More Details on Upcoming Hikes

Dear Diary,

I gave a bad number to you yesterday.  I didn't mean to lie, and technically didn't - all I said was that 43 North Seatle parks were "represented" in the map Seattle's Department of Human Services had made, and "represented" can mean lots of things.  But rather fewer parks were actually symbolised on the map with things that mean hygiene services are available.

Meanwhile, there's another recent map to consider.  The Department of Parks and Recreation claims to have updated its map of "comfort stations" (PDF) on December 23.  This map makes different implausible claims from those in the one put forward by Human Services ("HSD" hereafter).

Let's just go park by park, split up by the directionals ("NW", "N", "NE") in their addresses.

Northwest

1. Ballard Commons.  The city treats the Portland Loo as a restroom, and one open 24 hours.  It is a single-user stall.  HSD and Parks agree in saying a restroom as well as "sanicans" are open there; I remember a hand-washing station.
2. Ballard Community Center in Ballard Playground.  This presumably has restrooms whose doors open inside it.  Nobody says those are open.  (Please assume this about pools going forward, as well as community centers unless I say otherwise.)  It also has two restrooms, single-user stalls, whose doors open to the outside.  Parks says these are open; HSD doesn't.  They were not listed as open last year.
3. Ballard Pool.
4. Carkeek Park.  Has multi-user restrooms which both HSD and Parks say are open.  These were 24 hours this summer, but probably no longer are.  HSD also says there are "sanicans"; Parks disagrees, and I don't remember any.
5. Gilman Playfield.  Has multi-user restrooms which both HSD and Parks say are open.  They were not listed as open last year.  HSD also says there are "sanicans"; Parks disagrees; I'm not sure.
6. Golden Gardens Park.  Has multi-user restrooms on the beach, and halfway uphill near the dogs' off-leash area.  HSD and Parks agree that both sets are open.  Again they disagree about "sanicans".
7. Loyal Heights Community Center and Playfield.  The Community Center has multi-user restrooms whose doors open to the outside.  HSD and Parks agree that these are open.
8. Ross Playground.  Has multi-user restrooms.  Parks says they're open; HSD disagrees; they weren't listed as open last winter.
9. Salmon Bay Park.  Has multi-user restrooms.  Parks says they're open; HSD disagrees; they weren't listed as open last winter.
10. Sandel Playground.  Has multi-user restrooms.  HSD and Parks agree that these are open.  They weren't listed as open last year.
11. Soundview Playfield.  Has single-user stalls.  Parks says they're open; HSD disagrees; they weren't listed as open last year.
12. Webster Park.  HSD says there are "sanicans"; Parks disagrees.

North

1. B. F. Day Playground.  HSD, Parks and I all say there's a "sanican" there; I remember no hand-washing station.
2. Bitter Lake Playfield and Community Center.  Has multi-user restrooms.  In June these were open 24 hours.  In October they were locked; a project to replace their lighting had gone off track.  HSD and Parks agree that they're now open; they were not listed as open last winter.  HSD also mentions "sanicans", and I saw some in October, but Parks disagrees.
3. Gas Works Park.  HSD and Parks agree that the multi-user restrooms here are open; HSD adds that they're 24 hours, which was publicised.
4. Green Lake Park and Community Center and Evans Pool.  Four pairs of multi-user restrooms (one in the community center, doors opening to the outside), and one pair I've never found open.  Last year's list, and this year HSD and Parks all agree that all five sets are open.  In October I found three pairs open 24 hours.  Rachel Schulkin of Parks told me they only promise that the north pair of restrooms, the ones by the wading pool, are 24 hours.  HSD says the southeast pair, the ones by nothing much, are.
5. Greenwood Park.  Has one single-user stall with unlockable, and usually unlatchable, door.  Parks says it's open; HSD disagrees; it wasn't listed as open last winter.
6. Licton Springs Park.  Has multi-user restrooms.  In October I saw the closure notice, and I think more recently I showed it to you, dear Diary.  But HSD and Parks agree that they're open now.  Last winter they weren't listed as open.  HSD also lists "sanicans", which I saw in October, but Parks disagrees.
7. Madison Pool.
8. Meridian Playground.  Has multi-user restrooms.  Parks says they're open; HSD disagrees; they weren't listed as open last winter.
9. Sunnyside Ave N Boat Ramp.  HSD and I agree that there's a "sanican" there, without hand-washing station.  Parks doesn't.
10. Wallingford Playfield.  Has multi-user restrooms.  HSD and Parks agree that they're open.
11. Woodland Park.  Disregarding the zoo, has five pairs of multi-user restrooms, two in the athletic area, three in the woods uphill; the latter were 24 hours this summer, but may no longer be.  HSD says one set in the athletic area (the "cloverleaf") and two in the woods (50th St and "hilltop") are open.  Parks says both athletic sets are open, plus 50th St and "lawn bowling" (northernmost).  Last year it was 50th, "Pink Palace", and "Rio".  In other words, any of them may be open.

