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Public Toilets Become a New Destination for Tourists
PUBLISHED APRIL 7, 2008
As I stroll out of an empty Madison Square Park, I finally see it—a rectangular box, covered in matted silver and opaque glass material. “Toilet,” with an arrow, is printed boldly on the side, letting curious New Yorkers and tourists know exactly what to expect.
New York City has a long history with public toilets. In 1975, pay toilets were banned from the city due to projected problems with the homeless population. A group of homeless people sued the city for public toilet access in 1991, and various plans to open public toilets set forth by former mayor Rudy Giuliani and other investors fell through. Just last year, Charmin installed a temporary public toilet in Times Square.
I have participated in multiple public toilet experiences, most notably Vienna’s underground potty and London’s loo, but having a successful and clean one in New York is something completely unusual to me. It seems unnecessary to have a public toilet in New York City when restaurant bathrooms are so readily available.
Cemusa—a Spanish company specializing in the making of outdoor furniture, like bus shelters, newsstands, and public toilets—and the city of New York disagree. In a $1 billion deal with the city, Cemusa will fork over the cash to install 330 newsstands, 3,500-5,000 bus shelters, and about 20 more public toilets throughout the five boroughs. While Cemusa pays New York, it will still receive revenues from advertisements that will be displayed in the bathroom.
But this first public toilet will not house any advertising, according to two Cemusa employees I bump into as I inspect the area. When I ask whether they had come to the public toilet for business purposes, employee Victor Lopez says, “Just wanted to go to the bathroom.”
Stepping under the glass awning, I slide the quarter into the slot—“public” is a relative term —and like an elevator in a hotel, the door slowly opens. As I walk inside the soap-scented “room,” I notice that everything is wet, because the bathroom cleans itself after every use. The floor tilts as jets of water and soap sterilize the floor, and an “arm” comes out and washes both the toilet and the sink.
Using the bathroom is relatively easy, but as a Minnesota tourist said, “I’ve got to say, there are too many buttons on that wall.” There are buttons for everything—buttons to flush the toilet, buttons to receive toilet paper, and bright-red buttons for emergencies. You could spend hours trying to figure it out, but unfortunately, there is a 15-minute time limit. Meaning, no risky business.
Before I exit, I wash my hands by placing them underneath the sensors. Surprisingly, the water and soap shoot out at a nice, warm temperature, and I dry my hands in the same place. I felt exhilarated after my first American public toilet experience—completely legal and only 25 cents!
There’s already a line for the toilet as I exit. Scott Forbes, a construction worker for the building across the street, said he uses this public potty because it’s better than the one on site. “It’s like your own private bathroom,” he said.
What would it be like with a public toilet uptown? It seems unnecessary, with Starbucks only minutes away. There are numerous restaurants boasting clean restrooms, and for most of them, a stealthy walk toward the back is all you need to master.
“I just think they’re kind of showing off technology,” Naina Sharma, BC ’11 said. “There’s no real need for them.”
news@columbiaspectator.com
New York City has a long history with public toilets. In 1975, pay toilets were banned from the city due to projected problems with the homeless population. A group of homeless people sued the city for public toilet access in 1991, and various plans to open public toilets set forth by former mayor Rudy Giuliani and other investors fell through. Just last year, Charmin installed a temporary public toilet in Times Square.
I have participated in multiple public toilet experiences, most notably Vienna’s underground potty and London’s loo, but having a successful and clean one in New York is something completely unusual to me. It seems unnecessary to have a public toilet in New York City when restaurant bathrooms are so readily available.
Cemusa—a Spanish company specializing in the making of outdoor furniture, like bus shelters, newsstands, and public toilets—and the city of New York disagree. In a $1 billion deal with the city, Cemusa will fork over the cash to install 330 newsstands, 3,500-5,000 bus shelters, and about 20 more public toilets throughout the five boroughs. While Cemusa pays New York, it will still receive revenues from advertisements that will be displayed in the bathroom.
But this first public toilet will not house any advertising, according to two Cemusa employees I bump into as I inspect the area. When I ask whether they had come to the public toilet for business purposes, employee Victor Lopez says, “Just wanted to go to the bathroom.”
Stepping under the glass awning, I slide the quarter into the slot—“public” is a relative term —and like an elevator in a hotel, the door slowly opens. As I walk inside the soap-scented “room,” I notice that everything is wet, because the bathroom cleans itself after every use. The floor tilts as jets of water and soap sterilize the floor, and an “arm” comes out and washes both the toilet and the sink.
Using the bathroom is relatively easy, but as a Minnesota tourist said, “I’ve got to say, there are too many buttons on that wall.” There are buttons for everything—buttons to flush the toilet, buttons to receive toilet paper, and bright-red buttons for emergencies. You could spend hours trying to figure it out, but unfortunately, there is a 15-minute time limit. Meaning, no risky business.
Before I exit, I wash my hands by placing them underneath the sensors. Surprisingly, the water and soap shoot out at a nice, warm temperature, and I dry my hands in the same place. I felt exhilarated after my first American public toilet experience—completely legal and only 25 cents!
There’s already a line for the toilet as I exit. Scott Forbes, a construction worker for the building across the street, said he uses this public potty because it’s better than the one on site. “It’s like your own private bathroom,” he said.
What would it be like with a public toilet uptown? It seems unnecessary, with Starbucks only minutes away. There are numerous restaurants boasting clean restrooms, and for most of them, a stealthy walk toward the back is all you need to master.
“I just think they’re kind of showing off technology,” Naina Sharma, BC ’11 said. “There’s no real need for them.”
news@columbiaspectator.com
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