The park beautifully marries art and nature amidst the urban backdrop of downtown Seattle. Perhaps a perfect example of this is Roxy Paine's "Split," the 50-foot stainless steel sculpture pictured at left (yes, the tree -- and no, it's not real). Below it, the green-roofed building is the Neukom Vivarium, which houses the 60-foot chunk of fallen tree removed from a Washington forest. Behind it, the Old Spaghetti Factory, Pier 70, and Elliott Bay. Though yesterday was gray and foggy (how odd for Seattle!), I'm told that on a clear, sunny day, you can see the Space Needle, Mount Rainier, and the namesake Olympic mountain range in a 360-degree view from the park.

But I must emphasize that the Olympic Sculpture Park is much more than just a pretty spot for a summer picnic; I've got much more to say about what it's done for the land (it was once a heavily polluted fuel transfer station!), the community, and me personally. Stay tuned for a more in-depth look at the park -- and others like it -- in coming weeks.