And footwashing stand. I walked down to NW 5th and Glisan to check out the city’s new public restroom which opened today with the ceremonial first flush at 11am. The place is pretty nice. All steel with venting at the top for when someone has too much Taco Bell. Inside, the fixtures are stainless and there is plenty of TP (at least for now.). Outside, there is a place to wash hands, a stream of water at the push of a button which could also be used to fill water bottles, dog dishes, foot washing and honestly – if one so chooses – body washing. Pretty cool huh?
Don’t misconstrue my sarcasm as negativity. I think this is needed in Portland and look forward to many more. Now, if only they would clean up and open the old public restrooms by the Pioneer Courthouse. Those were so cool back in the 80’s.
Best quote from a gentleman walking up while I took a photo- “I’m gonna take the first piss in a $200,000 toilet.” Hope all went well.
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I know this is TMI, but I have a bladder about the size of a radish and have to “go” more than the average person. The availability of public restrooms is very, very important to me. I have a mental rolodex of not-exactly-public bathrooms in downtown Portland. I will never divulge my bathroom secrets because I don’t want to lose a good thing.
I wish I had been well enough to have checked it out the new Portland Loo today. On the surface, I think it’s a great idea and a good first attempt to address a need. But I have to admit, I’m skeptical. I want to believe in this project but I’ve poured over online documents and news stories and nowhere could I find how exactly this bathroom is going to get cleaned. How the bathroom gets cleaned, to me, is the MOST important detail. I don’t care that it’s solar paneled. I care that it’s bleached and sprayed down with a power hose at least twice a day.
And I know people are going to have sex in there and vandalize the hell out of it. I just don’t see how the open bottom feet viewing area is going to prevent a lot of that. People do all kinds of vile things in the back of some TriMet busses and on the MAX which is 100% visible. As much as people need to go to the bathroom, they seem to have an almost equal need to have sex in weird places and vandalize stuff. I once waited outside of a similar restroom near Pike Place in Seattle, but when the occupants (yes – all 3 of them) came out, I was too scared to go inside. I went in the Starbucks instead.
I never had a problem finding a clean restroom this summer in Europe. Europe has many pay toilets and the local restaurants will let you use their facilities without hassle. I also didn’t see many homeless people. Clearly they know something that we don’t.
This is all well and good, but when is PDX going to get some Outdoor Urinals?
@pagent
According to my boyfriend, they have those outdoor urinals all over Belgium. I think they are brilliant and would serve Portland well.
What? No interview with it’s first patron? What kind of journalism is this?
@TylerInCMYK – You know,(as he laughs heartily) I thought of that. We did talk and he told me that one of his mates had come over to get water for his dog and that the water spigot was indeed potable water, but I didn’t have the chutzpah to begin interviewing him while he was peeing.
“Who does #2 work for!?”
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