Central Park Poster and Awards

Look for this poster or a version of it in print and around Capitol Hill in the coming weeks! Counting the organizers behind the event, we currently have ten parks registered (profiles coming soon) and have lots of emails out trying to find more participants. If you're interested, let us know.


[image by morgan greenseth]

And if occupying the lot for a day isn't good enough, what about the chance to win a super-secret trophy AND $200 as the grand prize? Gifts donated by local businesses such as Gamma Ray Games, Spine and Crown, and Victrola (and more...) will be awarded to runner up parks around the city.

Park #5, Michael Smith of Castanes Architecture

Thanks to Michael Smith of Castanes Architects for submitting his registration form to be the fifth park in the Park(ing) Day central park. His firm is known for quality architecture ranging from hand-twisted iron fences (I live in this building), to high-visibility remodels, to beautiful stand-alone houses, and we're excited to see what Mike does with his park!

Park #4, Office Nomads

Office Nomads sent in their registration form last night, making them the fourth park confirmed for Park(ing) Day. If you've never been to their great co-working space, I suggest you check it out; the co-working park they're creating for Park(ing) Day will give you an idea of what their small business is all about. Already work in an office? Well, that's okay, because Sustainable Capitol Hill often meets there and is open to everyone.

Park #3, Capitol Hill Housing

Earlier today I received a completed registration form for our third Park(ing) Day park from Capitol Hill Housing. I probably don't need to explain what they do but I'll borrow a quote from their website just in case you haven't heard of them:

Capitol Hill Housing is an affordable housing provider that has been in existence for 33 years. We now own 42 buildings in Seattle concentrated mostly in the diverse and vibrant Capitol Hill neighborhood.

We are dedicated to providing clean and affordable apartments where individuals and families can comfortably exist in an increasingly cost prohibitive urban environment.

I'm very glad to have them as participants in our central park!

The Parking Lots Were Alive!

At 15th and Pine, Gert's made its first showing, a few months after I first heard the lot owners were interested in street food vendors.



Unfortunately, this spot is a bit off the beaten path but I was happy to see some folks stopping in. I also understand that Marination Mobile had considered setting up on this lot but decided against it, in part because of its location. Perhaps Gert's reputation for excellent barbeque will be enough to get people to walk a little further than usual?

Next up is Cap to the Hill's 500 E Pine Party. I snapped the quick photo below but you can see some better ones by Matt Hickey on Line Out (as well as some commentary about the actual event).


And speaking of the actual event, I went down but the line was crazy so I just took a few photos over the fence. The projected photo of the old block was great:


And the inconveniently long line that turned at least five people, including myself, away.


The turnout inside Havana looked great; lots of people, some of them dancing. The part outside that was supposed to be the old block was a little less active but it probably livened up after I left: the line was still long and people were hopping the fence to get in.

Unfortunately, the real 500 block of E Pine still looked like this earlier today:

Second Park Confirmed

Just received another registration form from a group of three landscape architects from Portland -- Lisa Town, Jason King, and Brett Milligan -- who are joining our Park(ing) Day event. Three professional designers in one park promises to result in an interesting installation. Welcome!

First Park Confirmed

SVR Design, a local integrated design service that specializes in civil engineering, landscape architecture, planning, and environmental restoration, is the first group to return their Park(ing) Day Application. We are happy to have representatives from a firm with a reputation for commitment to innovation and sustainability!