Park?

I've talked about Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS) before on this blog (see full map of them here), and I want to talk about them again. Earlier this week I was walking around Pike Place Market and had the opportunity to visit another green space in the middle of downtown. Located on Union St. and 2nd Ave on the 17th floor of the Russell Investment Center (enter building on 2nd Ave, there are elevators to the left), there is a beautiful, perhaps overly manicured, space open to the public. (To be clear, this spot is not officially listed on the seattle.gov website as a POPS, but my experience of getting to this space was very similar to my previous POPS account, which leads me to think this might also be a POPS or something close to it.)

Being here gave me the feeling that I had stumbled into some exclusive club, but there was no indication that I was somewhere I wasn't allowed to be. These places are weird and underutilized. They are beautiful, but mostly empty. Public, but not publicized. I see a place like this and I'm disappointed that it's not being appreciated (or even known) to its full capacity. I guess my part in all of this is letting you know that this exists. Should you be wandering near Union & 2nd one of these weekdays, know that there is some calm and quiet waiting for you on the 17th floor.