Northeast

1. Albert Davis Park and Lake City Community Center.  I've seen "sanicans" with hand-washing station, and HSD and Parks say they're still there.
2. Burke-Gilman Playground Park.  I haven't found this park's multi-user restrooms open lately, but Parks says they are.  HSD doesn't, and they weren't listed as open last winter.
3. Cedar Park.  HSD and Parks agree that there's a "sanican"; I don't remember either way.
4. Cowen Park.  Has multi-user restrooms, among the few Parks admits are closed.  HSD doesn't list them, nor did last winter's list.
5. Dahl Playfield.  Has multi-user restrooms.  HSD and Parks agree that they're open.
6. Jackson Park.  Has single-user stalls at the driving range; multi-user restrooms with doors opening inside the "pro shop"; and restrooms with doors opening inside the cafe which I haven't seen.  All of these are open to the public.  Has had "sanicans" on the golf course, but removed them last year, and I don't know whether they're back; these would not be open to the (non-paying) public.  Neither HSD nor Parks lists any of these, nor did last winter's list.
7. Lake City Mini-Park.  I've seen "sanicans" with hand-washing stations, and HSD says they're still there; Parks doesn't.
8. Laurelhurst Community Center in Laurelhurst Playfield.  Has single-user stalls with doors opening to the outside; HSD and Parks agree they're open.
9. Little Brook Park.  Has a single-user stall not lockable, and I haven't even encountered it latchable.  Nobody says it's open.
10. Magnuson Park and Community Center.  The park has two undisputed pairs of multi-user restrooms.  Only the beach pair was listed as open last winter, not the central pair, but both HSD and Parks say both are open now.  Each adds one more.  HSD says the restrooms burned in a fire years ago are open.  Parks says the restrooms in the Community Center with doors opening outside are open.  I've yet to see either pair open, so will not express an opinion here.  Magnuson Park had, this spring, dozens of "sanicans", but no hand-washing stations; HSD lists seven locations, Parks ignores them all, and I'll just have to see for myself.
11. Maple Leaf Reservoir Park.  Has multi-user restrooms.  HSD and Parks agree that they're open.
12. Matthews Beach.  Has one pair of presumably multi-user shower restrooms.  I doubt these opened at all this year, but I wasn't there during official summer, when they're supposed to open, so can't be sure.  Also has two single-user stalls.  One was, in October, boarded up, the other open.  HSD and Parks agree that restrooms are open here, and probably mean that stall.  HSD also says there are "sanicans", of which I saw several in October, but Parks doesn't.
13. Meadowbrook Playfield, Community Center and Pool.  HSD and Parks agree that the Community Center is offering showers inside.  HSD seems to think that also means restrooms are available there, and I suppose technically they are, but probably not in the sense of "available" usually meant.  Parks also thinks restrooms are available at Meadowbrook, but probably means the multi-user ones in the Playfield, whose closure notice I've seen.
14. Northacres Park and Playfield.  Has single-user stalls in the park side, and multi-user restrooms in the playfield side.  Parks thinks both sets are open.  HSD thinks at least one is.  Last year the playfield set weren't listed as open in winter, and I've seen the men's room closure notice, though at that time the women's room remained open.
15. Northgate Park and Community Center.
16. Pinehurst Playground.  HSD, Parks and I agree that there's a "sanican" there.
17. Ravenna Park.  Has two sets of multi-user restrooms, called "lower" and "upper".  The lower set is in fact open, the upper not.  HSD and Parks agree on that.  There's a "sanican" near the lower set; HSD agrees, but Parks doesn't.
18. Ravenna-Eckstein Park and Community Center.
19. University Heights Plaza.  Has "sanicans" and a hand-washing station, which HSD acknowledges, but Parks doesn't.
20. University Playground.  Has multi-user restrooms which didn't open this year.  Nobody expects them to open this winter.  Has a "sanican" behind them, which HSD remembers, but Parks doesn't.
21. View Ridge Playfield.  Has multi-user restrooms which were 24 hours this summer.  HSD and Parks agree that they're open, but say nothing about 24 hours.

So HSD lists 30 North Seattle parks, 21 with restrooms and nine with only "sanicans".  My 43 included twelve parks whose restrooms weren't listed, and one set of "sanicans" not in a park.

Parks' map looks to me like a map compiled in spring, before the restrooms in upper Ravenna or Cowen Parks opened, although it shows summer restrooms in Green Lake and Magnuson Parks as open.  (But then, I'm pretty sure those two never opened this year anyway.)

I haven't decided how systematic to be in checking things other than restrooms and "sanicans".  I doubt either map is going anywhere soon.

I'm probably not going anywhere soon either, given the forecast weather, but we'll see, dear Diary, we'll see.