Peck Field. Not PECK.

Peck, unlike SERA, does not stand for anything.

But that doesn't mean it's better. In fact, as an athletic complex it was pretty poor, with lots of dry brown grass and a parking lot that looks like it's been through an earthquake or two before hosting backhoe-driving contests. It's not pretty, the field's not pretty and you should probably play somewhere else if you can.

A surprising Ferry Ride

Ferry Park is tucked away just south of the Hilltop neighborhood (Upper Tacoma to use the official parlance). It's one of the few parks I can think of where the park is about the same size as the sign in front. Big sign. Small park. The park is very small, but still surrounded by homes on all sides. It's like a little mini-block inside the full block. The monstrous willow (don't quote me on my tree species dominates the park. It's evidence of the park's age, which is the oldest park in Tacoma. It was given to Tacoma by Clinton Ferry who wanted to copy the open green spaces of European cities (I'm not sure the park successfully does that, but never mined). Dedicated in 1883, the park pre-dates Wright Park, Puget Park, and Point Definance. Yeah for history!

Tacoma Washington's Irving Park

Irving Park, as the record shows, has a nice slide. Other than that, the park is not very noteworthy. Sitting just on top of the junction of Sprague and Hwy 16, the park would have a view of Mount Rainier if the trees weren't in the way. The park is just way out of the way. Because it is right at the barrier of the Nalley Valley and 16 it is only accessible from the one side. The park was empty while we were there and I didn't see a lot of reason to fight to make it full. There are few houses near by and far better parks, too (see Ferry Park, below).

Que SERA SERA?

So Sera Park is actually SERA: South End Recreation ... Area? I don't know what the A stands for. But the park with the pretty name is an acronym. Going with the now infmaous "schools breed parks" theory, this is located within sight of the old Mount Tahoma High School (now the temporary home of the Stadium Tigers. It's a sad looking facility (the school) but the fields look pretty good. Not much to say about a lot of baseball and soccer fields with lights around them. They were well maintained (better than some of the other sports complexes around) and well-used, too, from what I understand. A good facility.

Manitou Park: Better than the Community Center

It wouldn't take much for Manitou Park to be better than Manitou Community Center. The park, though is very appealing. Too few are like it: surrounded by homes and a church, open and accessible from all sides without unnecessary fences, well-shaded with beautiful old trees, and plenty of good spaces for lots of activities.

High marks all around.

A quick review

It's worth pointing out, every so often, that there can sometimes be very good movies in the regular theaters. I was born and bread on blockbusters and I am still a sucker for a good thriller or a gross-out comedy. This is coming from a guy who liked all three American Pie movies and thinks the third installment--American Wedding--is a superlative film. So the 40-Year Old Virgin was a welcome film after the good but overall disappointing "Wedding Crashers." Steve Carrell has quickly become one of the funniest guys around, second to Will Ferrell in my estimation. His "Office" character is very good and amazing in the way he has created him as a separate being from Gervais' David Brent. Here, the 40-Year Old Virgin starts with the obvious laughs one could make about the character (see the Simpsons episode when Skinner reveals the same thing). From that base, though, the movie creates a very funny film that keeps getting funnier and funnier. Where Wedding Crashers died after they went through their one-joke plot, this film succeeds throughout. I'm going back for another viewing.

Schools Breed Parks ... But Sometimes Schools Become Parks

The Manitou Community Center is a political hot potato right now. MetroParks wants to take it down because--let's face it--it's a run down school from three decades ago. Others don't want it to go because it's a community-building activity for South Tacoma.

It's current use is mainly to look creepy, but it also hosts weird art classes inside. Outside, the small playground is barren, save for the sharp rocks and broken swings.

My own opinion? It's a scary piece of property. Tear it down and building something better.

Putt Putt at the Meadow

Meadow Park Golf Course is one of many golf courses in the area, but the only one run by MetroParks. I've played the course twice. It's not a bad course, good for the money, and very well maintained. It's one of the "enterprise" projects of MetroParks, which means it is one of their attempts to make money. I couldn't say if it's working or not, but when we were playing putt-putt there we found that the driving range and the practice greens were all full.

Of course it was dad who won the putting contest.

By the people, for the people, and of the people

Peoples Park should have an apostrophe after the "s" in Peoples so that its clear the people own the park. Otherwise there might be confusion.

And it's a park worthing owning, too. Peoples Park is at the intersection of 9th and Martin Luther King Blvd (which was formerly the infamous K Street. See Chris Rock for a diatribe on the MLK Blvd phenomenon). Anyway. It's a simple park and a good example of an urban park done well. The park is open, inviting, and would make a great event space for a small festival or community outing. We particularly like the large mural painted on the side of the Johnson's Candy Building which anchors the park in the neighborhood.

It was, all in all, a very nice place to hang out, and a great community asset for the neighbors. I mean people. Neighbors Park is for neighbors. This one is for people. And Rogers Park is for dogs. And people named Roger. Dogs named Roger are also welcome.

Won't you be my neighbor?

Neighbors Park is one of those small poorly signed community parks maintained by three different organizations, including MetroParks. It's a postage stamp park in the Hilltop neighborhood (now called Upper Tacoma because "Hilltop" used to have bad connotations). It may be the first park we've found with a tetherball. Congratulations are in order for my dad who went 2 for 2 against Mary and me.

Also unique about the park is the community garden, which has plots of land for the local neighbors for veggies, etc. Well done well done! Perfect for a neighborhood.

And on to Wright Park

Wright Park is like Tacoma's version of Central Park. Scratch that. It is our Central Park, which I can say with all authority having never been there.

And it is beautiful. And the wading pool has water! Other highlights of the park include a bust of the playwright Ibsen (whose relationship to Wright Park is not clear). There's also a huge set of horseshot pits my buddy Tim at the Sports Commission tells me could host national competitions.

Up for debate in terms of its value to Tacoma is the Lawn Bowling area (seen here with Aslan guarding it). Apparently the maintenance of this space is always nearly axed every year. But I like it so it should stay.

Wright Park really is a great asset. Mary and I watched sledders on its hills when it snowed in January of '04. And I ran cross country races there my freshman and sophomore year of high school (I took last a lot). It's versatile, it's purdy, and I think it should be the next stop on the Tacoma Link Lightrail if they ever expand it up the hill.

As a final thought: there are over 100 species of trees in the park, so if a killer virus ever sweeps through the world's forests, Wright Park might be useful for repopulating the Earth's trees. It's like insurance that forestry companies will live on forever.

W W Seymour Conservatory (.com?)

The Victorian era Seymour conservatory is a beautiful building and another of those gems in Metro Parks' hat, to mix some metaphors. When I was at the Convention & Visitor Bureau we touted it as "one of the ten Victorian era glass conservatories left on the West Coast." I think we needed a better slogan.

But the conservatory-turned-greenhouse is beautiful from both the outside and the inside. There's a plant in there somewhere that my dad says blooms only once every one hundred years. Evolution just keeps getting weirder.

Big thumbs up from the whole group for the operation.

It's not official

After some deliberation, I've decided to withdraw from the race for Metro Parks Commission Position 5. So it's official, I will not be an official.

But this way I'll finish my Masters sometime before 2014.

Blogging from another High Desert

Chelan, as usual, is beautiful. 100+ degrees and the lake feels perfect. While here I've been musing on parks, not just in Tacoma, but all the great parks I've visited around the world. I also finished Kim Stanley Robinson's "Antarctica" which in my usual fashion I was able to incorporate into my thinking on parks. Wilderness protection, the natural environment, etc.

That said I'm looking forward to a return to the real world, where I'm jumping in head first. Break time's over! No more trips planned until September.