Pretty Dreams

Rainbow Hallway off Building 6 (Physics Department I think)

Overview: quiet-ish, aesthetically pleasing, fairly empty (not highest on comfort level)

Closest Lecture Halls: 6-120

Sorry it's been so long since my last sleeping spot update! Sadly IAP ended and now my schedule involves fewer one hour gaps, which means more time sleeping back in my own dorm rather than in public. 

Before IAP ended, I did get the chance to catch some Z's in the hallway off building 6, which I still do not know the proper name for. All I know is that the hallway is geometric and rainbowy. There aren't really any comfy chairs to sleep on here, but I believe there is a bench and also there are some comfortable windows. I just laid down on the floor... but I suppose that is a preference thing. If you have a puffy winter coat or bag then it's not an uncomfortable position.

I would say the greatest benefits of this spot are its location, looks, and emptiness. This is a remarkably empty place for something that is so close to the infinite. Even on weekdays during busy class hours, there are still only a few people lingering and eating lunch or something. Not too too many judgmental looks at the person laying on the ground, plus it's not like they're going to judge you too harshly if they are a fellow MIT student. I know I wouldn't.

Additional plus for this room: you may have geometric rainbow dreams! :D

Sad Experience Sleeping Off MIT Campus

Before I came to MIT, I never ever ever slept in public. I hadn't even thought of that as a thing that I might someday do..... until first semester.

Now sleeping around campus is a normal thing for me. You're working on a pest, or trying really hard to read 8.02 course notes, and you start to fade a little. So naturally you whip out your puffy winter coat and make a pillow on the nearer surface to your head: be it table, floor or laptop keyboard (would not recommend). Lights out in a matter of seconds.

Unfortunately, sad things happen when you leave the MIT campus. For example: did you know that it is strictly against the Boston Public Library Policy to sleep anywhere in the library???!! Yeah, me neither... Until I was woken up by a trained security guard patrolling the shelves. One of the ones whose job is to search for those of us who are serious slackers. And there I was peacefully sleeping, thinking that the security guards were there to make sure people didn't steal books :( Sad sad panda.......

Just goes to show.... MIT is a truly unique place. And be careful when you try to go about your normal routines when you leave the comfort and understanding of campus.

LEAST FAVORITE SLEEPING SPOT IN BOSTON AREA: BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
MOST EFFECTIVE STUDYING SPOT IN BOSTON AREA: BOSTON PUBLIC LIBRARY
.....probably just a coincidence....or not

Code of Sleeper Ethics

This post is a little different from the typical favorite sleeping spots list.
As I was pondering over new places to sleep, a sad little thought came to my mind: there may be people out there who do not particularly enjoy having students sleep in places where they ought not to. So in order to not have crowds of people forever ruining my favorite sleeping spots I am publishing this rules and responsibilities code below.... for those who are smart enough to get into MIT, but not necessarily filled with the most common sense.

With great power (ability to sleep anywhere) comes great responsibility:

THE SLEEPER CODE OF ETHICS:

1. If you are with a large crowd of people, make it your goal to take up as little room as possible. Or even consider splitting up and finding separate places to sleep. It's not like you're going to be socializing that much anyways.
2. When setting alarms to wake yourself up, have some common courtesy. DO NOT SET YOUR ALARM TO TSWIFT AT TOP VOLUME IF YOU ARE SLEEPING IN A LIBRARY OR STUDYING PLACE! This is without a doubt the most embarrassing thing for you, and obnoxious for everyone else. If you haven't noticed MIT is a place where people take studying very seriously, do not disrupt people with an alarm, especially a catchy one that will get stuck in their heads instead of the needed math formulae. It is possible to get your alarm to be a vibration or a quiet friend who wakes up on time. Basically try to never use alarms. Figure it out.
3. Attempt to refrain from drooling on public property....please. I understand it can be difficult. One favorite technique is to sleep with your hand under your face/mouth so you do not get spit on everything. Please. We do not want your flu.
4. Try not to sleep where there are many students working diligently. They will hate you. And nobody wants that.
5. Go with the scouting code: leave no trace. Do not put your shoes on couches and leave mud or nastiness for someone else to clean. Leave your favorite sleeping place better than it was when you found it, so that you can preserve some of the nice spots on campus.

