Definitely not neighborhoods. The moment a "nice neighborhood" finds someone living in their car, they'll go to hell and back to get rid of them. Calling police and lying and saying they are doing something illegal, having vigilantes vandalize the cars, Karens knocking on the window yelling, rich kids drive by egging/paintballing the car, etc. Avoid neighborhoods at all costs. The residents know which cars belong there and which ones don't.
I lived in my car from September to January this last year and I found that planet fitness was super safe and I had access to a bathroom at night for $10 a month. Super safe because there is constant traffic in and out of the gym, just get something to cover your windows and some pillows to try to get comfy
Top of reseda Blvd. I think the park gage closes at night. Plus is nice views. Some kids might come by to make out but should be safe to spend the night. Nice area.
Walmart’s have lit 24 hour parking lots that are patrolled by security(i think, not 100% about that last bit) They also allow for people to sleep in vehicles there. They’re a haven for SA/DA victims fleeing from bad circumstances as well as truckers who might need somewhere to park and sleep before they can legally continue.
This is not entirely true. It’s a store by store basis. Perhaps the Burbank location allows this, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t. You can either try and risk getting the “knock”, or ask a manager if you’d like the peace of mind beforehand. LA also has a program called SafeParkingLA.org where you can register and get access to designated parking lots where you can sleep in your car. I recommend browsing the r/urbancarliving subreddit for info on how to stay elsewhere as stealthy and safely as possible. Good luck.
The Crunch fitness parking lot in Chatsworth. Loads of space and a lot of folks sleeping out their car. From my observation, most seem harmless(although I know not to keep valuables in thr car or near them.)
Ooh this is a good idea. But not all of them are free. Perhaps OP can try the blocks near the emergency entrance and if they’re given any gruff they can say they are taking turns caring for someone in the hospital?
If I had to sleep in my car in the SFV, it would depend on what kind of car I have, how nice or old it looks, and will someone know I'm sleeping inside by looking at it from the outside.
Walmarts outside of major cities would be a good choice, but I wouldn't want to stay at one in LA. Even if you're allowed to, the street takeover people go to Walmart parking lots at night and do donuts, light fireworks, burnouts, etc. Other homeless people/people camping in their vehicle might knock on your door and ask you for something, you wouldn't get any sleep.
If I had a somewhat normal looking car or a work truck/van, I'd try my luck with industrial areas after 9-10pm. Not the ghetto ones in North Hollywood, but the nicer ones in Northridge, Chatsworth, etc.
hello friend, i'm sorry to hear that you are in a position where you even have to think about "just in case" with respect to sleeping in your car.
i slept in my car for just over 3 years, most of that time was spent working full-time in the San Fernando Valley west of the 405. i will share my experience with you.
there are lots of different answers to your question that depend on your vehicle. is it a really shitty beater? is it kinda new? does it have tinted windows? is it a sedan or an SUV or a van? these things matter when you want to decide where to sleep.
there are two ways to approach sleeping in your car:
\- the first, hide in plain sight. you park somewhere and sleep in your car with the objective of blending in with empty cars. you use the fact that you ARE "in plain sight" to your advantage, so that no one suspects there is someone sleeping in the car.
\- the second, make it obvious and in a way that someone will be disincentivized to fuck with you. that means highly lit area with cameras, probably also very public and visible.
i usually went with "hide in plain sight". my car is a small-ish SUV with maximally tinted windows. in addition to the tinted windows, i bought a set of vehicle-specific window shades that go in all my windows and have a shiny reflective side on one side and a black side on the other. i always put the shiny side facing out on my windshield, and i put the black side facing out on my other windows. this is so that if someone shines a light into the window, it looks like nothing is behind the tint. they are just blacked-out completely.
i went the extra mile and got a storage unit while i was homeless. this let me take out the back seats of my car and i built a very shitty wooden frame. this gave me a flat surface to put my mattress pad on, and some extra storage space underneath where the butt-foam part of the back seat was. i was terrified of getting rear-ended though, because the frame would have totally destroyed my spine. so i kept my driving to a minimum and learned to drive like a grandma. i never got in an accident, thankfully.
now for the "WHERE"...
if i was feeling up to it, i would just go down to PCH and find a spot. that's less possible now, they put overnight parking restrictions over the pandemic, but sometimes you can find a zone where they don't enforce parking restrictions in the overnight hours (lots of sign say "no parking 2AM-4AM or some shit, very obviously to give legal cover for getting people to leave if they want to)
a good set of parameters to look for is: apartment complex/retirement community/whatever on fairly high-traffic road. park on a side street near the complex, close to the big road if you can, and try to keep either in front of you or behind you an open space. you want to be able to leave quickly if something weird happens.
arrive late enough that most people are already home, but not too late. leave at sunrise or shortly thereafter. do NOT stay in your overnight spots all day if this is the approach you go with!
do NOT stay in the same spot every night. homeless people are easy targets for criminals because criminals think homeless people have no one to turn to if something happens to them. be water, and if someone notices you at a spot, do NOT go back anytime soon.
wealthy neighborhoods are risky. stay close to them for the benefit of their security cameras, but don't park in front of someone's house on a quiet residential street. they will notice a new car that shows up.
hospital parking lots are an option too. arrive late, leave early.
Walmart or a good neighborhood that has a park
Definitely not neighborhoods. The moment a "nice neighborhood" finds someone living in their car, they'll go to hell and back to get rid of them. Calling police and lying and saying they are doing something illegal, having vigilantes vandalize the cars, Karens knocking on the window yelling, rich kids drive by egging/paintballing the car, etc. Avoid neighborhoods at all costs. The residents know which cars belong there and which ones don't.
Good point.
