EMERALD PARKS, SHORELINES & NEIGHBORHOODS “AN URBAN ESCAPE”
HALF DAY

Tour Length: 4 Hours
Tour Code: EV31 a,b,c,d,e
Pick-Up: City Hotels / Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal at Pier 66
Departing: 9:00am and/or 2:00pm
Returns: 1:00pm and/or 6:00pm
Activities: Walking, Birding & Educational Sightseeing (optional paddling)
Difficulty: Easy
Season: Year round
Cost: $89 per person
Departures: Twice a day every Saturday 22 May - 1 October 2008 & other datees - check "Calendar of Escape Routes"
Min No of Passengers:

Inclusions:
Hotel pick up and drop off, highly qualified and knowledgeable naturalist guide, travel in luxury air - conditioned vehicles, scrumptious morning or afternoon tea, refreshments, all park entry fees and comprehensive commentary

Description:
Many Seattleites cite our region’s natural beauty, proximity to outdoor adventures and experiences as their primary motivations for living here.  It is because of this that Seattle’s Convention and Visitors Bureau has chosen  “Metronatural” as it’s new tagline.

Definition:
Met•ro•nat•u•ral – adj.
1 : having the characteristics of a world-class metropolis within wild, beautiful natural surroundings 2 : A blending of clear skies and expansive water with a fast paced city life – n. 3 : one who respects the environment and lives a balanced lifestyle of urban and natural experiences 4 : Seattle

With some of the World’s most stunning wilderness and waterways surrounding Seattle it is amazing how much wildness survives within the city limits!  You do not need to get on a highway to experience this urban escape, this half day tour leads you around the city following our “Emerald Necklace” of city parks, woodlands, neighborhoods, college campuses and shorelines.  You will have the opportunity to search for Pacific Northwest birds and marine-life, including expert interpretation of local natural history, geology and ecology.  Have the chance to take in the historical Pioneer Square area of old Seattle where you will learn of the convergence of the early settlers and Native Americans of over 150 years ago, the Great Seattle Fire of 1889 and the Klondike Gold Rush of 1897. We will escort you around the city, taking in the history of the Space Needle, Smith Tower and Pike Place Market as well as other famous sites, Even encounter a few ways that the city of Seattle is living green, including a rain-barrel fed “P-Patch” community garden, green roofs, green landscaping and the Sustainable Community Plan of South Lake Union!

But this adventure is truly a focus on experiencing our stunning parks, neighborhoods and shorelines!  Seattle’s park system is a public resource that makes Seattle one of the nation’s most livable cities. Thanks to City leaders who had the foresight to hire the Olmsted Brothers firm, the Olmsted Plan for Seattle’s parks has been the basis of our modern day park system.

The Olmsted Brothers had inherited the nation's first landscape architecture firm from their father, Frederick Law Olmsted, the designer of New York's Central Park and the campus of the University of California at Berkeley.  Seattle became a city with hundreds of vistas, it was these “Vistas of Green” projects that turned many paths and roads that offer views in every direction, each slightly different from the one just before or just after- and these were wonderfully exploited in the Olmsted boulevards and the new parks they connected… The “Emerald Necklace”

Come on this urban escape and experience first hand “Metronatural!”

City Parks may include: Discovery & Daybreak Star Cultural Center, Seward, Lincoln, Volunteer, Gasworks, Camp Long, the Arboretum and many more...

TOUR A: “NORTHSIDE” - Arboretum, Discovery Park, Locks, Magnolia, Ballard, Fremont, Wallingford & University District.
TOUR B: “EASTSIDE” – Magnuson Park, Lake Washington Boulevard, Seward Park, Pioneer Square, Safeco Field, Qwest Field & International District
TOUR C: “WESTSIDE” – West Seattle, California Ave., Alki Beach, Duwamish River, Lincoln Park & Camp Long
TOUR D: “SOUTHSIDE” – Black River Riparian Forest Heron Colony, Flaming Geyser State Park, Green River Natural Resources Area
TOUR E: “CITYSIDE” – Sculpture Park, Volunteer Park, Capital Hill, Waterfront, Seattle Center, Kerry Park, Queen Anne, South Lake Union & Pike Place Market

This Escape Route will combine with one of our sea kayaking trips:
“Lakes to Locks” - **** Add on special "Lakes to Locks" Paddle for additional $95 on Saturdays 22 May - 1 October 2008
“Lakes to Arboretum”
“Alki Beach Sunset Paddle”

This Escape Route will combine with a our Woodinville Wine Country Adventure

This Escape Route will combine with our Snoqualmie Falls Adventure

This tour can be customized as a private tour, call or email for a quote.