On Friday, Downtown Dallas Parking Spots Became Downtown Dallas Parks.
On Friday, for the second year in a row, Dallas participated in the Park(ing) Day event that turns metered, downtown parking spots into temporary green urban spaces.
It was quite the sight to see: Sprawling up and down Main Street, over 50 parking spots were turned into wholly new spaces — among them a bookstore, a dog park, a yoga studio, an art studio, a knitting area, a soccer field, a nail salon and, courtesy of us here at Central Track, a gym.
Also out on Main Street — in the Main Street Garden Park specifically — and in tandem with the revamped parking spots out on the road, the fifth annual Dallas Green Fest featured vendors and artists also advocating for a greener city.
Things reached their peak during lunch hour, as downtown workers came down from their high-rise offices to play some free games, to check out the bands performing in temporary venues and to enjoy lunch in the green parks.
Then, at 7 p.m., it all came to an end. The green spaces turned back gray, returned to their normal, boring metered parking states.
It was kind of a sad moment. But a stoic reminder of what just had been hours prior, and, perhaps, what could be in years to come.