Posted on Sun, Apr. 27, 2008

Places to park

The Associated Press

Take a city trip and then relax with a picnic in the shade: Sunset magazine makes these recommendations for places to enjoy springtime without leaving civilization.

San Diego: Balboa Park, with its Botanical Building and Lily Pond, plus museums and gardens.

Seattle: Carkeek Park has six miles of walking trails, as well as views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains.

Phoenix: South Mountain Park/Preserve offers 16,000 desert acres and a program called "Silent Sundays," where one Sunday a month, the park's main Central Avenue-access roadways are closed to motorized vehicles.

Denver: Central Park at Stapleton features 80 acres of woods, flowers, a playground -- and a view of the city skyline.

Albuquerque: Albuquerque Biological Park includes an aquarium, the Rio Grande Botanic Garden, a zoo and Tingley Beach, where you can fish or rent pedal boats or bikes. Last fall, the park opened a four-acre Japanese-themed garden.

Vancouver, British Columbia: Stanley Park, where you'll find woods, gardens, waterfront and cricket being played in the park's Brockton Oval.