Tent City Survival Basics

Bring ID: They won’t let you in without it.

Bring a towel: Why do you need a towel if you are only staying 24 hours? So you can use it as a pillow!!! Trust me on this. You will get to hate concrete. If you don’t have a towel, try to lay claim to the roll of toilet paper as soon as you enter the holding cell. It makes a remarkably comfortable pillow.

Bring A roll of quarters. Your two $20 bills won’t get you far inside. Bring quarters instead for vending machines located in tent city but KEEP THEM IN YOUR POCKET. Change can be a hot commodity in the yard.

Bring reading material: Bring a book and/or magazine to help you pass the time.

Bring a travel alarm clock: So you can count the minutes

Dress appropriately: Wear shorts and short sleeves if it is the summer. Women, do NOT wear a tank top or anything revealing. Believe it or not, I saw a cute but clueless ASU student show up in her short shorts and spaghetti strapped half-shirt. Hasn’t she seen any “women behind bars” movies? She was turned away. What was she thinking? Bring a hooded sweatshirt. It can double as a pillow and, even though it is 110 degrees outside, they keep the holding cells freezing.

Leave your cell phone in your car or at home: Saw a couple of people get stuck on this one. They won’t let them in for day trippers

Eat and hydrate before hand: The water inside is gross. However, be aware that it will take a couple of hours before you ever see a toilet. Bring a water bottle to the waiting area outside. If you need to, go in your car or somewhere in the parking lot and try to discreetly pee in the bottle. It should go without saying that you don’t want to eat anything that is going to cause you to take a massive bowel movement over the next 24 hours.