The best urban campout spots

Photographs by: Stephanie Gussin and Talia Simhi

Crate and Barrel
611 Broadway between Bleecker and W Houston Sts (212-780-0004, crateandbarrel.com)
Sunday, 3pm | Urban campers: 2

Comfort: The second floor is where it’s at. With fewer staff, plus couches, beds, chairs, desks and dining room tables set up like little living areas, it’s easy to get lost in the coziness. 5 of 6

Interference: Loiterers are surprisingly welcome. Exhibit A: When a staff person passed by two dudes chatting on a couch, the men, worried they’d made themselves too comfortable, started to make a move. “No, no! Please! Take your time,” the employee implored. Exhibit B: We ate lunch on a dining room display without turning any heads. 4 of 6

Facilities: The bathrooms on the second floor are clean and regularly maintained. If you walk in with a soppy umbrella, the doorman will provide you with a plastic bag. The kindly staff may also offer you free food from one of the store’s prepackaged products. 5 of 6

Company: Earnest shoppers planning bedroom makeovers or just gabbing populate the second level. It probably wouldn’t be all that difficult to make some new friends. 5 of 6

Longevity: 3–4 hours. To extend your stay, just change environments occasionally. If you time it right, you can crawl under the covers and take a short nap. Tell the staff you’re testing out the merch. They won’t care. —Tatum Fjerstad

Brookstone
16 W 50th St between Fifth and Sixth Aves (212-262-3237, brookstone.com)
Sunday, 1pm | Urban campers: 2

Comfort: A land of vibrating chairs, Tempur-Pedic beds, and handheld neck and back massagers, Brookstone might seem like a comfy, inviting spot. But those under 18 aren’t permitted to test the store’s devices, and with a strict five-minute limit on each item, you need to hurry up and relax, then GTFO. Still, for those few short minutes, it sure feels nice. 1 of 6

Interference: As I attempted to use one of the high-tech massage chairs, I was accosted by two staffers, one training the other. The trainer looked me up and down disbelieving I was of age to use the chair, then she muttered to her trainee, “We have to do a lot of crowd control around here.” Don’t expect to stand in front of something for more than 20 seconds before being asked if you need assistance. 2 of 6

Facilities: There are no bathrooms. As for entertaining yourself, don’t even think about bringing things to do; there isn’t enough room to unpack anything, and interrogation will ensue the second staffers see you making yourself at home. 0 of 6

Company: People of all ages shop here, many to play, a few to purchase. Those on the buying end know what they want and get out. 2 of 6

Longevity: 15 minutes, and that’s being generous. This is a good spot only if your feet are sore from shopping and you need a quick cold-weather break on one of the chairs. —Tatum Fjerstad

Target
139 Flatbush Ave at Atlantic Ave, Fort Greene, Brooklyn (718-290-1109, target.com)
Sunday, 2pm | Urban campers: 3

Comfort: A small window-side area with tables and chairs overlooks oh-so picturesque Flatbush Avenue, but those seats fill up fast. Beyond that, the only places to perch are in the aisles. Be prepared to get stepped over (or possibly on), as the store is constantly crowded with folks piloting big, heavy carts. 2 of 6

Interference: The staff at this particular Target didn’t care much when our team of campers propped up against squishy pillows in the home-goods section and stretched out to read some magazines. Our game of catch in the sporting goods aisle elicited some strange looks from two employees, but no reprimand was to come. The store seems perpetually understaffed, so we’re assuming they have better things to do. 4 of 6

Facilities: Public restrooms run the gamut from quite clean to flat-out nasty. It all depends on when you arrive: the earlier, the cleaner. Both Starbucks and Pizza Hut have outposts if you need a nosh. 3 of 6

Company: The only social interaction you’re likely to have would involve fighting over a spot in the hideously long checkout lines. 1 of 6

Longevity: An hour. You could probably stay longer, but with the crowds and lack of comfy seating, why bother? —Amy Plitt

Marriott Marquis
1535 Broadway at 46th St (212-398-1900, marriott.com)
Thursday, 7pm | Urban campers: 2

Comfort: This level-8 corridor is low on cush, but the high chairs at the tables near the Starbucks are great for leg swinging (who doesn’t like leg swinging?) and there’s a table to lean your elbows on. Plus, no one cares if you take off your shoes and give each other foot massages. 3 of 6

Interference: Provided people assume you’re a tourist (keep that Brooklyn accent hush-hush), you can linger here sans interruption. The hotel’s open 24/7, and as a “paying guest” (ha) it’s your “right” to hang out. 5 of 6

Facilities: Sanitary, spacious bathrooms complete with powder-room couches are 20 feet away. Cell-phone signals are in full force. Eating is completely allowed (though you should bring your snack in from the bodega, unless you want to pay through the nose in the hotel). 4 of 6

Company: After the Starbucks closes (at 2pm daily), the only company you’ll have are the drunk out-of-towners careening toward their rooms. Mind you, that makes for pretty awesome entertainment (on a recent night, we played “count the stiletto teeter-totters”). The glass elevators nearby are also great for gawking—no one can resist making out or picking their nose in an elevator, even when it’s a fishbowl elevator. 3 of 6

Longevity: Infinity. You could stay for days, till your unbathed self stinks enough to get you the boot. Or until this article comes out and ruins it for everyone. —Kate Lowenstein

Barnes & Noble Union Square
33 E 17th St between Broadway and Park Ave (212-253-0810, bn.com)
Sunday, 3pm | Urban campers: 4

Comfort: Metal folding chairs on an already chilly winter bum make for one unhappy loiterer. The carpet’s not much better, so if you’re going to hang here, consider toting along one of those inflatable doughnuts. 2 of 6

Interference: My team plopped down in the classic-literature section on the fourth floor and started a game of Scrabble. We lasted a minute and a half before an employee stormed over: “You can’t just set up that board and play a game right here.” Pointing to the rows of folding chairs for events , I asked, “What about over there?” “Whatever,” she said as she skulked away. 3 of 6

Facilities: The hot cocoa I brought in my handy travel mug ran right through me. I headed down to the third floor to the dingy-looking yet clean bathroom. The automatic flushers actually work and the place is fully stocked—soap, toilet paper and motion-activated paper towel dispensers. And if you’re hungry (or didn’t bring your own hot cocoa ), Starbucks is right past the children’s section. 4 of 6

Company: The crowd seemed annoyed with my friends’ witty banter during our Scrabble tourney. I met their glares with a smile and offered one of them a brownie I’d baked that morning. 2 of 6

Longevity: Until closing. Once we moved to the folding chairs, we were golden. A security guard walked by once, but looked more curious than angry, and he didn’t say a word. —Julia Schweizer

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