The CD, Madrona & Madison Park
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Overview
The Central District (CD) has long been the center of Seattle's African American community, an oasis of incredible Ethopian food, birthplace of the city's rap/hip-hop movement and, more recently, a gentrification battleground. Madison Park and Madrona are lakeside communities with popular beaches and attractive parks, while Madison Valley ('Little France') features a cluster of eclectic restaurants.
Attractions
Must-see attractions
Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center
The CD, Madrona & Madison Park
This Byzantium Revival building began life in 1915 as a synagogue for a congregation of Orthodox Jews. By 1969 the demographics of the neighborhood had…
The CD, Madrona & Madison Park
This wild and lovely park stretching from Madison Valley up to Union Bay offers a wide variety of gardens, a wetlands nature trail and 200 acres of mature…
The CD, Madrona & Madison Park
A riotously popular place in the summer with a grassy slope for lounging and sunbathing, two tennis courts, a swimming raft floating in the lake, and…
Northwest African American Museum
The CD, Madrona & Madison Park
Small, concise and culturally valuable, NAAM opened in 2008 after more than 30 years of planning. It occupies the space of an old school, which, until the…
The CD, Madrona & Madison Park
Madrona Park Beach, down a steep hill from the business district in Madrona Park, is one of the nicest along the lake. In clear weather the views of Mt…
The CD, Madrona & Madison Park
Originally built in 1908 by the Danish Brotherhood, Washington Hall has been a meeting place, music venue (hosting Billie Holiday, Jimi Hendrix and Duke…
The CD, Madrona & Madison Park
Amid a lakeside nirvana of posh mansions, you’ll find two-tiered Viretta Park, from which you can see the large house once owned by Nirvana’s Kurt Cobain…
The CD, Madrona & Madison Park
South of Madison Park toward the tail of Lake Washington Blvd is Denny Blaine Park, found at the end of a looping tree-lined lane. The beach is surrounded…
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