There’s a Strange Little Creek-side Micro Park in Lafayette and Nobody Knows About It
As I walked by 210 Lafayette Circle, the super fancy, relatively new condo building in downtown Lafayette, California, I saw a sign I had never noticed before.
It said “Happy Valley Creek,” with a big arrow pointing to an alleyway beside the building. It seemed to be inviting the public in.
Curious, I walked down the alley to see what was there. It seemed to go on forever, walking beside the garage of this very upscale structure, as well as a construction site on the other side.
As I rounded the corner, I saw something that almost nobody in Lafayette seems to know about — a tiny, creekside micro-park with lovely views of the bubbling waters of Happy Valley Creek.
I’m not sure of the origin story of this little park, but my best guess is that the city required the developer of the building to put in a tiny public park space when they built it. That’s common in San Francisco, where most builders need to create a small parklet that’s open to the public on their land.
This one is a little more than a bench built on the side of the creek, but it’s an absolutely lovely, secluded spot. Shaded, you have it all to yourself, and at least this time of the season, the creek bubbles by beautifully behind you.
The developers have even put in several informational signs describing the ecology of the creek and the sustainable development practices they put into use.
This isn’t the kind of park where you can take your kids to run around and play–it’s about the size of a back porch! But if you’re looking for a secluded spot to stroll to, or a place to quietly listen to your audiobook and sip a coffee from Philz, this tiny park is ideal.
It goes to show that if you’re walking around your own town and you pay a little attention to your surroundings, you might discover something you never knew was there!
Or, you could just join the 925 News newsletter so I can share these kinds of awesome local finds with you!
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