apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I know that in Philadelphia, back in the day before air conditioners, people used to sleep on their front stoop or fire escape. In some old photos, front doors would be left wide open, with a sleeping man spawled across the entrance. Times have certainly changed since then.

only in a private backyard or balcony, not a public space.

Not in an area that wasn't designated for such activity, but several years ago I did camp in a city park in Ottawa that had a campground within it. It was very nice, well maintained, and across the street from the Parliament buildings. Convenient and cheap way for college students to enjoy a lovely city.

I have a friend who lives and works in Midtown, Atlanta, and he often goes to a small park in an upscale residential area and has a lunchtime nap. He's never had any incidents, but I'd never do anything like that.

yes, i do in my balcony. nothing can beat the breeze on a cool night

Ummm. No. It's DC. Sleep on the balcony or rooftop maybe, but not in the park. I'd be afraid I'd 1) be robbed 2) raped 3) robbed 4) murdered 5) arrested.

I would NOT sleep outside in DC!

Also, it's Adams Morgan, not Adam's Morgan... ;)

I camped one summer at a campground right in Dijon, France with a 10 minute walk to the city center. I would never do that in Boston though.

Too noisy & allergies!

I think I *could* if I had to, but I've always had lots and lots of air conditioning, so I wouldn't say I've ever *needed to*, Bob.

Not in Meridian Hill Park. You're likely to wake up with a bunch of syringes sticking to your butt.

No way. Back when my mom lived in DC, she'd have to walk by this park and she would get rocks thrown at her. So messed up.

Hell to the no! I wouldn't feel safe at all. Not to mention rats! Plus, I'm a light sleeper and can't sleep without my fan in the background.

Meridian Hill Park is not safe after dark. Even during the day, there are still plenty of shady characters.

I have to concur with ltblmr about getting robbed/raped/robbed again/murdered/arrested parts. Perhaps it was doable 150 years ago when live in DC was a bit more genteel, but not now!

Back in college I slept on the sidewalk near Washington Square Park. It was with a group of students to raise awareness for homelessness and it was mid-October I think. Really cold and uncomfortable. I don't think I got much sleep at all, but it was a really interesting experience.

There's no way I'd sleep outside in DC. My apartment in Adams Morgan was so sketchy I didn't really feel safe sleeping behind locked doors, never mind outside or on a balcony. If the criminals don't get you, the rats will.

25 summers ago (or so) I stayed in Providence between school years and slept out one night on our second-floor porch. Nobody bothered me except my roommate, who locked the door to that porch. When I woke up around 1 am needing to use the bathroom, I was faced with jumping down to the first floor (because the key only worked in that front door), breaking a window, or shouting loudly enough to wake my roommate and most of the neighbors. After about a half hour, hanging halfway off the porch but never daring to jump, and many thoughts about what Nancy Drew would have done in this situation (why did she never have to pee, though?), I finally woke my roommate.

There's a huge park up the street from my apartment, but I've seen way too many critters of all kinds at night. So no sleeping outside for me!

i live 3 blocks this park, which is officially called Meridian Hill Park, but everyone calls it Malcolm X park. It is easily one of my favorite places in DC.

It's true that it's not safe after dark, but I think that's pretty much true for all public parks. It's in a relatively safe part of DC, across the street from mansions and luxury apartment buildings.

Please add me to the ranks of ltblmr, Mainer, monica and elisabeth mae.
I too, would not like to be raped/killed/etc. Scared enough in my SE condo with the doors locked.

Folks sleep outdoors on park benches all the time in Tokyo and are never robbed or otherwise bothered...

...its shameful that in the "Land of the Free & Home of the Brave" folks are fearful in their own homes much less outdoors.

I've taken naps in a couple different parks around town, but I wouldn't dream of sleeping there at night.

Many of the row houses in my neighborhood on Capitol Hill have some form of what my parents refer to as 'sleeping porches' which, when screened in to keep mosquitoes at bay, are remarkably comfortable.

These porches, in addition to balconies and the growing number of rooftop decks around town are a much safer option than sleeping on a park bench.

i've done that in tokyo, when i was a teenager.
but i would never do that in chicago where i live now, too dangerous!

ha. i think not. who knows where or if i'd wake up? too many crazies looking for an opportunity.

Here in NYC, it really seems like it's never been safer than now, but to tempt fate like that? I'd rather not contribute to the kind of statistics that used to make NYC scarier by basically handing ammunition over to the bored youngsters, which sleeping outdoors would do.

i always worry about this. i like to plan where i would sleep, what stoop i would stake out if i was homeless. i saw a troupe of homeless men sleeping on the hvac ducts no the east side of the EPA last winter. i guess in cold weather they blow hot air. that's the kind of street smarts you need to sleep outside...

If we're too scared of each other to sleep outside, it's a sign that something is really wrong in our culture.

Pistachio, I do that same thing!!
I know pretty much the safe hiding places I would go to if I became homelsess. The warm spots, the cool spots.


(hope it doesn't happen to either of us)

I live a block away from Malcolm X Park and walk my dog there every morning.. there are lots of people who do sleep in that park at night, but it probably wouldn't be me. If you do have to sleep somewhere public though, I can think of a lot worse places. The park is pretty big and you could probably tuck yourself in somewhere unnoticed if you had to.