The first spot I’m going to talk about is Alki beach. According to Wikipedia, Alki Beach Park is about 136 acres located in West Seattle. It is quite a travel from the U-district (20 minutes in a car; 1 hour and 20 minutes if you ride the bus), but it is a great spot for a group of friends to go in the afternoon and just hangout for the whole afternoon/evening. Alki beach will keep you entertained. There are many restaurants/bars alongside the beach, and they also have grills and spots for bonfire on the beach.
The second spot is Rizal Park. This park is located just south of downtown Seattle with a great view of Seattle skyline, however you cannot see the space needle from here. This park doesn’t offer much entertainment, but it is definitely a perfect spot for sunset photography. I love to take photos on the bridge next to the park. The bridge over watches the intersection of I-90 and I-5, the football stadium, and the skyline, making the photo composition very interesting.
The fourth spot is Gas Works Park. It is the closest park from the U-district. The park is in a great spot, surrounded by water on three sides. You’ll see downtown and the Space Needle looking straight out. On your left is East Lake neighborhood and on your right is Queen Anne neighborhood. There is a big hill in the park, and you do not want to miss the opportunity to take a photo on top of the hill. It is an amazing view from up there. This is the place where we watched 4th of July fireworks. Hands down the best spot to watch fireworks.