Sleeping in my car...

August 10, 2010 8:39 AM

I am driving out to Newport, RI next week. I plan on sleeping in my car and would like to know if there are any safe, quiet places (with a nearby public bathroom or 24hour diner) to park at night in Newport or around there?
posted by likeapen to Travel & Transportation around Newport, RI (8 answers total)

Anywhere where there is a lot of beach traffic will be difficult to park in during the summer. Part of the question, I suppose, is exactly what sleeping in your car entails. Will you be sitting uright asleep, or will you be in pajamas and crashed out in the back? I know that sleeping in your car near the area of Horseneck Beach [over the border in MA] is problematic since there are no vehicles really around and you'd be conspicuous. There also aren't rest stops that you can sleep in in New England the way there are in many other states. Your best bet would be to find a hotel/motel with a parking lot someplace midrange like possibly the Best Western. They'd have wifi and a lobby restroom as long as you didn't act too conspicious. I'd be somewhat careful though, as I said, beach communities in New England are sort of tough for this sort of thing. You might also want to check out the Couchsurfing MeFi community [or community at large] to see if people have advice.
posted by jessamyn at 8:48 AM on August 10, 2010

My experience says the chances of you being noticed by the cops and asked to move along straight out of town is high. Newport cops don't have a high tolerance for loitering.
posted by cocoagirl at 9:12 AM on August 10, 2010

RI seems to have a lot of restricted street parking. I live in Providence, and friends' cars have been ticketed even after I called in and got permission for street parking. And Newport is generally more tightly wound than Providence due to the tourists.
posted by GenjiandProust at 9:16 AM on August 10, 2010

There are most certainly rest stops in New England along I95.
posted by micawber at 9:45 AM on August 10, 2010

True, but you're not allowed to park overnight in the ME, CT, NH or MA ones and it's seriously enforced. You can park overnight in the RI Welcome Center which is only available northbound and pretty far from Newport.
posted by jessamyn at 10:01 AM on August 10, 2010

Walmart lets people park their campers overnight in their parking lots.

I would try the Newport RI Walmart:
Walmart
199 Connell Highway
Newport, RI 02840-1091
[phone]
posted by zia at 10:38 AM on August 10, 2010

Newport Grand Slots (150 Admiral Kalbfus Road) has a huge free parking lot, but I've haven't seen it anywhere near full. I'm sure there are always cars parked there, if you park on the outskirts of the crowd you'll blend in and probably won't be disturbed.
posted by illenion at 10:46 AM on August 10, 2010

anywhere not actually in Newport will probably be fine. From downtown head north on RI rt. 114 out to Middletown; it's more suburb-y, with plenty of strip malls etc. to park at. There's a cinema out that way which isn't 24-hour but is open pretty late for bathroom breaks.

The Wal-Mart parking lot mentioned above should be fine too. I think there's a 24-hour Dunkin Donuts down near there somewhere.
posted by xbonesgt at 1:35 PM on August 10, 2010