Interesting. Are these bigger city hospitals? I've visited people in several hospitals and you just walk in. Unless you actually go up to a counter to ask for help, you're free to roam. Sure, some areas are off limits. You can't go into the ER patient area without someone opening the door, and I'm sure the surgery section is off limits. But you can walk to a patient's room, the maternity ward, the cafeteria, etc. In fact, our local hospital has a pretty decent cafeteria. It's nothing fancy, but it's relatively cheap (cash only) and decent food. There are definitely people that just go there for lunch.