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Park(ing) Day

The city’s metered parking spots are turned into pop-up grassy parks for one day | Friday 9/21
By - posted 9/20/2012 No Comment

An annual, worldwide event that inspires city dwellers everywhere to transform metered parking spots into temporary parks for the public good, Rebar’s PARK(ing) Day is coming back to the city for 2012 on Friday, September 21.

These city-wide mini-parks can be used as performance spaces, reading lounges or just resting places by passerbys, and is a lovely way to create your own little sanctuary in the midst of San Francisco’s busy city streets.

2012 PARK(ing) Day Highlights
Friday, September 21, 2012
Map of “Parks”

There are events all over San Francisco, but here’s some highlights for this year’s event. Check back for more as the event gets closer.

SPUR Park(ing) Day

  • A miniature golf course patterned after Golden Gate Park. | 654 Mission St., SF | 11a-3p

Park(ing) Day Dances

  • See dance performances by students and professionals, or simply enjoy hanging out in our park designed by Lauren Elder’s students at California College of Art. Shows at 11am, 12:30pm and 4:30pm. 2201 Shattuck Avenue in downtown Berkeley

TransFormers @ Play

  • A parking space turned into a play space, with fun games and pedal powered smoothies. Please join us from 9:30am-2pm on 14th St. between Broadway and Franklin in Oakland.

Bocce Ball (Battery at Commercial)

  • SWA Group SF & The Bently Reserve are teaming up to bring a bocce ball court for some bocce joy on battery st. in the financial district.

Regatta Park(ing) Day (427 Bryant just west of 2nd) – 9a-8p

  • Come experience a mini-ragetta! Balsa wood boat style! Bring a friend and race with our pre-made “sail” boats or spend some time to decorate your own sail… then blow your way to winning the trophy. Wifi available

SF Environment Park (Grove and Hyde)

  • Stop by the SF Environment Park for free compost and….
  • • Make a smoothie with our bike-powered blender and learn what we’re doing to support Clean Energy
  • • Join seed harvesting mini-workshops and find out how SFE is support urban gardening projects

Parklet Grand Opening

  • Join us for the Grand Opening of our new Parklet at 236 Townsend Street

Lighter Than Air Park(ing) Day (Valencia & 17th St.)

  • An installation of colorful tall-tube balloons, inflatable balls, and a “flying bicycle. Come enjoy free tastings of Malyasian street food from mamakSF, drinks, and other snacks.

Valencia Pop-Up Habitat (855 Valencia in front of The Curiosity Shoppe)

  • The park will feature a wildlife habitat garden with plants, that attract San Francisco pollinators and songbirds, from Bay Natives Nursery; habitats designed for San Francisco’s critters by CCA’s Nature in the City students; camping gear and games by Alite Designs; and whittling by the Bleeding Thumb Whittling Club. Come for whittling, tea, and to make your own critter habitat. This day-long urban campout is a collaboration between the Studio for Urban Projects, the Curiosity Shoppe, Alite Designs, and artist Amber Hasselbring of the Mission Greenbelt Project.

Lemon Lounge (Scott & Page)

  • Nested in a small grove of lemon trees, JustOneTree and Lemonopoly will serve up free cups of fresh squeezed gourmet meyer and eureka lemons. This local lemon juice will be spiked with simple syrups flavored with herb concoctions, such as thyme and lavender, basil and peppercorn, hibiscus and lemon verbena. Meanwhile, the Wigg Party will host a street lounge for you to enjoy your lemonade and catch some sun as we reclaim two parking spaces for the day.

Paint in the Park (Missouri btwn 16th & 17th – Potrero Hill)

  • ARCH Drafting Supply and Arterra Landscape Architects will be creating a space to encourage you to get you out of the office and sketch, paint or relax with others. We’ll have materials available for a collaborative painting and benches to sit, have a coffee and get some drawing done.

MKThink Park(ing) Day (Sansome & Chestnut)

  • MKThink is sponsoring a parking day installation complete with grass, outdoor games, snacks, and a lemonade stand.

The Packable Park (Clara St. just west of 4th St.- SoMa)

  • Reconfigurable, packable furniture all the while providing a colorful, engaging space in the urban landscape. The parklet offers a place to stop, sit, experience, and react to the bustle of the ever-changing landscape of San Francisco. The installation will feature plants from Flora Grubb Gardens, carpet from Shaw Floors, and host lunch served by the Del Popolo Mobile Pizzeria (11- 3) and Twirl and Dip (12-4) ice cream trucks.

Creperie Howard Park (Howard & 2nd St. – SoMa)

  • Architecture firm-designed mini 3D parklet directly in front of a tasty crepe stand.

CBS Parklet (235 2nd St btwn Folsom & Howard)

  • A spontaneous break to enjoy the things we love, like donuts, ice cream and games,

SF State Park(ing) Day – Thursday, September 20, 2012

  • Join SF State for their 4th annual on-campus Park(ing) Day celebration with multiple locations all over campus the day before official Park(ing) Day. Design and Industry students will create oasis-like spots providing games and relaxation using only recycled or recyclable materials.

Omiiroo Parklet (400 14th St. at Franklin – Oakland)

  • Art & Dance promoted by Walk Oakland Bike Oakland (11a-7p)

Coolsvlle Park – (17th and Broadway – Oakland)

  • PGAdesign Landscape Architects’ 4th annual park features a 1950s Picnic. Grab your cat-eye glasses or Wayfarers, and come by to play croquet, hula hoop, listen to 50s tunes and join us at our picnic table.

Bike Blenders and Hoola Hoops PARKlet (San Pablo at Blake, Berkeley)

  • Blend yourself a delicious bike-blender smoothie, hula-hoop, play hopscotch, or just take your coffee or lunch, relax, and listen to some music with Alta Planning + Design at our third annual Parklet on San Pablo Avenue. Right in front of Sea Salt, and  two doors down from Trieste, one door down from Paisan.