat – Seattle Times columnist When the Trump administration plastered his name on signs in Seattle taking credit for an infrastructure project he had fought bitterly against, I called it a “sign of the shameless times” and “a new level of Orwellian.” … Continue reading →

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Seattle Waterfront’s New Pier 58 Playground

Posted on August 4, 2025 by Jim deMaine

Thanks to Mike C. Over the past few years, I have been watching the Seattle Waterfront change. From the fantastic Ocean Pavilion expansion, to the brand-new Overlook Walk connecting the waterfront to Pike Place Market, each addition has been more … Continue reading →

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Keepers of the Land

Posted on February 27, 2025 by Jim deMaine

by David B. Williams in the Street Smart Naturalist (thanks to Mary M.) Many, many years ago, I was a national park ranger at Arches National Park and the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic Site. As a ranger, I led … Continue reading →

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Freeway Park Volunteers Needed

Posted on February 7, 2025 by Jim deMaine

 ͏  ͏ ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏ ͏  ͏  ͏  ͏   Volunteers Needed! Join us at our annual Winter Neighborhood Clean-Up on Saturday, February 15th from 10-11:30am.   Meet us right in Seneca Plaza to help … Continue reading →

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MORE PAVING, FEWER TREES. SO MUCH FOR A GREEN ‘ONE SEATTLE’

Posted on December 7, 2024 by Jim deMaine

Thanks to MaryLou P. – from the Seattle Times For Seattleites who appreciate trees, Mayor Bruce Harrell’s “One Seattle” comprehensive plan ought to spark grave concerns. The city’s proposed 20-year blueprint for growth contains major changes for residential neighborhoods, paving … Continue reading →

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Freeway Park Calendar

Posted on December 4, 2024 by Jim deMaine

For more: www.freewayparkassociation.org

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A letter to Councilwoman Joy Hollingsworth

Posted on October 15, 2024 by Jim deMaine

Joy, We’re enjoying the new Seattle city park on the Graystone property. Skyline and other First Hill residents played important roles in getting it developed. It’s on the property that previously housed the office of Paul Thiry, one of Seattle’s … Continue reading →

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Stopover on your First Hill walk

Posted on October 9, 2024 by Jim deMaine
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Remembering Charley Royer, Seattle’s only three-term mayor

Posted on August 1, 2024 by Jim deMaine

Helping the city reinvent itself after the Boeing bust, Royer pushed for a Westlake Park makeover, the Convention Center and low-income housing. by Knute Berger in Crosscut Charles “Charley” Royer during his first year as Seattle Mayor in 1978. Royer died … Continue reading →

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Freeway Park Newsletter

Posted on June 7, 2024 by Jim deMaine
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Posted on May 22, 2023 by Jim deMaine

By David Brewster in Post Alley/Seattle A disturbing, Seattle-relevant story in the New York Times traces the exodus of highly educated employees from “superstar cities.” Seattle and other expensive coastal cities are definitely on the list, and the story notes the loss of magnetism … Continue reading →

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Volunteer in the Park!

Posted on March 25, 2023 by Jim deMaine
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Freeway Park annual autumn neighborhood clean-up

Posted on October 11, 2022 by Jim deMaine

This Saturday, October 15th, join the Freeway Park Association and First Hill Improvement Association for our annual autumn neighborhood clean-up! Help us beautify our community by picking up litter around Freeway Park and the First Hill neighborhood. Trash bags, trash … Continue reading →

Posted in In the Neighborhood, Parks | 1 Comment

Instead of a Wall, a Binational Park To Be Built on Border of Texas & Mexico

Posted on April 5, 2022 by Jim deMaine

Thanks to Pam P. – from the Goodnewsletter Only two years ago, the border town of Laredo, Texas, was bracing itself for the construction of the towering steel and concrete border wall that threatened to cut off the city, its … Continue reading →

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Crossroads: A Turning Point for Downtown’s Freeway Park?

Posted on January 31, 2022 by Jim deMaine

From Ed M. who sends this from postalley.org By Mike James and David Brewster Editor’s Note: Freeway Park is a much-admired design by one of America’s most revered landscape architects, Lawrence Halprin. The 5.2-acre park, which bridges the I-5 Freeway, … Continue reading →

Posted in environment, Gardening, History, In the Neighborhood, Nature, Parks | 1 Comment