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Lake Union Seattle
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 Lake
Union's proximity to and scenic views of Seattle make it a popular recreational
spot. Kayaking is popular in the warmer months. Seaplanes operated by Kenmore
Air land on and take off from the lake several times a day during the summer.
Pleasure boats from Lake Washington pass through on their way to Puget Sound.
The Center for Wooden Boats holds a yearly wooden boat festival.Parks Gas Works Park is the largest park on Lake Union and the most popular for Seattleites and visitors. It is the venue for summer concerts and one of the two major Fourth of July fireworks shows in Seattle. Other parks ring the lake, clockwise around the compass from Gas Works which is nearly due north: North Passage Point Park, South Passage Point Park, Fairview Park, Terry Pettus Park, and South Lake Union Park. Floating homes line the east and west sides of Lake Union. In Sleepless in Seattle, the character played by Tom Hanks lived on one of these homes. Part of the Lake Washington Ship Canal system, water flows into the lake from Lake Washington through the Montlake Cut, and out via the Fremont Cut on its way to Puget Sound. Before construction of the canal, Lake Union emptied into Salmon Bay via a creek which followed roughly the same course as the Fremont Cut does today. Three major streets are named in relation to the lake: Westlake Avenue, which runs along its western shore from Downtown to the Fremont Bridge; Eastlake Avenue, which runs along its eastern shore from Cascade to the University District, and Northlake Way, which runs along its northern shore from the University District past Gas Works Park to the edge of Fremont. There is no Southlake Avenue or Way. |
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