Good morning! Today is Park(ing) Day (Observed). Most banks and post offices are open, but hundreds of New Yorkers across the city are using the holiday to transform parking spaces into whimsical mini "parks." For the uninitiated, Park(ing) Day is an international celebration of alternative street design, which started in 2005 when Rebar, a San Francisco art and design studio, converted a single metered parking space into a temporary public park in downtown San Francisco. Now it's a worldwide phenomenon, and today New Yorkers will transform more than 30 boring parking spots into temporary parks.
Here's a map of all the locations in all five boroughs. Among the attractions:
- Worms of the World, a NYC Compost Project in Queens (Rafferty Triangle, 44th Drive and Jackson Avenue, Long Island City, Queens)
- Shakespeare in the Parking Spot: Works by the Bard performed by Fordham University theater students (9th Avenue at 60th Street, Manhattan)
- "Out With The Sheridan Distress-Way" on Southern Boulevard between Aldus Street and East 163rd Street in the Bronx. Like many Park(ing) Day locations, this spot is focused on alternative street design.
- "Hosh Yoga Park!" on Nassau between Manhattan Avenue and Lorimer in Greenpoint.
If you spend any time relaxing in a Park(ing) Spot today, please send your photos to photos(at)gothamist(dot)com, or tag them "Gothamist" on Flickr. We'll take a nostalgic look back at Park(ing) Day 2011 later today, so stay tuned!
