Seems like any time I'm in North Kirkland and looking for a park to run the kids, I end up heading back to the usual suspects of the downtown Kirkland area.  Then I discovered 132nd Square Park sitting on the corner of NE 132nd St and 132nd Ave NE (why do we use numbers as all the streets around here? That's crazy).  You enter the park from NE 132nd Street.

This park is GIANT.  Baseball fields, soccer fields, plenty of parking, walkways, picnic benches, bathrooms, lots of grass and brand new play structures for the little people.  There are plenty of big trees so you can choose whether you prefer the shade or sunshine.  SUNSHINE?! Huh? There are two play structures, one geared towards ages 3-5 and the other bigger one is for ages 5-12.  Of course, my 2 year old wants to play on the big one, so you need to keep a close eye here b/c it's really designed for the bigger kids.  There's one part that looks like a giant rolling pin that even I thought looked like fun.   I can do this, I thought, in a gerbil-on-a-wheel sort of way.  After multiple attempts (you didn't see me did you?) I cannot recommend that wheel for 35 year olds. 

Anyway- you should check this one out.  Many improvements were recently made in a collaboration between the Totem Lake Neighborhood Association, King County Parks and the North County Parks Coalition.  Bonus: the play structures have been pretty empty each time we're there, so you can get the place to yourself.  It's expansive with a good feel, and it's all nicely tucked far away from the roadways.  If the parks dept would put a trash can over near the entry/exit to the park (by the bathrooms) it would be almost perfect!  ~Janis

Every year we hear about an overload of goose poop taking over Juanita Beach Park and causing closures.  But THIS time, it's an 8 inch sewer line leak from Lake Vue Gardens Convalescent Center.  So, if little Butchy wants to hit the beach this weekend, I'd head for fresher waters until Juanita Beach is cleared.  Helloooo Bellevue!

Come to think of it, I was water-skiing in Juanita Bay this morning.  No wonder there was nobody else out there on that glassy water! I didn't notice any snickers bars but now I'm starting to feel sick.   Please send tulips to my hospital room, they're my fave.  ~Janis

It's quite a sight down at Heritage Park on the corner of Market St. and Waverly Way.  Lots of dirt and bulldozers at the moment. In case you are wondering what's going on, we're in Phase 2 of the 'Master Plan' right now which includes adding a historic Centennial Garden, new tennis courts, and improved parking.  More details can be found on the city website.

North Rose Hill's Woodlands Park (located at 9930 124th Ave NE) will peak your curiosity when you drive down this popular thorough-fare.  It's a fenced in castle fortress equipped with bouncy bridges, a tire swing, creative painting, and a life-size chess set with plenty of open area for romping around.  Check out the pics.

But how do you get to it?  There's no parking along 124th, no lot, and you certainly don't want to be crossing 124th with small children anxious to escape you.  What a tease! All five of us loaded in the car to experience this park and had to circle the whole block before figuring out how to actually get there.  All while listening to the chorus in the back seat, "Mommy is that the park?  Where did it go?  Why are we going this way?  Are we still going to the park? P-L-E-A-A-A-S-E can we go to the park?"  For three year olds this must be the equivalent of seeing an ice cream sundae and having no spoon---so close, yet so far! 

Anyway, once we finally figured out that the best we could do is park on NE 95th in front of some homes and walk down the little nature trail, all was good in the world again.  This park was creatively designed by ideas that came from children who voiced what they would like to see in their neighborhood park.  And the intent was for it to be a community gathering place for the North Rose Hill residents, so therefore, maybe lots of those folks are just walking over.   They probably opted for no parking to keep people like the Rabuchins from busting in on their park. After all, they volunteered, funded and helped build the whole thing!

The structure is nicely put together with a Trex-like material and has lots of different alcoves and tunnels and varying challenges for a young child's imagination to explore.  The painting is fabulous-  check out the dragon to the right here.   There's even a section for smaller tots to tinker around in (with the exception of baby swings).  There's no bathroom, although the Kirkland Parks website says you can use the one at the adjacent Fire Station 26, which would still be a hike if you have a 2 year old that doesn't give you that much warning time.  The same site says you can park there too.  That would have been good to know at the time.    Definitely worth checking out- great play area.  Just bring your walking shoes and pee before you leave the house.  ~Janis

Not sure if y'all know, but the City of Kirkland is in the process of spending $114,671 of our tax dollars to run a 15 month pilot project to offer wireless access in two downtown parks. Did you know it was live right now?   After I heard this I started to wonder why this is going on and who really wanted it?  Did the citizens all petition our city to get this done?  Is there huge demand for wireless in our parks? Perhaps this offers the city a new revenue source to ease our burden a bit?  Was this the best use of of 115 big ones?  I just don't get it! 

