Please, Take a Load Off on Copenhagen's Free Street Hammocks

Some cities discourage long uses of public furniture by ripping out benches or giving them ridiculous, uncomfortable seats. Not Copenhagen: This chill 'burg practically begs its citizens to vegetate for hours with a new, alfresco arrangement of body-hugging hammocks.

The unconventional fixtures, called "Off Ground," appeared this summer on a boardwalk in the heart of the canal-streaked city. With their fetching red-and-blue color schemes, they beckon wayfarers from afar to come and take a load off – munch a sandwich while gazing over the water, say, or dream about the lazy days they spent as children basking in their own backyard hammocks. If visitors wants to ratchet up the activity level a bit, they can stand up and transform the slings into their alternative form of swings.