Freeway Park

Freeway park, or Convention Center Park is a Hidden Gem in Seattle. It is not very well known for a park of its size.
It encompasses a large area of downtown, it stretches from 6^th Avenue to 9^th Avenue and from Seneca Street to Pike Street. It’s beautifully manicured with accents of concrete and cubicle design. It also has waterfalls and Wide Open Spaces.
Being right next to One Union Square, 2 Union Square, and the Convention Center, during the week it can get a lot of traffic especially during lunch time. However, on the weekend it is mostly families and people enjoying the sunshine.
And I guess it goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway, there can always be some sketchy people around in a park in the downtown area. Keep your eyes out for Riff Raff.

I used to love walking my dog here as it’s next to my apartment and because dogs are leashed, I can easily work on my dog who tends to be dog-​aggressive. However, over the past few weeks, there has been an increase of people using it as an off-​leash area and they carelessly let their dogs approach mine, who does not take to it well, to say the least. They have also been leaving land mines of poop behind them adding to the used syringes and graffiti.
It is a nice park when it’s not overrun by sketchy men street harassing me and getting annoyed that I don’t acknowledge their advances. It is also a nice park when the entrance by Hubbell doesn’t smell like urine. Strangely enough, I’m more annoyed by the careless dog owners who seem to be extra careless when canine influenza is spreading in the area than I am by the typical urban characteristics of the place.

It’s a trip and a nice effort. But it had some weird nooks and crannies, and most of them contain people shooting heroin. I guess it’s a great park if you’re high off your ass.
Although one day I walked by and there was maybe 100 people swing dancing. So I guess it has its moments.
The fountain is pretty in a corporate art kind of way.

The Bliss Quintet of the Seattle Chamber Music Society, presents a Music Under the Stars concert, just a short stroll from the Renaissance hotel! Free hot dogs & coffee. People are playing Scrabble at the ½ dozen folding tables, others are stretched out on blankets on the ground. The park is perched on top of the freeway! Followed by a simulcast radio broadcast

This is my favorite pathway to get from the Hill to south of downtown area and Pioneer Square.
Since springtime I have been walking to work and always go through the Freeway Park. There are stairs leading up there from Pike street. It’s a great work out and nice scenery change after the neighborhood feel of cap hill and before tall buildings and traffic of downtown start emerging on the other side.
It’s definitely a city park. The concrete path is wide and you can hear the freeway noise. But at the same time there are flowers, trees and green grass surrounding you. They also have very soothing water features.
The park has a pretty good signage system. I always take Seneca street «exit», but once took other path thinking that I will end up somewhere downtown anyways. Unfortunately I saw that it would take me quite far from Seneca and towards pike market without chances to cut through too soon. I didn’t have time to continue that path during my morning «commute» so be aware where are you choosing to go.
Also don’t come through here in the evenings. Again, it’s a city park and you can approach some sketchy characters here and there. You should be fine between 8am and 6pm though. Happy walking!

A cute little concrete jungle near a freeway entry point. Not exactly the type of park you go to spend the day in, but if you’re in the area it’s not a bad place to stop for a little while.

Lunch in the park during a conference… Lots of space to claim as your own… Sprawl out. Lots of interesting people walking through… Elderly, professionals, and LOTS of homeless. Great for a picnic lunch. Not so sure I’d be hanging out here at night… Alone.

I have no idea why Unilocal thinks public spaces are fodder for reviews, but since they’ve asked…
The homeless seem to gravitate toward PCP as their weapon of choice in this park. Given that they overrun everything in Seattle, I guess it could be worse. I walk by this place twice a day en route to work and I wouldn’t risk walking through after dark.

Interesting little park next to the freeway entrance. A lot of concrete built in a modernistic rigid kind of way. It’s loud from the water falls, but essentially high volume white-​noise. A wide variety of walks of life here… people with families, businessmen doing work, gentlemen relaxing smoking a cigar, and a couple of homeless on the outlying side of it. If you happen to be in the area, it’s a nice place to sit and relax.

This hidden little gem is so cute! It’s not very big, but it’s definitely worth a trip to because it is so unique. It actually gets a little scary when you climb to the taller bricks and look down because there’s water flowing underneath.
It smelled really strongly of urine, and homeless shelter when I went… but overall, it is very cool! There was also people selling used books in little carts on the grassy area. This is an awesome place for Seattleites to explore and eat lunch at.

I use this park several times a week to walk my dog. It has many different levels and about a dozen entrances and exits which provide countless shortcuts between downtown, first hill and capitol hill. I’d like it to be a little cleaner but I understand the city’s budget isn’t what it used to be. While I feel perfectly safe in the daylight, I do avoid this park after dark if I’m alone.

Meh.
The waterfall end of the park is pretty damn awesome, and perhaps a new route for heading to/​from downtown if I want a scenic, water-​filled detour.
The cons are: the people. I am very much accustomed to downtown and the lower parts of the hill, but up close, there is most definitely a high concentration of crazies in the park. Nothing about which to be alarmed, really, but not the place you want to be at night alone (that’s coming from a 6’4″ gentleman friend of mine, not me.)
However shady it is, I do think it’s a nice use of space. Great for some dog walking or jogging, or waterfall viewing, but it’s only about 6 blocks or so to Cal Anderson for real park activities.