First let's get some facts down (click here for an overview of the project and access to the FAQ).  Here is why the city is saying you might use Wireless in the Park:

1. Perhaps you are a local parent and need to answer email while your children play in the park.
2. It's one of our fabulous sunny days and you can't resist moving your meeting outside. 
3. You are a visitor and want to find out about the restaurants in town. 

Now let's break this down a bit.   Janis and I take our kids to the parks all the time (read our park reviews if you don't believe me).  The last thing Janis or I want to do is bring our laptops along, ignore our kids, and sit there doing email (besides, a blackberry device works much better if you really must do email that often--you don't need the city to provide wireless either).  OK, so let's suppose you do bring your laptop to the park and it's one of those nice sunny days the city references above.  Have you ever tried looking at a laptop outside, during a sunny day?  You can't see a damn thing unless you are sitting in a covered/shady area--which are not abundant in either Peter Kirk Park or Marina Park.  Better yet, let's take the "visitor" benefit statement.  Yup, I see visitors all the time just walking around our parks with their laptops wondering where the heck they might find a restaurant around Kirkland. Then they get all frustrated because we don't have wireless in our parks.  I just don't get it!   

So why is the city spending our hard earned tax dollars on this project?   Many of the local businesses already offer WI-FI for free.  Kahili is a great example.  The city mentions the likes of San Francisco and Philly as examples of other cities that are putting in wireless networks.   Is that the reason we are doing the pilot?  So we can be like San Francisco?   I just don't get it!

OK, here is my last rant on this topic.  I have been going to a few of the City Council meetings lately, and have read some of the requests for new funding for various projects/investments/human resources, etc.  Every time I go to these events all I hear is how poor the city is, how understaffed we are compared to other cities our size, and how we need more greenbacks to run the city properly.  Then I see the spending for "Wireless in the Park" and several other projects where we just seem to be throwing money around (e.g paying an architect firm 50k to do a study on the old Kirkland Cannery--does the city even own the building?).

So I guess my point here is that I hope the city is doing things we really need and providing services people are really asking for--versus just doing things just because they can.   We all pay a lot of taxes here especially if you own property in Kirkland.   Let's make sure we are spending it wisely or saving it for the future.   Again, I just don't get it. 

Please provide your opinion by adding comments.   I am happy to be convinced this is a good use of funds...Steve   

The 2006 Kirkland Summer Performing Arts Series schedule is here!  The first one kicks off on July 11th this year.  We love these musical concerts at Marina Park which are on Tuesday and Thursday nights through July and August at 7pm for adults, and 10am on Wednesday mornings for the kids' program. 

It's a perfect (FREE!) outing on a clear evening.  Just get some take-out or pack up some food and a  blanket and relax to the sounds of local favorites that include everything from classical, swing, country, rock and blues.  My kids love attending the children's concerts-so much fun and there are usually some Trader Joe's ice pops or some other sort of giveaways.  Just beware of moms that park their strollers in the middle of the crowd and block your view (I promise, that's not me).   ~Janis

Reservoir Park, located East of Market on the corner of 15th and 3rd (1501 3rd St.)is a really good park, with just one or two areas for improvement.   It's a nicely maintained neighborhood park with a lot of lawn, one picnic table, and one of the best playground areas for toddlers in Kirkland.  You can click on the picture for a closer look:

We are frequent visitors to the park because the playground structure is so much fun and our kids love it!   It's large, has four slides, two tubes, and lots of steps/climbing areas to  explore.  The reason we like it so much is that it's a very safe structure--once the kids are on it there isn't much worry of them falling off.   It's newer and well designed, perfect for kids ages 2 and up.   The park also offers four swings (two baby swings and two big kid swings) and has very soft/deep wood chips.   Lots of grass around for running and plenty of shady areas for a picnic too. 

