Monthly Archives: September 2014

Seattle WA

Gas Works Park

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Situated on the North shore of Lake Union, Gas Works Park sits on the former site of the Seattle Gas Light Company. It gets its name from all the ‘pipes’ from the old plant which still populate the grounds. Some of the larger towers are fenced off, but many pieces are used to create the decor of the park, including a children’s play area. During my visit, there were several kickball games being played, lots of kites, some folks strumming guitars, and one man providing music on a flute along the waterfront. The park also provides one of the best views of the Seattle skyline.

As the Kenmore Air Harbor Seaplane Base is located on Lake Union, it is not uncommon to see a steady stream of seaplanes taking flight up and over the park. The base averaged 97 take-off and landings per day in 2012.

This park was seen in the film ’10 Things I Hate About You’ and has served as both the start and finish lines in two separate seasons of ‘The Amazing Race’.  Keeping with the entertainment theme, the houseboat on which Tom Hanks lived in ‘Sleepless in Seattle’ can be seen just across the water from the park. SAS Score: 3

Memphis TN

Mud Island Park

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Another “Island”,   actually a peninsula, I wandered onto sits along the shores of the Mississippi River in Memphis, Tennessee. Mud Island Park hosts a museum, lots of open space, an Amphitheater for summer concerts, pedal boats, and a large scale model of the lower Mississippi River. The 1.3 million gallon water filled model shows the locations of cities and other rivers that flow into the mighty Miss and empties into an acre sized Gulf of Mexico. During the summer you’ll also find lots of people ‘wading the river’. Access to the park is provided by ferry, car, footbridge, or for something different – a monorail. SAS Score: 3

On a side note: The first time I visited Mud Island, the B-17F that flew 25 successful missions in World War Two and took its namesake from the city, the Memphis Belle, was parked under a large canopy on the north end of the island. It has since been moved and is currently being renovated for display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force in Dayton, OH.

San Juan Capistrano CA

San Juan Capistrano Mission

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An hour south of Los Angeles, you’ll find the ruins of Mission San Juan Capistrano. The mission, built by Spanish Catholics, was founded in 1775 and then again in 1776 – being one of the few missions to have been founded twice. Today, much of the mission remains and is peaceful experience, especially for those who are interested in history or 18th century architecture. The mission today holds a museum, wonderfully planted gardens, fountains, and more. They also provide docent and self guided tours. My visit to SJC was short, but pleasant. Given I was limited in time, I took the self guided tour and more or less just wandered around to take in as much as I could; however, I could see spending the better part of a day there if time permitted. Along with a look into the daily life of how many previous human inhabitants lives, the mission is also home to a flock of cliff swallows. These swallows return each year in March from Argentina to make their mud nests all around the mission grounds. Although I recently read the birds are starting to prefer nesting places north of San Juan Capistrano due to urbanization in the area, I was fortunate enough to visit while they were plenty abundant. My SAS score: 4