Spending the night in a conversion van parked by the East River in Long Island City sounds like part of a horror film, but oh no, it's "an awesome experience" that is being rented out on Airbnb for $99 a night. Yes, that's right. There is a man renting his multiple conversion vans, plus an old taxi and a camper, to tourists (mostly Europeans) on Airbnb. Queens Crap (via New York Shitty) spotted the multiple listings, and they raise so, so many questions. Rates are as cheap as $22 per night, so they make sense from an economical perspective, but what about showers? Bathrooms? Security? Heat and/or AC? Is this some kind of performance art?
It certainly seems real, with many guests answering these questions in their reviews. "Not being able to shower was definitely a negative seeing as New York City isn't very clean so you get dirty easily," wrote one guest. To stay clean, one couple got "creative with a sponge and a bottle of water" while another person used baby wipes. Another downside: sometimes the "Van With a View" has to be moved, so it doesn't have a view. But overall, people inexplicably seem to be really into these vans. Evidently the "adventure" just can't be beat.
For what it's worth, it's completely legal to sleep in a parked car in New York City. But is it legal to rent out a parked car in New York City? Not sure if the state's short term rental laws cover motor vehicles.
UPDATE: This story originally credited DNAinfo with finding these listings, but they were first published on the blog Queens Crap on a tip from the blog New York Shitty. Curbed regrets the error.
· This is what AirBnB allows "regular New Yorkers" to do! [QC]
· Sleep in a Parked Van for $22 a Night with These Airbnb Listings [DNAinfo]
· Beautiful Conversion Sleep Van [Airbnb]
· Van With a View [Airbnb]
· All Airbnb coverage [Curbed]
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