LONG ISLAND CITY, Queens — Chris Farley predicted it as motivational speaker Matt Foley on Saturday Night Live.
Farley used to say that people would end up “Living in a van down by the river.”
Now, thanks to Airbnb, people in New York are doing just that.
It’s a way to experience the Manhattan skyline without paying top dollar, Queens Crap first reported.
The Airbnb host Jonathan didn’t get back to us in time for air, but according to the website he has several conversion vans and a converted taxi available for rent starting at $22 per night.
“It sounds like a lot of fun. Actually it’s surprising that no one has come up with the idea sooner,” said Joshua Clark who works in Long Island City.
And with sky-high prices in New York City hotels out-of-town visitors say they’d consider converting to the conversion van for their next visit.
“People are always looking for inexpensive places to stay. I suppose if I didn’t have somebody to stay with, I’d look into it,” said Barry Zalph from Louisville, Kentucky.
Sure the vans are small but not much smaller than many micro apartments in New York. The host reminds customers that they can take full advantage of the space by storing luggage in the front seat, but you’ll have to find another place to go to the bathroom and shower.
“New Yorkers tend to be pretty good about finding where there’s free restrooms anyway,” said Clark.
Wednesday we found the vans parked on a secluded street in Long Island City without the views promised in the Airbnb ads. But since they’re vans it wouldn’t be hard to change that in just a few minutes. So far most Airbnb users seem to be pretty happy with their experience.
“The van was incredible! It was an experience completely different from anything I’ve done before and probably will do again,” said Airbnb user Daniel.
“The views from the van were absolutely amazing. The van is parked in a nice area right next to a park and the toilets are literally across the road, although they close at 10pm,” user David wrote in a review.
So, while you might have a hard time figuring out how to shower, you won’t have to worry about the cops giving you a hard time.
Sleeping in your car is legal in New York, however you will still have to pay attention to those parking regulations.
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