About the significance bit: You have said that you go to the park to play frisbee games with your friends. How about going to the park to play chess with your friends or total strangers?
I don't know how popular playing chess outside is in the States but when I lived in Munich, there were many places to play. There was one place just outside a subway station that had these huge chess boards in the street with enormous pieces, and early in the evenings there was always a crowd watching to see the games being played. Of course, arguments would always break out about what the next best move was, etc. Great times.
