Columns Jul 18, 2012 at 4:00 am

What About the Children?

Kelly O

Comments

1
Got that right, Sherman! What a cold, torn up and sterile place it is. Seem to be lots of condos going up above office space, but where are the people and how will they live? Nearest grocery store is Whole Foods on Denny- not exactly walking distance from SLU....sigh.
2
SLU feels like more of a fancy industrial park than a neighborhood.
3
@1 Then get a bike.
4
It's true, there are not a tons of children (or regular humans) at that park yet, but I think (hope) it will grow to attract more people in general. Although it depends on when you go. I dragon boat down there regularly and see all kinds of people there all the time (including children). I love walking around and hanging out at the park. Kids love these fountains you can play in: http://www.meetup.com/hiking-and-dragon-… and there were actually several kids there that day playing in the fountains, we just didn't capture them in shots we took.
I hope the new MOHAI cafe (supposed to open later this year) is good and will serve good coffee and foods. I think having a little cafe there on the park grounds will help draw more people, including old men in lawn chairs and street performers maybe.
5
PS: Mr. Alexie, please come dragon boating with us sometime :)
http://www.meetup.com/hiking-and-dragon-…
6
@5, the Dragon Boat Festival's pretty damn fun. My sis dragged me to the one in Blahvue a couple years ago, and I'm delighted to see it's at Lake Union where it belongs this year!
7
normally not a fan

obvious topic is obvious

c- in insightful

why live somewhere and then whine about it bi-weekly in the paper?
8
@3 I think it's fair to say that a grocery store should be in walking distance in a big city. Regardless, having a bike in Seattle makes the city so much more accessible.
10
Sooooo, you're actually LAMENTING the fact that people no longer refer to SLU as "The Herpes Triangle"?
11
The gravel parking lot park, without the parking. Talk about grim. I don't get it.
12
Build some K-12 schools and there might be.

Hey, at least there's a farmer's market.
13
Maybe because no children live there? And there are no neighborhood schools for the children to attend?

Neighborhoods don't just sprout up overnight. It takes time and work.
14
Nearest grocery store is Whole Foods on Denny- not exactly walking distance from SLU....sigh.


Denny Way is the south boundary of SLU, and Whole Foods is right on it. Eminently walkable from much of SLU.
15
@7 Grow up.
16
The upside is you don't have to deal with any trophy toddlers. I mean we could make this an adult paradise
17
Whole Foods is 6 blocks from the lake. How is that not walkable?
18
I'm just disappointed that playgrounds for adults = bars. What a lameass, so-called civilization.
19
Where are the guys in Madras plaid shorts and black socks playing bocce ball?
20
@14:

As is the QFC at 5th & Mercer.
21
I like SLU park in theory, but I don't take my 2 year old there because of the goose poop. It makes that park unusable for us, even though the little dude would love to run around in the gravel, up the berms and all over the place. It's a great place to ride his balance bike, too. In my experience, on days when the spray park is going, there are more geese found bathing in the water than actual children.

I also happen to like Counterbalance Park, which does not suffer from an infestation of geese.
22
There's a big playground at Harrison and Minor.
23
That expanse of gravel crisscrossed with sidewalks is a wasteland. Why on earth would you want to sit on a brightly colored uncomfortable chair surrounded by crushed rock? If you wanted to attract people, why not put in a skate board park, or an outdoor gym, or playground equipment, or a stage for impromptu concerts? Is that space set aside for a future farmer's market? What is the plan?
24
Strange. Whenever I'm there on a sunny day I see kids playing in the fountain. Plus there's the toy boat pond. And last time I was there Jimmy John's was handing out free sandwiches*.

The trees will grow in eventually, as will the character.

* This had nothing to do with anything. Except free sandwiches: yay!
25
Add some street skating elements and get rid of some of that gravel and then you could have people complaining about how they can't get any peace and quiet! Win - win for skateboarders and NIMBY's!
26
Speaking of community, Sherman I know you are a big Sonics fan; could you please write something for The Stranger talking about the value of the Sonics to the fabric of Seattle and fans everywhere? Goldy has been covering the arena issue, but he has zero love for the Sonics. It would be great, considering the arguments going on around the city, to hear from a passionate fan.
27
SLU is a business district. Business districts are meant to be places for work, not places for fun. I'm ok with having a neighborhood in the heart of the city dedicated to commerce rather than the latest trendy cupcake shops.
28
One of today's newspapers had a photo of someone's toddler playing in the outdoor play fountain at that park. And what Matt the E. said: model sailboat rentals for kids or adults every weekend.
29
Yayyy, gravel park!
30
that park is the most fucking gorgeous thing in the city of seattle. yes, gravel.
31
@8 There are 6 blocks between the shoreline and Whole Foods. How is that not walkable?
32
I'm with @21. It's like a fucking mine field. Clean up all that goose shit and more people will come. My kid loves playing with the model wooden boats in the pond when we do get down there. But last time even the concrete was covered in shit.
33
Geeze, when I moved here 4 years ago SLU was nothing more than a bunch of old warehouses. Now it's being developed. Give it time. It's impressive how much was done in 4 years in a down economy. Plus if the techies where up in Capital Hill The Stranger would run piece after piece about how the techies are ruining capital hill.
34
Typical Seattle. Oh well, I guess Lake Union wasn't worth a damn anyway.
35
@2: so right. I work just to the south of that neighborhood and go up Westlake sometimes and I could swear I was in Kirkland or something.

The play-in fountains are cool, but all that gravel and goose shit just doesn't make for a nice park.
36
Children are unnecessary at that park. Clearly, there a fuck ton other parks where children go. Let them go there.
37
Why do your crotch fruit have to be fucking EVERYWHERE?! Why can't there be just one little place where adults can just BE without your screaming brats running around out of control? You human copiers have everywhere else in the fucking city, but if you see one tiny little corner without a ChuckyCheeze you go all victimey on us.
38
Are there any restrooms down there, except restrooms in bars? When moms bring kids, moms think logistics.
39
@38: The only restrooms I'm aware of are the two inside of the Center for Wooden Boats office. Also, there are several porta potties on the south side of the MOHAI building. I assume there will be real public restrooms available at MOHAI once they open.

@6: Hope you come check it out!
40
I used to be an old man in a lawn chair, playing guitar, in South Lake Union. Until real estate went up, and they kicked out (most) of the low-income people. Not to mention tearing down the house I used to live in.

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