A lush green park jutting out of Main Street, lined with trees, tall grasses and yellow flowers, caused cars to honk, tourists to snap pictures and pedestrians to do a double take Friday.

"What is it?" asked Bret Cali, as he watched nearby on his pedicab.

The temporary park at 350 S. Main in Salt Lake turned heads during the lunch rush hours. Covering two metered parking stalls with sod, plants and chairs, the park was a feature of (PARK)ing day, an international grassroots movement started in San Francisco in 2005.

The Salt Lake installment, the only one in the Intermountain West, was organized by architects IBI Group, right outside their 10 Exchange Place office. This marks the third year (PARK)ing Day has been celebrated in the capital city.

"There are three things to do here. One, celebrate parks and the open environment. Second, to challenge how we use streets. And third, and most important, is to have fun," said Mark Puddy, landscape architect with IBI.

By turning a concrete jungle into a green oasis, IBI aims to educate people about urban open spaces. (PARK)ing day raises awareness about the multi-use of streets, using them not just for driving but for walking, biking and, as was the case Friday, celebrating. The hope is to encourage people to find a travel option other than being behind the wheel.

As some stopped for lunch on the spot and others threw around a football, Gemma Gough let her pug, Daisy, romp in the grass.

"It's such a peaceful way to silently inspire," Gough, a Salt Lake City resident, said of the project. "I would never bring my dog to the city because there are no open spaces. It questions the way we plan cities and inspires urban change."

Passers-by Friday all wanted to know the same thing: Will Salt Lake's downtown have parks like this in the future?

"It looks beautiful," added Cali, owner of Stick Dog Pedicabs. "In a city like Salt Lake where the air is not very clean, the fewer the cars, the better."

"It's different to see some greenery downtown. I love seeing grass in the city," said Jacob Glauser, a Salt Lake resident who works at Jagged Edge Salon.

"Let's get rid of the parking lots and put in more grass and trees," said Tabitha Wilson, Glauser's co-worker, who bikes to work.

Kendall Hill came searching for the display on his lunch break. Hill, an Eagle Mountain resident, runs the blog "Confessions of a Bike Junkie" and wanted to blog about the message (PARK)ing Day promotes.

"Car drivers probably think of it as we're annoying them. But there are more people on the streets than just them," Hill said.

IBI collaborated with ValleyCrest Landscape, Biograss Sod Farms and Progressive Plants to set up the mini parking space park. The grass will be donated to a Utahn in need of yard cover.