Seattle is one of the most splendid cities in the country, with a very vibrant urban scene. There are wonderful events happening every night of the year, and the days are packed with an assortment of attractions, from the Pike Place Market to that icon of independent bookstores, the Elliott Bay Book Company. That store has moved from Union Square, where it was a centerpoint of the downtown scene, to Capitol Hill, another fabulous area. Things change here, and the city adapts to change very well. This is certainly in evidence when one considers that Seattle’s Gas Works Park is a major accomplishment in creative, adaptive reuse.

In the years 1900-1906, the Seattle Gas Light Company purchased this land, overlooking Lake Union, for use as a coal-to-gas plant. Many people recognize Seattle’s history, and the history of the Northwest, as one that includes the history of lumber mills in the country, but in the 19th-early 20th centuries, it was also a major resource for coal. It continued as a coal center until the 1950s, when the majority of people were turning from coal-based fuels to natural gas, and the park’s history was left up for grabs.

By the early 1970s, there were movements in the city, and throughout the country, toward beautification, and this included investing in open areas to turn them into parks. Nowadays, the spectacular location of Gas Works seems a logical position for a great Seattle park , and it has become a citywide favorite. It’s been a favorite place for contemplation by locals who like to walk in the rain, and on the clear days, it becomes a big gathering center for the city’s very active and civic-minded community.

One of the great attractions for the people in the city is the annual 4th of July fireworks display. The city turns out to watch the spectacle together, and people from out of town book Seattle hotels specifically with the intent of seeing the show. However, it’s very doubtful that this year will have the usual display, as there has been recent trouble in finding funding One Reel, the show’s producer. They’ve contributed an awful lot to the city, by being the force behind the display since 1988. Locals are skeptical, but still hopeful, that things will all work out, but nonetheless, there will be a spectacular gathering here.

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