This is not the biggest, cleanest, most savory park in the City. However, I find it refreshing and it definitely adds character to the area.
I like a variety of parks in the city. I like the concrete (grass is overrated sometimes) and the waterfall (there aren’t enough of those in the world) here. Now, I’m not hanging out on a blanket, reading a book here. I’m working during the week. It’s a great place to have lunch. Funny thing is — when you do, you’re not alone. Sometimes I just feel like being around people without talking to them since I think I talk way too much at my work. Peace and quiet is greatly appreciated.
Just like other places downtown, sometimes you may run into people who are not exactly like you. That’s cool with me — I find most people harmless and it adds diversity to my life.

Yes there are sketchy characters in this park, but usually the building next to the park has a security guard out, and sometimes there are police officers patrolling the park.
Dogs are allowed on a leash which is nice.
I love the huge waterfall in this park when it is running in he summer it hides the street and highway noise. At night the trees are lit up with sparkling lights that makes for a cool place to walk around.
The park is huge! Every time I have walked through it I find a different way to go.

Yes Freeway Park is full of some interesting characters perhaps some unsavory, but it’s a park putting a lid on the freeway thru downtown which is a remarkable blessing. There are trees and fountains and varied paths criscrossing from downtown to First Hill.
The ideal park? No. Safe at night? probably not. But it’s a hell of a lot better than an open freeway and a nice little repose from the city while still very, very much in it.

I love central Washington… I love plazas and parks… and I love novel ideas. Oh and I love good architecture. Now that you know me a little better, you can see why I give this park 4 solid stars.
REASONS TO HATE THIS PARK:
* There’s a 50 – 50 ratio of vagrants to regular citizens enjoying this park at any given time.
* Hardly any grass: it’s mostly concrete with little grass patches, waterfalls and gardens.
* No Playground.
* People are often passed out or stumbling around like they just awoke from an uncomfortable slumber.
* Lots of steps and stairs.
WHY I LIKE FREEWAY PARK:
* Novel & inspirational design: there should be more examples of turning awkward urban spaces into parks.
* The fountains, steps, gardens and especially the texture of the concrete remind me of Central Washington basalt formations.
* The park covers up the big pit that houses I-​5. Can you think of a better use of the air above an 8 lane freeway?!
* It’s essentially a fancy sidewalk from the central core of downtown to either First Hill or Capitol Hill.
* Tall office towers border the park on the downtown side, providing a great contrast between horizontal and vertical man-​made environments.

This is part of my PNW stay in late April 2012. I finally had some time to reflect on where I’d visited:
This beloved park was born in 1976. The late and influential American landscape architect Lawrence Halprin was its creator.
This series of parks stretches over I-​5 which seems an unlikely place for a park. It is noisy and you’d need a massive series of waterfalls to drown out the freeway noises.
+ However, for the most park, after some 30+ years, the various North West tree species are mature, grand and screen the freeway and define the spaces well. The understory of shrubs and groundcover feels lush as Northwest gardens should– azaleas, rhododendrons, ferns, and more. I also liked the bright pops of furniture although they were wired together.
— However, portions of the hardscape are showing their age, in particular, the defunct fountains that you can climb down to view could serve as homeless shelters since they are empty and places to hide. Also, various large planters were left empty and visitors can see the unattractive waterproof liners. Not pretty.
In addition, since the parks straddle over the freeway, there are several narrower routes which may feel isolating and dark even though there are «eyes» on the park (the high rise apartment complex next door). Part of a successful park design is being able to see through to the other side of the park and not providing places for people to hide. However, from what I’ve read, Halprin didn’t want to change his designs.
Despite its shortcomings, it’s a great bold piece of urban park design that should be treasured, enjoyed and maintained for years to come. A must if you are in Seattle.

3.5 stars
I think this is a pretty creative concept and spot for a park actually. There’s cool parts and its a nice place to sit and eat your Juicy Café food, grab your friends from around downtown to bring their lunches down on a nice workday or wander through to get to work in Union Square or the Convention Center. I imagine its mostly for people working in the area– I know I have never been otherwise, so I haven’t experienced this bum issue a lot of people have talked about.
It’s a nice spot for its purpose, but I wouldn’t catapult it to 4 stars because it def. isn’t in the same league as some of the North Seattle or quieter/​greener parks.

This is a nice break from the buildings of downtown Seattle as you cross over I-​5 in to the First Hill area. It is actually very well maintained considering its location which one might think would lend to neglect. Always nice to have a bit of green to balance out all the grey concrete.
On a side note, this is also where Jen B. lives so please stop and say hello if you see her. She may let you stay to watch her 9″ TV… if you’re lucky.

There are some truth to the negative reviews, but c’mon– it’s a FREEWAY Park. Be thankful there is something here besides an overpass or parking lot.
I work in the building here, so in the summer this is a nice getaway for a few minutes when you can’t really get away. The landscapers always do a great job and keep this place up– considering all the colorful locals who hang out.
They also offer Tai-​chi and have book sales here in the summer, which is pretty cool to sit and people watch in the courtyard.