Field notes
What is outside, city by city
Each city page leads with what the sky and dated field records can support today. Parks to walk sit further down. A claim that cannot be sourced is left off.
Cities
London
Hampstead Heath. Open hill and old woodland, with long views back over the city from Parliament Hill.
New York
Central Park. The Ramble and the Reservoir loop give you woodland and water in the middle of Manhattan.
Boston
The Emerald Necklace. A connected chain of parks from the Common to Franklin Park. Jamaica Pond and the Arnold Arboretum are the quiet stretches.
Austin
The Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail. The loop around Lady Bird Lake, with the city on one side and water on the other.
Los Angeles
Griffith Park. Miles of trail above the city. Even a short stretch gives you distance and quiet.
Portland
Forest Park. Deep fir and fern on the Wildwood Trail. Quiet, green, and close to downtown.
San Francisco
Golden Gate Park. A wide green corridor running to the ocean, with quiet groves off the main paths.
Seattle
Discovery Park. Bluff trails and forest above Puget Sound, with long water views and a quiet beach below.
Toronto
High Park. Woods, trails, and Grenadier Pond in the west end, with room to walk slowly and look up.
Denver
City Park. A big open park east of downtown, with lake paths and long views west to the mountains.
Chicago
Lincoln Park. The largest park in the city, running along the lake with quiet groves off the main paths.
Washington
Rock Creek Park. A long band of woodland and creek running up through the city, with trails that feel far from downtown.
San Diego
Balboa Park. Gardens, tree-lined promenades, and museums just above downtown, with quiet groves off the main paths.
Philadelphia
Wissahickon Valley Park. A wooded gorge with a creek-side trail, Forbidden Drive, that feels far from the city.
Atlanta
Piedmont Park. The central park, with open meadows, a lake, and skyline views from the hill.
Minneapolis
The Chain of Lakes. Connected lakes ringed by paths just west of downtown. Flat, open, and easy to circle slowly.
Vancouver
Stanley Park. A large forested park on the downtown peninsula, ringed by a seawall path along the water.
Dublin
Phoenix Park. One of the largest enclosed parks in any European city, with open grassland and wild deer.
Edinburgh
Holyrood Park. Open hill and crag in the middle of the city, with a climb to long views over the rooftops.
Melbourne
The Royal Botanic Gardens. Lawns, lakes, and tree-lined paths just south of the river, quiet in the early morning.
Sydney
The Royal Botanic Garden. Harbourside lawns and tree-lined paths wrapping toward the opera house, quiet early in the day.