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| Sochi Olympic Village restroom (2014) |
No, this entry is not about restroom decorations, but more
about the design and aesthetics of these essential establishments. I have been
moved to write about this today, because as a traveller who tends to indulge in
extended journeys, keeping an eye open for public restrooms comes with the
territory.
The double ensemble of toilet bowls in the image above have
become somewhat famous (or should that be infamous?), because they, and
others like them, are located in the new Olympic Village in Sochi, where the
2014 Winter Olympic Games are currently under way. As you can imagine, they have
become the focus of much mirth and comment, with social networks across the
Internet reposting photographs of the restrooms, with additional comments and
criticism to suit.
However, Sochi is not the only location where these shared
restrooms can be found. During my 2010 visit to New York City, I was forced to
use the public restrooms in Washington Square Park, in the heart of Greenwich
Village (as can be seen in the photograph below), which shows three of at least four bowls in the
male restroom. I assume a similar line up of waste receptacles were to be found
in the female restrooms, but I thought it wise not to check for myself.
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| Washington Square Park male restroom (2010) |
As I wrote on this blog way back in
July, 2010, “…to
say I was surprised to see such an open public display of Thomas Crapper’s
toilet bowls would be a gross understatement! Especially since Washington Square
Park is probably one of New York’s most popular parks.”
Hopefully, the restrooms in Washington Square have been
updated since my 2010 visit, but maybe they haven’t. If any reader can shed
some light on the matter, please do so via the Comments section below. Still, I
suppose one should be grateful that even these shared facilities were
available, although that old adage; “The more things change, the more they stay
the same,” comes to mind as I write this.
In the 1899 second revised edition of Baedeker’s travel
guide to the United States, one finds this: “Public conveniences are not
usually provided in American cities, but their place is practically supplied by
the lavatories of hotels, to which passers-by resort freely. Accommodation is
also furnished at railway stations. Such public conveniences as do exist in New
York and other large cities are disgracefully inadequate in number, size, and
equipment.”
Today, of course, if it wasn’t for the numerous Starbucks
outlets, fast food franchises, and similar establishments open to the general
public, New York City in particular, and other cities across America would be
awash in waste of the worst type. It seems that public restrooms are amongst
the last things city planners consider when it comes to caring for their own
citizens, let alone the millions of travellers who criss-cross the continent
each year.
Some things, it seems, never change.
Oh, and one last thing, at least the shared toilets in Sochi supplied some toilet paper, which was more than the loo I had to use in Washington Square Park in 2010 did. Since then, I always make sure I have some spare tissues with me, just in case I am caught short on the road somewhere.
