- Freeway Park, officially known as Jim Ellis Freeway Park, is an urban park in Seattle, Washington, United States, connecting the city’s downtown to the Washington State Convention Center and First Hill. The park sits atop a section of Interstate 5 and a large city-owned parking lot; 8th Avenue also bridges over the park. An unusual mixture of brutalist architecture and greenery, the 5.2-acre (21,000 m2) park, designed by Lawrence Halprin’s office under the supervision of Angela Danadjieva, opened to the public on July 4, 1976, at a cost of $23.5 million. A later addition to the park opened in 1982 winds several blocks up First Hill, with a staircase and wheelchair ramp.
- Lake Sammamish (wa100.dnr.wa.gov)
Don’t have time to visit Washington’s wild and scenic backcountry? Some of the exciting geology Washington has to offer may be just a stone’s throw away from your home. Lake Sammamish, a popular suburban beach getaway, lies just to the east of Seattle. At the lake’s southern end, Lake Sammamish State Park boasts a whole array of activities on water and land for the whole family. It’s certainly worth a day trip. For a geology-enthusiast, however, a pleasant afternoon by the lake can also involve imagining what the valley looked like during the last ice age. Take a break from paddling and picnicking to think about how geologic forces created this well-loved recreation area.