Location: Queen Anne/Central Seattle
Address: 1912 Warren Ave. North
Acreage: 1.4
“I love old fashioned playgrounds,” a 30-something mom says to her two mom friends as she pushes her daughter on the East Queen Anne Playground’s merry-go-round.
Her observation pretty much sums up this Seattle park, located a few blocks east of Queen Anne Avenue.
Well groomed and featuring swings, a wading pool, sand pit, soccer field and half basketball court, the East Queen Anne Playground looks the part of a classic neighborhood playground. The restrooms are even tucked into a quaint brick building.
The only piece of equipment that clashes with the classic style is the children’s play structure. With several slides, a small bridge and plenty of interesting areas to explore, it’s a nice, and definitely modern, structure.
On my visit today I enjoyed watching the kids using the structure in ways totally opposite of how the designer’s intended it. Kids are great about this: they climb up slides backwards, hang from the edge of bridges and try to stand up on things that were clearly meant for sitting. It’s so much fun to watch.
It is almost as amusing as eavesdropping on the playground moms, who today were deep in discussion about their childhoods. Maybe it was the old fashioned playground that inspired them.
#5 (Visited 8/11/09)