Dena W.
Yelp
Don't wear flip-flops, sandals, or any shoes that are not steel-toed, tactical, full-cover. Walking on the sidewalk and not yet in the park area, I had the not-so-lovely experience of inadvertently kicking something, and looking down to see that a dirty hypodermic needle was stuck sticking out on the toe of my open-toe sandal. Yep. That could have had a very bad ending for me, and anyone else who would have happened along that needle or the others we saw littered about. Not something we thought we'd have to look out for in a big public park in a heavily-taxed city that's expected to be used by adults, kids, and dogs.
Unfortunately, the needle experience wasn't the only negative. There were human feces and the areas along the edge of the park smelled like a sewer. Too many aggressive beggars, snarky and smelly "residents", and lost drugged-out nut jobs make it feel like a zombie apocalypse encampment. We didn't even stay 10 minutes because we love our family, dog, and our collective safety, health, and well-being.
Positives: It was a beautiful sunny day in Seattle! Oh, wait, that no credit to the park. Zero gold star kudos to the city government for allowing these serious public safety issues to continue. I grew up in Seattle, moved to the Eastside years ago, and it is sad to come back to the city that I love. It has gone seriously downhill since Ed Murray infected our once-beautiful city by welcoming crime, and then Jenny Durkan put the nasty icing on that festering cupcake with her disastrous "Summer of Love" that cost some people their lives near/at this very park. Who knows what the newest mayor will do with this epic mess, but we hope it will be positive. Maybe we'll try to come back to this once-loved park again in a few years.
For now, my advice is too stay clear for very-real healthy and safety issues.