The old geocache at this park went away so I revised it and it's ready for you to pay your respects to Kurt Cobain.
The hours for the park are 4 a.m. - 11:30 p.m. There's parking on Lake Washington boulevard but best is to stop up on 39th (which is a lot less busy.) Go the posted coords and then follow the hints. This cache is not 24/7.
Small trade items, geocoins and TBs are appropriate for this cache.
Congrats to blindleader for the FTF on the final and to fishiam and FunnyNose for the Co-FTF overall.
Viretta Park
This cache is hidden in Viretta Park, another one of the Olmsted brothers' legacy to Seattle's friendly atmosphere.
"Viretta Park was named by C.L. Denny, in honor of his wife VIRETTA Jackson Denny, a relative of Andrew Jackson, the 7th President (1829-1837). In 1909 all the parks in the local subdivision had been improved with lawn and shrubbery. " (edited from the files of Don Sherwood, 1916-1981, Park Historian)
"The Denny-Blaine neighborhood of Seattle is located on Lake Washington between Madison Park and Madrona. It was developed just after the turn of the century by Elbert F. Blaine, an attorney and former Seattle Parks Commissioner, and by Charles L. Denny, son of Seattle founders Arthur Denny and Mary Boren Denny. They designed the neighborhood to follow the contours of the land, and included a series of hillside parks. The lots intermingle with streets, lanes, parks, fountains, and cul-de-sacs, virtually all of which have views of Lake Washington."
But Viretta park has one worldwide claim to fame: it has become a de facto shrine to Kurt Cobain, of grunge band Nirvana's fame, who took his own life in his house directly to the North of the park on April 5, 1994. Cobain and his wife, Courtney Love (who no longer lives there), moved into the three-story, century-old house in January 1994, paying $7,000 a month for rent, according to "Heavier Than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain," by Charles M. Cross. The bench located at the waypoint is covered with messages from fans from around the world who come here to pay their respects (and try to get a morbid peek at the greenhouse where he shot himself - it has been torn down since then.) You're likely to find leftover melted votive candles, burnt out incense sticks, or, mmm, is that a mangled roll-yer-own cigarette butt lying there? Between the Nirvana fans and the local joggers, this can be a fairly popular place but the overall GeoMuggle factor should not be too bad.
Do take the time to check out the graffiti that cover the bench - a piece of Seattle popular history in the making. If you're a Nirvana fan, do not hesitate to stash Nirvana paraphernalia in here - but unfortunately, the container is rather small.
Coffee wars
A less macabre link to another famous Seattleite: an initiative specifically outlawing private use of public park land was promulgated following the fracas over Starbuck's Howard Schultz who apparently took over a slice of Viretta park when building the driveway to his house, directly South of the park.
Happy hunting. Please be mindful of the letterbox also hidden in this park and make sure you are logging the appropriate box and not taking the letterbox stamp.