So you are probably wondering- why isn't this park getting a BIG thumbs up?  Here is the downside.  It's on a pretty busy corner of EoM and cars drive by at high speeds for a neighborhood setting.  The park has no fences to keep all the little ones safely inside, although there are railroad ties surrounding the designated play areas.  A tasteful low rise fence would be a good addition!   Parking is easily available on 15th, but again be careful because cars can speed by as you are getting your kids into or out of your vehicle.   

Unlike other parks around Kirkland there's no bathroom facilities so keep that in mind if you plan to visit the park for any length of time.   Otherwise I'll bet your little kids will have a great time at this park! 

Also, a quick reminder for those of you that bring your dogs to this or any Kirkland parks with a leash ordinance, please keep them on leashes.  There were two dogs running loose the other day (let's call them Scrappy and Homely) when we were there.  At high speeds, Scrappy chased Homely right underneath the swings our kids were on.  I heard the owner mumble to herself, "Oh, that's not good."   You're right.  Maybe we need a dog park in Kirkland?

Steve   

This is how we refer to McAuliffe Park in our house.  It's a beautiful new park located at 10824 NE 116th with swings, a play structure, picnic tables, grass to run in and plenty of trees for a game of tag.  It's mostly fenced, with a few open entry points to the side near the street parking.  No potties, fyi, for those of you training your kids, but it does have all the ingredients for a fun afternoon getaway with your small children.

And then we get to the name.  Disrespectful  Park.  I've been to this park 3 times of which twice it has earned its name (the other time we were the only ones there). 

First experience:  A lady is there with her 9 month old and Marmaduke-sized dog.  My two 2-year old daughters who were happily climbing up to the slide 30 seconds ago are a bit hesitant about the enormity of this creature (no pets at our house you can tell).  So, I tell them "it's OK, the dog is over here, don't worry."  And just then, as this woman's child is crawling around on the play structure she and her dog climb up too!   By now my kid's have hit the panic button b/c it appears that a horse is standing next to them at the top of the slide, jowls towering over their little ponytails.   I'm all for man's best friend, but this one should be sitting on the grass somewhere.  What planet was that lady from?

Second experience:  Same play structure.  A couple of 7-8 year old boys are standing up top and throwing hand fulls of wood chips on people (mainly my 2 year olds).   I politely ask the boys to stop.   Two minutes later the throwing continues with devilish grins and laughing.   And these boys were certainly old enough to know what they were doing. This time I say more firmly, "guys, you need to cut it out."  And one of them responds to me, "Who are you?  Do you own this park?!"  I was floored. I can't believe that a child would have the guts to speak to an adult that way.  I was so shy as a child I could barely look an adult in the eye and this kid was boldly mouthing off to me.  So, I told him I DO own the park (Kirkland resident=tax dollars, right?) and asked where I could find his parent, whom of course wasn't there. 

I'd still check this one out- it's usually not too crowded and hopefully your luck will be better than mine.  Nice place, but beware of the riffraff.  The polite park-goers are elsewhere.

http://www.southjuanita.com/thingstodo_parksmcauliffe.aspx

http://www.ci.kirkland.wa.us/depart/parks/McAuliffe_Masterplan/mcauliffe_photos.htm

Janis

If there is  one park in Kirkland that all mothers with toddlers should know about is the Tot Lot Park, also fondly referred to as "Turtle Park" (for the large cement turtle in the park).

This quiet little spot is located on a residential street east of Market at 111 9th Avenue and is a great starter park for  the youngest of children.  There are two big kid swings, 2 baby swings, a few teeter totters (turtles of course), a small play structure w/small slides, a big slide, sand/shovel pit, and a fake car w/real tires and a steering wheel.  We've been going to this one since before out twin girls could walk, and at 2 1/2 yrs they still seem to have a blast. 

This is a great little find.  I have spoken to many moms in there that drive from Bothell and other surrounding cities just to visit this little park.  It also has a few picnic tables, ample garbage cans and one port-o-potty which I've found to be clean most times.  Most importantly, the entire perimeter is fenced so you can drink your latte in peace without having to worry about your little ones dodging into the street.  Just remember to bring an extra layer of clothing, the big trees seem to ward off the sun.  And not for nothing, the people that frequent this park seem to be regular nice people that keep a good  eye on their relatively well-behaved children.  Unlike my experience at another Kirkland park, but that will have to my next story....

Janis