A five-block line of vehicles stretched through a Southeast Portland neighborhood Sunday afternoon as drivers waited for a chance to demonstrate one of driving’s most dreaded maneuvers: parallel parking.
Hundreds showed up to watch, including nearby neighbors, dog walkers and passersby curious why so many people had gathered to watch a person park a car. Some settled into folding chairs. Others stood in the cool shade beneath a broad canopy of trees. A few arrived wearing traffic cones strapped to their heads.
The attraction was Portland’s second annual Parallel Parking Competition, staged on the street outside Daniel Lyman’s home near Southeast Pine Street and Southeast 29th Avenue. The event was born from a random, nonchalant conversation between Lyman and his best friend, Stefanie Lynch…