The creator of the “Community Conversations” pop-up park on E Pike said she had an ulterior motive for participating in Park(ing) Day 2014 — she’s new in town and looking to make friends! Stop by! (Image: CHS)

The CHS newsmobile gets a tune-up on E Pike thanks to Bikeworks and Pronto (Image: CHS)

UPDATE: Free bagels and books at one parklet, Couchfest movies at another on 12th Ave. Free conversations and bike tune-ups on E Pike. Free groovy soul on 10th Ave. CHS toured the Capitol Hill Park(ing) Day 2014 pop-up parks Friday afternoon and found a few sections of street filled with feet — and couches, turf, tables, chairs, plus plants. Arielle Lawson told CHS she’s new to the city and setting up a conversation-focused Park(ing) Day park in front of Cupcake Royale was part of her secret strategy to find new friends and get to know Capitol Hill. At the Pronto-sponsored park on E Pike in front of Caffe Vita, they weren’t letting anybody ride the bike share bike, yet, but you could sit and get your picture taken. On 10th Ave in front of the Odd Fellows building, they didn’t really care what you did as long as you climbed up on the pedestals. “Dance,” Marc McGuane invited a few visitors to his Soul Patch pop-up creation. What brought the designer to Capitol Hill to create his Park(ing) Day park? “I just wanted somewhere with some foot traffic,” he said. “And someplace they wouldn’t mind some music.”

Park(ing) Day was born in San Francisco. But the Seattle tradition of celebrating creative use of public streets with tiny “pop-up parks” got its start on Capitol Hill. This year in Seattle, Friday’s event will feature 50 or more of these pocket parks on the streets of neighborhoods across the city — including six on Capitol Hill and another on First Hill. Details on the parks and more, below. We’ll also be out and about on Friday to get a few pictures and notes from the day. Smile.

Harris in 2009 (Image: CHS)

The first Seattle Park(ing) Day took place in 2009 along E Pine — off the street, it turns out.  Urban planner Keith Harris helped turn the People’s Parking Lot — a gravel-covered dirt parcel left empty as a developer waited to build the six-story building that stands there today — into the first home for the Seattle version of the event. There were some lean years in between with low participation but the event has grown into a much bigger deal in 2014.

It has also helped lead to more long-lasting experiments in urban space with the creation of the first parklet in Seattle on Capitol Hill in 2012. More in the area will follow.

“PARK(ing) Day 2014 falls on the last day of the Seattle Design Festival,” the city crows about this year’s day. “The festival team is organizing awards for PARK(ing) Day pop-up parks in several categories, which will be announced on social media and at the Seattle Design Festival’s closing party.”

Here’s a look at the city’s Park(ing) Day 2014 parks and a roster of those around the Hill. Planning an off-the-map effort? Let us know.

View larger map

Images of Capitol Hill Park(ing) Days past (Images: CHS)