Good places to crash at night

[brownbear]

Recently when I've been hitching and exploring alternative methods of transportation and I need a place to crash I try to find a good rooftop or high spot that would take some effort getting up onto to ensure safety (recently I've been sleeping on the tops of strip malls or fast food places). The woods are good, I know, but I think I prefer urban areas just because I've had the most experience finding good spots in cities.

My question for all of you is: when you're traveling, what are some good places (urban environments) you go to crash, maybe places that are a bit safer than the streets?

[brakos]

I overnight a lot at the airport in Seattle, and sometimes Portland. Should work in most other big cities too.*
Great place if you can blend in, don't have too much stuff (my 50L backpack and/or shoulder bag is all I carry), and can be out of there around 5am (tip: put a post-it note on your bag or clothes that says "Wake me up at 5am" people will wake you up then.) Several airports also offer free wifi (I know Seattle and Portland do), which is a nice bonus.
I've only been bothered once (out of 50-60 nights) by security as to whether I was flying in or out. Usually if you say you just flew in from another big city (my go-to is Houston, I'm usually wearing a Texans ballcap) and you're just waiting for public transit to start running, they'll be ok with it.

*I've heard the northeast airports are very unfriendly to people spending the night there, but it's just hearsay.

[brownbear]

I've never thought about airports, but now that you mention it, it seems like one of the most safe ideas yet -- you have benches to lie on, a roof over your head, and even security, for good measure.

Anyone have any others to share? I'll be traveling a lot more frequently now and suggestions for places to crash other than the woods or the roof would be really great.

Has anyone tried to overnight it in stairwells or public libraries or other public places, for instance? And if so, do you get flushed out easily?

[Savagehoc]

I am off subject a little on this one but I want to respond to the northeast airports being unfriendly to people spending the night. Obviously you can't classify all northeastern people as being unfriendly but overall it is much more unfriendly in the northeast. I spent well over 20 years of my life in the northeast(37 years old now) and have traveled through most of the lower 48 states and the northeast is unfriendly as a whole. I am not trying to generalize but the northeast is the most unfriendly to me. I am in Colorado now and would never move back to the northeast. I went on a visit last October to the northeast to see family and as much as I enjoyed seeing family, I found it to be unfriendly. Was glad to get back to Colorado.

[Roaddog]

When I hitchhiked around, I preferred to sleep outside the city. But if caught in a town or city, I would find some bushes that hid me and sleep there. Once, in Key West, I actually slept in the thick bushes right in front of someone's house. The trick is that you look at it and determine if you can be seen while laying down or not.