Pratt Park and Soho Coffee Company

I used to live near to the Central District while in college and back then it really wasnt a place to hang out. It was the worst part of Seattle. I used to go jogging in an area that backed up to the Central District and I will never forget the time that I got lost and ended up jogging in that unfamiliar area of town. It is so crazy to be running down a tree lined street in Madison Park one minute and then passing by delapidated houses with bars on the windows the next. As time has come and gone, the CD has transformed a little bit. It is still an area that I dont know my way around nor do I spend too much time there, but today when I found a splash park online that was located on 20th and Yesler, I paused and then thought, what the heck, I will see what it is like. Pratt Park has been written about in a few parenting publications as a decent place to go, so I trusted that and packed the kids and headed there. It was a nice park with a great splash area and nice and new play structures. what I loved was the old school jungle gym, just like what I played on as a kid. We spent a good 2 hours here, between the play structures and dodging the water spouts.
I was also thrilled to see a coffee option across the street! Soho Coffee Company serves Stumptown and the guy behind the counter was quite friendly and helpful. I told him that my son was crushed as we just missed the ice cream truck and he offered up a suggestion for a minimart just down the street. phew. crises averted. now, I get my iced latte and Z, his ice cream sammy. a pretty good treat, all around.

Kaffeklatsch and Matthews Beach Park

Its August, which means, its balmy and hot. well, when the forecast on my iphone stated, "plentiful sunshine" I had to laugh. It is cloudy and 65. Do the forecasters here think that cloudy and not raining is plentiful enough for us sun starved folks? Well, regardless, I decided to take Z and N to a beach. A lake beach. I think I much prefer the Sound beaches, but if you want to swim, the lake beaches are a tad bit warmer. The problem I find is that all these beaches lack beach and make up for it with lawns that are covered in goose crap. So, I tend to stick to the Sound. feels much more like a real beach. But, I like to try new spots, so we ventured to Matthews Beach, just north of Magnusen. What I liked was that is was a nice park and the lawn as you go farther from the beach was a little less goose poopish. and, the playground was fairly nice. they also had a few picnic tables. My son isn't a dig in the sand kind of guy, so he was occupied with the playground and the lifeguard stand as well as the paddle boards the guards use. And, since I had both kids, I couldn't take one swimming and watch the other too easily. maybe next time I will bring my husband. That said, it was a nice spot for a swim and I did appreciate the lifeguards picking up after the geese..

After the park, I took the boys to a new bakery on Lake City Way. I love seeing a little life in this area. It at one time was so bleak, lots of run down buildings, sketchy folks. not really an area I would want to explore with my 2 small kids. not that I still want to wander up and down the street, BUT, Kaffeklatsch will bring me back for sure. Did I spell that right? They are known for their German pastries and a pretty tasty chocolate chip cookie, one that seems familiar from somewhere else....trying to place it. it has chunks of toffee in it as well as chocolate chips and it was pretty delish. (I love a great cookie) I also tried a couple other goodies. a Pretzel and a honey almond and cream filled yeasted thingy called a Bienenstich. It was good, but I wasnt totally blown away. Z did like that one, though. other things that looked tasty and warrant a return trip: the ginger cookies, blondies, some freshly baked breads. Also, major bonus points in my book was the sweet barista who helped me pronounce all the names. (He actually spoke german!) He was incredibly approachable and nice and even offered a free cinnamon roll to Z. (the unusable ends, which are still delish..) On the way out, I noticed a little kiddie area too. Nice touch. I will be back and I wish them lots of success. It is a tough area, but they could do really well there.