[♪♪]
Seattle's parks are at the heart of our city.
They bring people together
in the most joyful of ways.
One of our pride moments in Seattle Parks
and Recreation is that
if you live in Seattle, you are likely a
ten minute walk from any park in the city.
[♪♪]
Today we're at Kerry Park in Queen Anne,
and it is one of the parks
with the most iconic Seattle views.
[♪♪]
This park was given to Seattle Parks
and Recreation in 1927 from the Kerry family.
Behind me you can see the Space Needle.
We're overlooking Elliott Bay.
We've got Climate Pledge and the arena downstairs
and downtown Seattle in the background.
I think we're
actually catching this on such a Seattle day
with the moody clouds up above.
But everyone comes here.
If you have friends
that are visiting you, you bring them here.
If you're proposing to your partner
or maybe having a wedding, you come here.
It's just the staple of our city.
[♪♪]
Another hill over is one of our other
staples in our park system in the Magnolia community.
It's Discovery Park.
Historically, Discovery
Park was an
old military base,
and so it was handed over
to Seattle Parks and Recreation.
And as you walk
the grounds, you can still see those old buildings
and those old areas of which folks
would have frequented during that time.
[♪♪]
Discovery Park is unique because it's our
largest park in our system.
It has 560 acres.
It has meadows.
It has bluff
views of both the Olympics and the Cascades.
[♪♪]
The Discovery Park Lighthouse
is also an incredible component to visit.
It was built in 1881.
It was the first manned
lighthouse in the Puget Sound.
[♪♪]
Washington Park Arboretum is a gorgeous
oasis along Lake Washington.
[♪♪]-
It spans 230 acres, bursting with unique
and beautiful living collections that
you'll find nowhere else but the Pacific Northwest.
[♪♪]
And then at the South, you have the stunning
Japanese Garden,
three and a half acres urban sanctuary.
We are still centrally in the city,
and yet you can go and wander
these paths with these beautiful trees.
And if you catch them in the fall,
they're changing colors and it's gorgeous.
Another incredible spot
for family photos to be taken.
It's beautiful.
It’s just something to take in.
[♪♪]
Over in West Seattle,
we have Alki Beach.
[♪♪]
Historically speaking,
this beach is one of the birthplaces of Seattle
where the Denny Party landed.
It is the place to be in the summer.
You have long, sprawling walking paths,
families walking with strollers,
marathons and joggers that go up and down.
You can enjoy the beach.
You can jump on a beach volleyball
court with an unrivaled view.
[♪♪]
Feel free to grab lunch at one of the many eateries
or restaurants along Alki Ave.
Use the bathhouse for a wedding.
There's simply so much
to enjoy in West Seattle at Alki Beach.
[♪♪]
And in South Seattle,
just over the hill from Columbia City.
We have Seward Park.
The Salish people have lived in the area
for at least 4000 years, and likely much longer.
They call themselves the Lake People.
Seward Park is named
after William Seward, the US Secretary of State.
He was known for the negotiation
of the Alaska Purchase,
and the park was actually designed
by the Olmsted Brothers,
the renowned landscape architecture firm
that has their handprint on many parks
across Seattle but also across America.
[♪♪]
It sits along the shores of Lake Washington,
and the 2.5 mile walking path around
it is open to bikers, runners, visitors.
[♪♪]
The 300 acre part contains roughly
100 acres of surviving old growth forests, with trees
older than 250 years old.
[♪♪]
You can take a detour and get lost for hours
in the peacefulness of the forest.
[♪♪]
You can go swimming in one of the many beaches.
You can take your kids to the playgrounds.
[♪♪]
Seattle parks have so much
to offer to everyone.
[♪♪]
We just are so lucky to live in the city,
to have the nearly 500 parks that we can access
[♪♪]
get out into those parks.
They're there for your enjoyment.
They're there to bring you and your friends together.
[♪♪]