All in all... just use common sense/courtesy. You're here at MIT, you're really smart, you know what's dumb or not dumb to do. Please don't lose sleeping on campus for everyone else out there.
Thanks!

MIT Music Library

Lewis Music Library
14E-109
Overview: extremely quiet, comfortable full-body chairs, fairly empty
Closest Lecture Halls: 54-100, 6-120

If you've ever gone to sleep in Hayden then you should know by now that it's a decent resting place; but the spots by the windows tend to fill up quickly and the chairs aren't super designed for sleeping. A pleasant alternative to Hayden is the MIT Music Library which is just next door. It's a small, not as well-known library where it is so quiet that you could hear a pin drop; which would never happen because it would disrupt the silence. But the main attraction for this spot is the comfortable chairs. The library has this row of high back chairs with just a slight tilt to them. They're like wide bus seats and they are incredibly comfortable. If sleeping in an up-right position is not your cup of tea then have no fear. Fortunately, these chairs are in a slightly curved row so that you can lay across two in a comfortable sleeping position.  My only recommendation is that if you are planning on finding a napping spot with a large group of friends you should probably go somewhere else. This is a relatively small library where people may go to actually get work done. Twenty sleeping bodies taking up all the favorite chairs....... well........ that may be considered "suboptimal" (to quote a friend)

Women's Lounge

Margaret Cheney Room
3-310 
Overview: Women only, couches, very warm, requires card access
Closest Lecture Hall: 10-250 

The first on the list is a favorite among our group. The women's lounge or Margaret Cheney room is a hangout spot for women only, hence the name (Sorry guys). It's located on the third floor above the infinite close to Lobby 7, and was one of our first ventures into sleeping on campus. To this day it is still an extremely good option, especially if you have class over in 10-250. We heard rumors about a lounge for women via some emails and decided to look for it one day. My roommate and I actually had the wrong room number at first, so when looking for the women's lounge we went to room 3-301 which is a women's bathroom..... to say the least we were a little disappointed. But eventually we found the right place. The room is accessible with key card access which is easy to get. You just need to email aeerwin@mit.edu I think and say that you are a female MIT student. (Also just to clarify in case this was unclear, if you are a boy you cannot use the Margaret Cheney Room. So please do not try to email and ask for access, they will figure out that you are not a girl.) The lounge consists of several rooms: a bathroom with locker room and shower, a kitchen, a study room, and most importantly a living room filled with couches for sleeping.

Warning:
If you've ever heard the story of Odysseus and the Lotus Eaters..... well that's what I usually associate with the Margaret Cheney Room. Basically the gist of the story is that Odysseus and his men are trying to get home and along the way they stop on this island. Some of the men eat the food and cannot bear to leave. Everyone just wants to stay on the island, sleep, eat, and dream for the rest of their lives. Well.... that's the danger of the Margaret Cheney room. It's warm and tends to be filled with sleeping bodies, you can often lose your sense of self and forget all the work you may have had to do. Friendly tip: do not go to sleep in the Margaret Cheney room if you only have about 20mins to take a power nap. It's just not gonna happen. 

Welcome to MIT Sleep

A lot of people say that MIT students do not get a lot of sleep, but I would disagree with this. MIT students get just as much sleep as the typical students, the difference is that it's not usually in their own beds... at least not for me. When you live in Next house and have awkward 1hr breaks between classes you start to discover that there are places around campus that are basically as comfortable as your own bed, and let's be honest.... after five hours of sleep you can essentially sleep anywhere. 

So this is a blog where my friends and I will be exploring the best places to sleep around campus and ranking them based on various components of "sleepability"

more yet to come......