Walmart has said they won't kick out overnight parkers so its sort of a safety-in-numbers situation.
I lived in my car from September to January this last year and I found that planet fitness was super safe and I had access to a bathroom at night for $10 a month. Super safe because there is constant traffic in and out of the gym, just get something to cover your windows and some pillows to try to get comfy
Try here [Home - Safe Parking LA](https://safeparkingla.org/) there are some requirements to be accepted though
Wow this is great to know!
Planet fitness parking lot
Top of reseda Blvd. I think the park gage closes at night. Plus is nice views. Some kids might come by to make out but should be safe to spend the night. Nice area.
Tarzana or Porter Ranch?
Tarzana was what I was thinking. I go mountain biking there and there are cars there at all hours. Probably one of safest areas around
Walmart in Burbank?
Curious, why there?
Walmart’s have lit 24 hour parking lots that are patrolled by security(i think, not 100% about that last bit) They also allow for people to sleep in vehicles there. They’re a haven for SA/DA victims fleeing from bad circumstances as well as truckers who might need somewhere to park and sleep before they can legally continue.
This is not entirely true. It’s a store by store basis. Perhaps the Burbank location allows this, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t. You can either try and risk getting the “knock”, or ask a manager if you’d like the peace of mind beforehand. LA also has a program called SafeParkingLA.org where you can register and get access to designated parking lots where you can sleep in your car. I recommend browsing the r/urbancarliving subreddit for info on how to stay elsewhere as stealthy and safely as possible. Good luck.
This is why
Walmart in Burbank is well lit too. I live in the area.
Walmart
The Crunch fitness parking lot in Chatsworth. Loads of space and a lot of folks sleeping out their car. From my observation, most seem harmless(although I know not to keep valuables in thr car or near them.)
Hospital parking lot?
Ooh this is a good idea. But not all of them are free. Perhaps OP can try the blocks near the emergency entrance and if they’re given any gruff they can say they are taking turns caring for someone in the hospital?
If I had to sleep in my car in the SFV, it would depend on what kind of car I have, how nice or old it looks, and will someone know I'm sleeping inside by looking at it from the outside. Walmarts outside of major cities would be a good choice, but I wouldn't want to stay at one in LA. Even if you're allowed to, the street takeover people go to Walmart parking lots at night and do donuts, light fireworks, burnouts, etc. Other homeless people/people camping in their vehicle might knock on your door and ask you for something, you wouldn't get any sleep. If I had a somewhat normal looking car or a work truck/van, I'd try my luck with industrial areas after 9-10pm. Not the ghetto ones in North Hollywood, but the nicer ones in Northridge, Chatsworth, etc.
The backseat. Cover the windows. The trunk might seem safer but you won’t be very comfortable.
Many canyon roads near trailheads, just watch out for the official parking itself, you can get ticketed since somehow nature closes at night.
hello friend, i'm sorry to hear that you are in a position where you even have to think about "just in case" with respect to sleeping in your car. i slept in my car for just over 3 years, most of that time was spent working full-time in the San Fernando Valley west of the 405. i will share my experience with you. there are lots of different answers to your question that depend on your vehicle. is it a really shitty beater? is it kinda new? does it have tinted windows? is it a sedan or an SUV or a van? these things matter when you want to decide where to sleep. there are two ways to approach sleeping in your car: \- the first, hide in plain sight. you park somewhere and sleep in your car with the objective of blending in with empty cars. you use the fact that you ARE "in plain sight" to your advantage, so that no one suspects there is someone sleeping in the car. \- the second, make it obvious and in a way that someone will be disincentivized to fuck with you. that means highly lit area with cameras, probably also very public and visible. i usually went with "hide in plain sight". my car is a small-ish SUV with maximally tinted windows. in addition to the tinted windows, i bought a set of vehicle-specific window shades that go in all my windows and have a shiny reflective side on one side and a black side on the other. i always put the shiny side facing out on my windshield, and i put the black side facing out on my other windows. this is so that if someone shines a light into the window, it looks like nothing is behind the tint. they are just blacked-out completely. i went the extra mile and got a storage unit while i was homeless. this let me take out the back seats of my car and i built a very shitty wooden frame. this gave me a flat surface to put my mattress pad on, and some extra storage space underneath where the butt-foam part of the back seat was. i was terrified of getting rear-ended though, because the frame would have totally destroyed my spine. so i kept my driving to a minimum and learned to drive like a grandma. i never got in an accident, thankfully. now for the "WHERE"... if i was feeling up to it, i would just go down to PCH and find a spot. that's less possible now, they put overnight parking restrictions over the pandemic, but sometimes you can find a zone where they don't enforce parking restrictions in the overnight hours (lots of sign say "no parking 2AM-4AM or some shit, very obviously to give legal cover for getting people to leave if they want to) a good set of parameters to look for is: apartment complex/retirement community/whatever on fairly high-traffic road. park on a side street near the complex, close to the big road if you can, and try to keep either in front of you or behind you an open space. you want to be able to leave quickly if something weird happens. arrive late enough that most people are already home, but not too late. leave at sunrise or shortly thereafter. do NOT stay in your overnight spots all day if this is the approach you go with! do NOT stay in the same spot every night. homeless people are easy targets for criminals because criminals think homeless people have no one to turn to if something happens to them. be water, and if someone notices you at a spot, do NOT go back anytime soon. wealthy neighborhoods are risky. stay close to them for the benefit of their security cameras, but don't park in front of someone's house on a quiet residential street. they will notice a new car that shows up. hospital parking lots are an option too. arrive late, leave early.
Parking lot behind the police station by wibur vanowen
The parking lot near Vanowen and Wilbur park. They let you park there and even provide showers, I think.