Prospect Park: NYC's Car Camping Gem

Friday, October 18, 2024

7:51 p.m.

Brooklyn, New York City, New York

I know defecating in a bag and eating salad out of a frying pan may not sound like the best evening to anyone, but the 25-cent restroom at Grand Army Plaza was out of commission, and I couldn’t muster enough pucker to make it to McDonald’s another five blocks past my truck. Life in the big city. Well, at least my version,

My rendition puts me in Brooklyn, on the northern end of Flatbush, near Ocean Avenue, at the confluence of Prospect Heights, Crown Heights, and Park Slope. The area borders “Little Caribbean,” the largest and most diverse community of its kind outside the West Indies—home to more stuffed and stewed fish than you can shake a stick at. Snapper and cod aside, this area takes the cake (black cake that is) for boondocking around these parts. For those who don’t mind roughing it a bit to NYC on the cheap, Prospect Park is a must.

Parking

Most of the best places to remain stationary for a few days are on the sides of the streets closest to the park, meaning it would behoove you to drive clockwise around Prospect Park. However, you can’t—Prospect Park West only goes one way. To be honest, pulling a U-turn in the middle of the street isn’t the worst idea. Just be sure a cop doesn’t see you do it, especially if you have out-of-state plates.

This ¾-mile stretch between Grand Army Plaza and Ocean Avenue has no residences lining it, meaning privacy for the car camping type. If you’re looking for GPS point, enter “Brooklyn Botanical Garden” or (roughly) 415 Flatbush Avenue. The side of the street nearest Prospect Park fills up quickly. The northbound side is a different story. Cars are few and far between, and typically, it’s semi-trucks and car haulers.

In my experience, you’d be fine coming here to find parking on this stretch at any time of the day or night, but U-turns are better after dark. The only restriction for the northbound lane is “No Standing” from 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. Monday through Friday. On the southbound side, the street cleaner comes in from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m., Tuesday through Friday. But judging from the broken glass under a parked 52-foot trailer, it doesn’t seem like they’re bothered if you don’t move.

Sleeping

Each time I’ve been there, at least a dozen other folks have been sleeping, whether in their cars or on benches, for the night or indefinitely. So, staying a couple of nights won’t raise any eyebrows. Contrary to what most car camping folks do, for a slightly better night of sleep, pick the northbound side of Flatbush. There are fewer streetlights (though still plenty), fewer people walking on that sidewalk, no benches to occupy, and, critically, no bike lane.

On the southbound side, delivery drivers are blasting down the bike lane all night, sandwiching you between the wheezy whine of a 49cc motor and 24-hour road traffic. But it isn’t just the noise. The first time I was here, at 3:30 a.m., two delivery drivers decided to sit on my back bumper, have a drink, a smoke, a 20-minute jam session, and a long and loud conversation in Spanish. I was just happy I seemed so welcoming.

With parking on the northbound side, there is a caveat. It’s best to park another car somewhere behind you—within three car lengths or so. People fly down that street, and I’d rather have a barrier in between my head at the back liftgate while I’m sleeping and the Nissan Altima trying to speed around a cab driver phoning his cousin in the other hemisphere. Also, mind the stoplight in the middle of the stretch of road next to the zoo entrance. Traffic will pile up, and driversby can look over into your vehicle and see just how much advantage you’re taking of this city—frying pan salad and all.

Restrooms

Fortunately, there are many restroom options, irrespective of this post’s first sentence. Planet Fitness is within eyeshot when you’re at the corner of Ocean Avenue and Flatbush. Regrettably, it’s not a 24-hour spot, and it closes at 7:00 p.m. on the weekend.

It’s not too shabby of a place over here at the Planet Fitness at 495 Flatbush Avenue; nothing to write home about—I’ve been to worse in the southeast. Here, it seems people aren’t hanging out, grunting loudly, and Snapchatting their biceps, which is a good thing to see—people are acting somewhat normally. Also, it’s one of the few places to fill up a water container easily. Otherwise, you’ll be dealing with typical water fountains and the mess and annoyance that brings.

The McDonalds around the corner at 57 Empire Boulevard also has a bathroom. Not what a first-timer would expect. They’re serious about their business here—clean and efficient. However, don’t confuse the “Open 24 Hours” with the walk-in experience. Indoor hours for this and most others are 6:00 a.m. to 1:00 a.m.

The Brooklyn Botanical Garden's bathrooms are open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., which seems true year-round, as long as the gardens are open. Prospect Park is open until 1:00 a.m., but don’t count on the portable lavatories dotting the perimeter; they’re zip-tied shut.

Transportation

Unless you want to walk through more traffic than it’s worth, it's best to take the Subway from the Prospect Park stop. From the street, you won’t see it. It’s just past the B41 bus stop, right beside a place called “Heron Couture,” which I read as “heroin culture” and thought it was a throwback to the 90s.

The Prospect Park stop (not to be confused with Prospect Avenue) with the B, Q, and S lines is in a building itself. Atlantic Terminal is only two stops north, and from there you’ll be able to go anywhere else worth visiting (or not visiting).

Food

Now, this isn’t Times Square. You won’t find a halal cart at every street corner around here—this is a bit more of a residential experience. There’s a smattering of fast food within a few blocks of Prospect Park. If you’re unsure where one is after midnight, just follow the Doordashers to where they crowd at Wendys, which is open 24 hours (like McDonald's), but only the drive-thru. It seems to me it’s also a walk-thru.

But for those looking for less-plasticky options, if you walk a few blocks into Little Caribbean or Little Haiti, there’s a wealth of fruits, vegetables, interesting meats, and exotic snacks. That is, when I’m not pinching pennies and eating salad out of a frying pan. Next time, I’ll leave the leftovers at home at a stop at Western Beef, which, from the looks of their flyers melted into the sidewalk on Empire, has some pretty good deals on produce. Next time, I'll swap a salad for some roadside curry goat and make the Big Apple look like the Big Ackee.